Adapt or Adopt?

Last week I had a quick turnaround between arriving home from Costa Rica and departing again to deliver a keynote and two workshops on adaptability in Calgary, Alberta. I won’t bore you with the details, but I can assure you that a series of travel glitches put my own adaptability skills to the test. I arrived to deliver the keynote with 15 minutes to spare (rather than 24 hours ahead as originally scheduled), wearing an airline-issued men’s XL white T-shirt and working on two hours of sleep. I told the group that it’s reassuring to know the speaker has experience in that of which she speaks!

Previous blog posts on adaptability led to some poolside conversations in Costa Rica, and one of our participants, who brings considerable corporate management experience, wrote this to me afterwards (used with permission, obviously):

“From a broad perspective on my part, the discussion doesn’t focus enough on the “APT” in adapt. Most of the effort is in convincing that we can all simply shift—as if the reason why is clear, and that everyone has what they need to respond to either a push and/or a pull to shift. 

To adapt requires inclination, an ability to learn quickly, and most of all alignment with purpose and readiness for change. This work takes time and perspective, empathy and leadership on many levels and in thoughtful ways. 

I don’t think we are actually able to adapt as we move forward in the world, especially in the workplace. Because that’s not actually what we are being asked to do. It seems “adopt” is more what we are asking of ourselves and each other—to…act in accordance with a plan or principle, but is it mine or someone else’s? We are being asked to opt in or opt out. And is opting out a legitimate choice? It makes me question if we are adapting or just adopting. I think it’s a meaningful distinction.”

Her comments underscore the importance of agency, autonomy and choice in navigating transitions. Some changes are involuntary (e.g. a death; an unexpected job loss) and some are chosen (e.g. taking a sabbatical; watching our kids successfully launch)—both can be challenging and require adaptability. But some changes fall in the murky middle, where the choice to adapt feels more like forced adoption because the stakes not to do so are too high.

In any of those cases, I’m still a fan of recognizing which tools in your adaptability toolkit are your favourites to pull out and use. When we adapt in ways that are aligned with our preferences, the destination and requirement to do so can both feel more energizing.

With thanks to Geraldine Bradshaw for her willingness to co-write today’s blog, to take a risk on Costa Rica with me, and to be the only one brave enough to do the Tarzan swing.