What Does Adaptability Mean to You?

To me, it’s held multiple meanings over the years. As a young person, I was more resistant to adaptability. Because at that time, adaptability was more about changing my mind to fit others. Accepting views that may not align with my own. That was hard, right? Adapting to someone else’s taste in mood, politics, music, food, entertainment. As a teenager it was easier to find my own tribe, my own community of like-minded people.

As I grew and matured (tbh, after I had kids), adaptability was paramount. Things were no longer MY WAY. In fact, rarely did a day go by that was MY WAY. Changes could happen at any moment, and I learned to roll with change rather than react to it. I had the option of doing that, or living in a state of constant chaos.

I realized that the most adaptive people don’t react to lifes changes. They think at the system level. It’s like pattern recognition in real time. Reading the room, seeing what may break and adjusting things before it does. I became really good at that. Learning what’s insignificant and what’s really important. That adjustment, anticipating change, and re-routing toward a different outcome, was the book of everything with kids. But, it also worked with people. People can be reactive, volitile, opinionated, and messy. Adaptive folks figure out how change ripples through people, processes, and outcomes, and they know when to pivot before the chaos starts.

Adaptive people are system-level thinkers. They enjoy putting the pieces of the puzzle together, connecting the dots, and mitigating risk. That’s been me for quite some time. This skill served me well in healthcare technology, because I found a way to make change feel seamless. Doable. Risk adverse. And if I was hit in the face with a feeling of extreme opposition, I found a way to adjust my strategy to fit the room. I stayed calm enough to lead despite the chaos. No one sent the software back. We found workable solutions. Adaptability at this level is not a soft skill. It’s a strategic one. Being adaptable is re-designing outcomes to fit the need.

So when people call adaptability a strength, I agree. But I also know that adaptability isn’t about being agreeable. It’s about discernment. Knowing what deserves my energy and what doesn’t. What must be addressed now…and what can wait.

For me, adaptability became less about changing myself to fit the world, and more about understanding how the world actually works. And then, designing the best way through it. And that shift changed everything.

What have you learned about being adaptable?