The Most Important Flexibility Skills (With Examples)

Being flexible is an skill to have. Being flexible means that you are able to adapt to any high stress situation, and is a skill most employers are looking for.

We will go over the most important flexibility skills, how to improve them, and the benefits of having them.

Key Takeaways:

• Flexibility is a soft skill that is transferable between jobs which means you can continually improve and find it relevant across occupations.

• The types of flexibility skills are individual flexibility, managerial flexibility, and company flexibility.

• The best ways to be flexible at your job is to communicate values and goals, plan and set realistic expectations, and encourage feedback and diverse opinions.

What Is Professional Flexibility?

Professional flexibility is the cooperative ability to adapt and manage change in the workplace. It takes commitment by both employers and employees to make sure their respective needs are met. Professional flexibility arises during this process.

For example, a company may offer a flexible schedule to its workers as long as they meet certain deadlines. Conversely, a company may ask for its workers to be prepared to work longer hours during busier periods.

Likewise, an employee may ask for a flexible office arrangement that allows them to work from home or say they are willing to learn new skills for a project.

Flexibility provides both organizations and individuals paths to success. When done properly, flexibility leads to a positive and productive environment that makes everyone more robust to the demands of the modern economy.

The Most Important Types of Flexibility Skills

Adapting to change takes place at every level of the professional environment. The deployment of flexibility differs however the fundamentals remain the same.

It’s good to understand how professional flexibility can be broken up to get a better sense of what roles require what types of invested skills.

1. Individual flexibility. As an employee, you will want to be flexible with the demands of your role. You will want to take an energized approach to change. What makes you flexible is that you are to adjust based on the needs of the situation. This requires focus and awareness of who else is involved in any given assignment.

   Individual flexibility can mean that you are willing to take on extra work or it could mean you can easily adapt to changes in your schedule. It can also mean you take proactive steps to achieve your own goals, such as jumping on network opportunities when they appear.

2. Managerial flexibility. If supervisors are to expect flexibility in their employees, they must also exhibit flexibility themselves. Managerial flexibility requires strong emotional intelligence to understand the personal needs of the team. As a leader, you may need to adjust your requirements and how you approach delegating responsibilities.

   For example, how you give feedback may differ based on the personalities of those involved. You may have one employee who benefits from direct feedback while another requires more diplomatic language. Flexible managers are better suited to expand teams and handle more important projects for companies.

3. Company flexibility. The workplace culture is determined by the company and this includes their philosophy on flexibility. Depending on the industry, there are varying degrees of flexibility a company may promote. In the end, a company will look to use flexibility as a way to increase productivity and engagement in their employees.

   Companies that offer flexible schedules and remote working opportunities communicate to their employees that they are happy to make accommodations as long as the company’s goals are met. Some industries, such as software, can be more flexible, while others, such as food service, are more constrained by their environment.

Examples of Skills That Complement Flexibility

Some people more than others find it easy to be flexible. This is important to consider when you are either applying or hiring for positions where flexibility is highly demanded. If you wonder whether you have a flexible personality, consider your relationship to the following skills:

1. Organization. You may think you are flexible, but if you are not organized, then over time, the requirements of adapting to change will leave you in a perpetual chaotic state that could lead to burnout.

2. Focus shifting. You don’t want to lose sight of goals, so you must be able to switch between tasks without losing sight of each goal. If you struggle in this area, consider using a planner to help you remember tasks.

3. Time management. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the better you manage time, the better you can account for changes in schedule and projects. If you understand your schedule, you understand how ready it is to adapt to change.

4. Accountability. In situations that ask for flexibility, you will be left withholding yourself, and possibly others, accountable to make sure that goals are still met. Flexibility combined with accountability leads to reliability that promotes success.

5. Empathy. Flexibility can put stress on others, particularly those who prefer structure and order, so to succeed in a flexible environment, you want to be able to emotionally understand others who are affected.

6. Strategy. Even fluid workplaces require strategy. Though you may be open to different and multiple paths, you should still have a general sense of where you are going and what the end should look like.

   Not all flexible work environments are created equal. It depends on the time and space required of your profession. Your flexibility may be better suited for environments that give you more control over your work.

   Or maybe, your flexibility does well in situations where it is demanded of you. In either case, your other skills will be needed to make the best of it.

How to Be Flexible at Your Job

Professional flexibility requires many different traits to succeed. You should consider your strengths and weaknesses before you approach flexibility. Some of the most important steps you can take are:

1. Know your values. Whenever you are asked to adapt to a new situation you should consider how this change impacts your values. A successful employee, manager, or company will know that regardless of the changes, their values must stay intact for these provide direction in the pursuit of goals.

2. Be proactive. The best way to handle sudden change is to minimize the chances for it to appear. Proactivity provides you a way to take care of responsibilities before they are affected by future events.

3. Be mindful. People do not like change, so when change occurs be aware of the emotions you experience at the moment. Accept these emotions as part of the experience, but don’t let them define your actions. Practice mindfulness exercises such as breathing and stretching to increase your awareness and acceptance.

4. Diversify your skill set. The more skills you have, the better equipped you will be to tackle sudden requirements. This includes both hard and soft skills. Flexibility means approaching situations creatively, and by having multiple skills you can apply the necessary ones that will help.

5. Be optimistic and resilient. Not all changes will be easy, but you should always keep a positive mindset. Professional flexibility is as much about the approach to change as it is about how the changes are handled. Look towards the end goal as motivation to strengthen your resolve during the most difficult changes.

   There is no one-size-fits-all approach to flexibility but these steps will need to be applied in most cases. As an individual you will first want to understand yourself, your strengths, and your limitations, to assess how you would handle changes.

   By applying values, proactivity, mindfulness, diverse skills, optimism and resilience, you can build a framework that is best for you.

Ways to Create a Flexible Work Environment

Being flexible is only the first step. You should also build a flexible system around you, whether you are an employee or an employer, to complement the variety of needs in your workplace.

Here are some good starting points:

1. Communicate values and goals. Similar to your flexibility, structural flexibility requires an understanding between stakeholders of shared values and goals. This provides a base point from which changes will revolve around. Only changes that align with values and still reach goals should be approached with flexibility.

2. Plan and set realistic expectations. When pursuing a flexible work environment you should discuss ahead of time what that looks like. Everyone involved can share their expectations and agree on what is possible. When changes occur that require flexibility you can be more prepared for what is needed.

3. Encourage feedback and diverse opinions. A flexible environment should be one where you are open to change and that includes embracing suggestions from others. However, the tone should depend on the power dynamic of your professional relationships to maintain a cohesive chain of command.

4. Provide or pursue necessary resources. A flexible environment will not succeed if it does not contain the proper setup. For example, if people want to work from home, then everyone should have webcams and video chat tools as well as understand how they work. Likewise, a flexible schedule only works if resources are available at flexible times.

Benefits of Workplace Flexibility

There are many great reasons to be flexible and work in an environment that promotes flexibility. Some of those include:

• Ability to adapt to change. This makes you a more dependable worker. This in turn strengthens your standing and widens your career opportunities. It can also gain you the respect and trust of those who relied on your flexibility.

• Mental health impact. If you take a positive approach to change, you can reframe challenges and keep your goals in mind. Every time you work on your professional flexibility, you gain skills that can be applied throughout your life.

• A flexible workplace is a healthier workplace that meets the needs of its employees as much as its customers. Businesses that engage in flexibility for their employers see greater worker satisfaction which increases productivity and diminishes turnover. Combined with flexible schedules and remote opportunities, much is saved on administrative and overhead costs.

This creates a feedback loop where employees are more willing to meet the demands of their job. Flexible employees are better equipped to handle diverse customer personalities and requests. Flexible employees also will provide better service due to their engagement. Companies in turn will see greater growth and satisfaction from employees and customers alike.

How to Show Flexibility on a Resume

Flexibility is a big buzzword on many job descriptions. If you find it in the summary or at the top of the list of required skills, you can assume that flexibility is highly valued. However, since flexibility is a soft skill, it can be difficult to show in your application. Make sure to provide specific experiences to highlight the skill on your application.

Give examples of proven experience on your resume of situations where your flexibility resulted in a measurable impact. Similarly, for your cover letter, tell a story of a time where your flexibility resulted in significant gains for yourself and your employer.

If you get an interview, be prepared for behavioral and situational questions that will challenge your approach to unexpected changes.

Final Thoughts

Flexibility is an important skill that will only be needed more in the future. Even if you think you have a good grasp, you may be surprised by new challenges that will make you reevaluate your agility. Don’t worry — you can always improve your flexibility. Take time throughout your career to stay agile. This will keep you at an advantage in any market.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.