Clint Eastwood popularized those three words as the gruff Marine in the movie Heartbreak Ridge, where he was trying to make a group of undisciplined misfits into an elite fighting force capable of any challenge. As a Marine, three words were drilled into me until they became instinctive: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome. It wasn’t just a motivational phrase—it was a survival strategy. On the battlefield, plans collapse. Supply lines falter—communications break. The ability to adjust in real-time—to figure it out—becomes your only path to mission success.
In business, the terrain is different, but the principle is the same.
Markets shift. Technology disrupts. Customer behaviors evolve overnight. And yet, most companies cling to their plans and resist deviating until it’s too late. They mistake consistency for resilience. But in reality, resilience is rooted in adaptability.
This epiphany is about building a culture where people are not just allowed—but expected—to adapt, think on their feet, and pivot when necessary.
Why Adaptability Beats Rigid Planning
Adaptability isn’t about chaos. It’s about clarity of mission and flexibility of method. Companies that survive—and thrive—are the ones who don’t freeze at first contact with uncertainty. Too many organizations mistake having a plan for being prepared. This doesn’t mean you don’t plan. But your plans must include the capacity to adapt—to flex when new data emerges, when constraints shift, or when the unexpected becomes the norm.
“No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” – Helmuth von Moltke (and every Marine ever)
My first large client as a Disaster Preparedness consultant was a midsized company that handled licensing music for commercials and other forms of media. One of my Marine buddies worked there and got the meeting. I started my presentation by discussing a plan for a plan in case of a significant earthquake. The CEO, who did not want to be in this meeting, said we could buy some kits if they were required. I started asking about contact lists for call trees and data backup, and he and the operations manager snickered and said we have that covered. I was not happy he was not taking this seriously.
I grabbed my bag and invited everyone to follow me. We went outside the building, and I posted a simulated red-tagged notice on the door and wrapped it with caution tape. I then asked how you showed up to the office the morning after the earthquake and could not enter; how will your business operate? I fired off questions like, how will you notify employees, vendors, and customers? How will you invoice or give access to your music libraries? After a few choice expletives from teh CEO and other staff they realized they did not have a plan or even know where to start.
The entire approach to this planning was being able to adapt to the situation by being innovative in solving the problem and creating redundancy and forcing people to think differently and ways to overcome this adversity to conduct business the best way they could.
This doesn’t mean you don’t plan. But your plans must include the capacity to adapt—to flex when new information emerges, when constraints shift, or when the unexpected becomes the norm.
What differentiates high-performing organizations isn’t that they avoid chaos—it’s that they function through it without losing their mission or momentum.
How to Build a Culture of Adaptability
1. Create Space for Experimentation
Let teams test new tools, workflows, or ideas—even small ones. Build fast feedback loops.
2. Reward Flexibility, Not Just Execution
Recognize team members who course-correct in-flight, not just those who follow the plan to the letter.
3. Reframe Failure
Failure isn’t a red mark—it’s data. Make learning from missteps visible and positive.
4. Build Diverse Teams
Cognitive diversity increases the organization’s problem-solving agility.
5. Practice Scenario Planning
Conduct “What if?” drills. Force teams to think through how they’d respond if everything changed tomorrow.
6. Empower Decentralized Decision-Making
Push authority to the edge. Let those closest to the problem make the call.
The Need for A Culture of Innovation and Adaptability
As I finished this epiphany, I worried it was too similar to Epiphany 14—Enabling and Encouraging Innovation, and I wanted to ensure a distinction between the two concepts. With enabling innovation, I explored how leaders create environments where innovation thrives. But adaptability? That’s what gets you through the unexpected challenge before innovation has time to breathe.”
An innovation culture focuses on creating conditions for innovation. Enabling the systems, permission structures, psychological safety, and cross-functional support to allow new ideas to emerge and be implemented. It is an environment where leaders are enablers. Their job is to remove barriers, fund ideas, recognize creative contributors, and protect experimentation from bureaucracy.
The parallel culture of adaptability focuses on building confidence and the collective team’s ability to react under pressure and be agile in uncertain environments. It’s about situational flexibility, not just ideas but immediate action when circumstances change. Leaders here must train reflexes, develop decision-making trust, decentralize authority, and make mission clarity more important than rigid compliance.
