Authenticity and adaptability - are they compatible?

Sometimes, I’m asked: How am I supposed to be adaptable and authentic at the same time? Is that even possible?

The answer is: yes.

It is never a good idea to compromise on authenticity. You want to stay authentic (= who you truly are, and ideally, the best version of who you are) throughout any changes you may experience, whether at work or somewhere else. And you won’t turn into a different being just because you talk to different people. You are still the same you, and you will not sacrifice your essence. For an authentic person, their values, convictions, and beliefs will still be the same, independently their audience or conversation partners…

But you may need to adapt your communication style, depending on who you interact with or on what a certain situation requires. Even the most soft-spoken person may encounter circumstances that call for a louder voice. Parents usually don’t speak to toddlers in the same way as to their colleagues. And if you are someone who is very detail-oriented, you may need to adopt a more concise way of describing your approach to your big-picture manager if you want to get your point across.

As we move from one environment to a different one, we sometimes may want to dress differently. For example, I certainly feel more at ease wearing shorts and a tank top while walking through a beach town than in a board room or during a job interview. And if you’ve ever traveled from a beach vacation in the Caribbean to a business meeting in Doha, then you may dress differently at the beginning of your trip than at our destination. Adjusting your wardrobe to your environment or to the occasion doesn’t make you less authentic, as long as you don’t wear something that makes you uncomfortable because it’s unaligned with your preferred style.

I hope these very obvious examples clarify the compatibility between authenticity and adaptability, even though in some instances, the difference between the two may be more subtle.

What matters is that you remain you, which is another way of saying that you stay in integrity with who you are and want to be.  

In fact, it’s when you lose your authenticity that you run a risk of becoming too adaptable. You lose your discernment about when to adapt and to what extent. Your behavior becomes over-compliant and subservient.

If you’d like to read more about when it makes sense to adapt and when not, and my own story with adaptability as I’ve been moving from country to country, just go to my previous article in this Newsletter titled “Adapt or fail? – When to adapt and when not.”

And of course, as always, I’d love to hear from you. Share your perspective with me!