Adaptability

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG

This week’s theme? Adaptability – staying open, flexible and curious when life doesn’t quite go to plan.

The Weekly Debrief

As the temperatures ramped up, so did the workload. Last week was full-on with coaching sessions, NED work, client reviews and board appraisals. The kind of week where the diary looks like a game of professional Tetris. In the middle of it all, I still managed to squeeze in a friend’s 40th birthday celebration and a car‑shopping trip with hubby – proof that you can make space for life, even when work is busy.

Saturday was a travel day back to the UK, and while many people groan at a long journey, I secretly love it. Train, Eurostar, then another train or coach – for me, that means peace and quiet to catch up on admin and reports. And then there are the people. An older gentleman asked to sit next to me from London to Newport and clearly wanted to chat. By the time we pulled into Newport, I knew all about his life: kids, grandkids, wife, family, holiday videos and his views on just about everything – including how to cope with the British weather. It was a lovely reminder that everyone has a story, and you never know what you’ll learn if you stay open to conversation.

Since arriving in the UK, the “fit everyone in, do all the things” plan has been slightly derailed. A red weather warning and advice not to travel into London meant several meetings had to be rearranged, and I’m gutted to have missed seeing Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap – the longest‑running play in the world will have to wait a bit longer for me. It’s not what I’d planned, but it’s a good exercise in taking a breath, adjusting and moving on.

The Week Ahead

This week is still full, even with some of the original plans cancelled or shuffled. I’ve got two board meetings, a strategy session, a weekend by the coast with the girls, four dinners out and an overnight stay. The puzzle now is how to make it all work in a way that doesn’t drain my energy but uses it well.

The travel disruptions and weather warnings have been a useful nudge to look at my schedule and ask: What absolutely needs to happen in person? What can move? Where do I need to protect some space for thinking time, rest or unexpected conversations – like the one on the train? It’s less about sticking rigidly to the plan and more about holding the plan lightly while still moving things forward.

Lessons Learnt

This week has reminded me that adaptability is fast becoming a core leadership skill, not a “nice to have”. Workloads will spike, travel will change, the weather will do its own thing, and carefully crafted plans will sometimes fall apart. The question is not “How do I control everything?” but “How do I respond when I can’t?”

For me, that has meant three things:

• Making peace with changing plans (even when they involve long‑awaited theatre tickets).

• Using unexpected time differently – to rest, reflect or connect.

• Staying open to the people and stories around me, whether they’re board members, founders or a stranger on a train.

Here’s to adapting with grace, keeping our sense of humour when things shift, and finding #NRG not just in what we plan, but in how we respond when the plan changes.

#Stay Hydrated Folks!

Question for you: Where have you had to adapt recently – and what did it teach you about how you work best?