BCG Henderson Institute

SuperAdaptability with Max McKeown

"Resilience is the ability to withstand, to bounce back to where you were [before a shock]. A rock can be resilient. […] But adaptability is about seeking to end up in a new and better place."

In SuperAdaptability: How to Transcend in an Age of Overwhelm, Max McKeown argues that the key to thriving under uncertainty is adaptability—being able to change with your environment, again and again, getting better each time.

McKeown is a leading strategy thinker, coach to Fortune 100 companies, and an award-winning author. In his new book, he reveals how figures as different as Frida Kahlo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Simone Biles all relied on the same pattern of thinking to adapt to radically changing circumstances.

In his conversation with Adam Job, senior director at the BCG Henderson Institute, he discusses the difference between adaptability and resilience, and how to scale adaptability from one person to a team to an entire organization.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:14] The power of adaptive intelligence
[03:03] Adaptability vs. resilience
[05:15] The RUN loop: Recognize, understand, necessary action
[09:08] How to help others become more adaptable
[11:57] How to make your company more adaptable
[16:19] Applying the loop logic to innovation
[23:56] Real life stories of adaptability
[29:23] Bringing adaptability to life with illustrations

Additional inspirations from Max McKeown:

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