Adaptive Human Capital Blog

We’re at it again … Rick Maher is online and, on the road, spreading Resilience!

Posted Jul 13, 2022 by Rick

We’re at it again …

Rick Maher is online and, on the road, spreading Resilience!

As we advance our mission to create more resilient individuals, organizations, and communities, Adaptive Human Capital’s President & CEO, Richard D. (“Rick”) Maher will be addressing audiences both virtually and in-person in the coming months.

Maher is addressing the need for a new leadership mindset he calls “Disruption by DesignÓ in these sessions. He says since we cannot avoid change, we’re going to need to change our ability to thrive through it – we’ll need to change US!

“Disruption by DesignÓ is a mindset appropriate for these VUCA times,” says Maher. “Change today is more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous than at any time in my lifetime. Leaders today need to invite innovation, reward risk-taking and provide an aspirational vision (a purpose) that their teams can rally around. Today’s leader needs to be a curator of culture – one that says we’ll be UBER and not the taxi stand!”

Many of Maher’s sessions will feature free access to Adaptive Human Capital’s Individual Resiliency AssessmentÓ – a private, online, self-assessment that will help individuals better understand their natural response to change and uncertainty. He’ll also describe the Six Traits of Agile OrganizationsÓ to help leaders drive innovation at work. “If you think the pace of change in your organization is overwhelming now, hang on! We’re never going to change this slow again,” says Maher.

How can organizations increase resilience in their workforce? Maher focuses on 6 key traits to create a more agile organization. A critical one, he says, is making your organization a safe place to experiment and even to fail. “We want people to fail; it means they’re trying new things,” he says. “But failure has to become a learning experience, not a performance issue. If we punish people for trying something new that didn’t work, we’re stifling innovation and inviting disruption by outside forces. Folks need to be able to fail, so long as they fail fast and fail forward!”

Here are just some of the featured presentations Rick will be making this summer and fall:

  • Building Your Change Resilience. Workforce Professional’s Training Institute (WPTI) – July 13
  • National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), Workforce Information Technology Service Center’s Steering Committee Meeting – July 27
  • Maryland Raising the Bar Conference – September 13/14
  • Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association (PWDA) Fall Symposium – September 20
  • Global Talent Summit (Diplomatic Courier magazine, World in 2050 and hosted by Gallup) – October 4/5
  • Garden State Education & Training Association (GSETA) Fall Conference – October 18/19
  • Lead Change 2022 Conference (Change Management Review magazine) – November 2

Rick Maher has been working on the issues of disruptive change and how people and organizations can better cope for nearly 30 years. He believes that unless leaders and workers become more resilient and adaptable, many companies - perhaps entire industries – will be at risk for failure. (Think Blockbuster and venerable retailers like Sears.) “It’s urgent that we work on changing the mindset of the American workforce and develop the skills it takes to adapt quickly in response to chaos and uncertainty.” In other words, he wants leaders to decide that disruption needs to be baked into their business models.

For more information about Adaptive Human Capital’s offerings, or to book Rick Maher for your event, contact us for a no-obligation consultation.