“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein”
Your Attire can influence your adaptability
Having the right attire is the first step to becoming more adaptable. Suppose one fine day, you have to accomplish the following tasks:
- Interview for a new job in the morning.
- Attend a funeral in the afternoon.
- Attend a marriage function in the evening.
- Go to a club party at night.
- Come home and have a good night’s sleep.
What is the one thing that you would change from event to event here? Of course, your attire. Every occasion requires its look. Not that it changes anything. (View this excellent article by HBR outlining how to become more adaptable LINK) It’s your physical embodiment that’s attending every event, just wrapped in different clothes. Then why does it matter? What difference would it make if you went clubbing in your tailored business suit? Or if you attended the funeral in disco pants? Practically, it should make no difference. After all, the point is your presence and not your appearance. Unfortunately (or fortunately), that’s not how the world functions. What you wear is perceived as a direct portrayal of your emotions and intent. Your business-look shows the interviewer that you are serious about this job. Your plain look at a funeral is an acknowledgement to the tragedy, over your personal appearance. Similarly, your efforts in grooming for a marriage function is a display of the importance you have for this celebration. You are constantly adapting to the events around you.
The Dialogue – Improving adaptability
If our clothes make such an impact based on circumstances, what kind of impact would we be making with our behavior? If we can be judged by our appearance, what kind of judgment would be passed on our personality? (Want to know more about the role of introspection in adaptability? Click here) How relevant would our words be? Now let’s consider the following dialogues and try matching them with the situations from above:
- Congratulations
- I am a workaholic
- I am sleepy
- I love dancing
- I am sorry
It doesn’t take a genius to match these dialogues appropriately to the earlier scenarios. However, life is not that simple. Situations are more ambiguous and not black and white. Your attitude would depend on a multitude of factors, the primary one being the people around you and the situation that you are currently dealing with.
Make it or Break it – from an adaptable pov.
As an individual, our characteristics transform gradually, and at a slow pace. Within a short span, you will come across a variety of scenarios, and people with very different characteristics, which may be like your own, or could be a complete contrast. Often the quote – “Be yourself” is conceived in a wrong manner, resulting in unwanted outcomes. There is a major difference between carrying your originality and having the same set of behaviours for every situation.
Life is full of unexpected situations. There is always more than one way to deal with each of them. And every choice you make works like a butterfly effect. It can make you or break you. And it is what separates the best from the rest. Let’s say you are a fun person, who loves entertaining people. But would you want to “be yourself” during an interview cracking jokes? You definitely want to maintain your essence by showing your fun side, but where do you draw the line? On the other hand, let’s say you are someone who takes life very seriously. Should you then attend a party and brood all the time, justifying to yourself that this is who you are? Certainly not. Adapting your attitude is as essential as changing your attire according to the event.
The Social Animal – Being more adaptable
Human beings are social animals. We depend on cooperation and support to exist and thrive. Understanding one another is the crux to move ahead. The best tool in our armour for this is communication. How you express yourself to whom is another aspect of adaptation. Not everyone is built the same way, and nor will every person understand you the same way. The language and vocabulary you use will have to differ from person to person. One of the common mistakes we make is communicating things from our knowledge base and based on how we understand it. The tendency to assume that the other person would be acquainted with the things we are acquainted with is where miscommunication begins. Teachers expecting every child to understand the content being taught in the same manner. Technical engineers expecting their clients to understand their solutions communicated in technical language. A young person expecting an older person to understand technology the same way they do. Or even parents expecting their children to understand life lessons, which they experienced over their lifetime.
“To make our communications more effective, we need to shift our thinking from “What information do I need to convey?” to “What questions do I want my audience to ask?” – Chip Heath, Made to Stick
All in all, adapting to your environment and the audience will help you in all aspects. Your rapport will improve. You will grow as a person. Life will be easier. Adaptation does not mean being fake or losing your authenticity. It is the ability to instantly deal with any situation that you come across. After all, you don’t want to get caught in the middle of a heavy rainfall without your raincoat.
