Being Adaptable Is Over-Rated

Posted on 15. Mar, 2010 by Paul Andrew in Leadership, The Leadership Coach™

For years I’ve sung the virtues of being adaptable and to be fair adaptability does have real value in certain situations. But I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s just not enough. Being adaptable is over-rated.

By definition, leadership is bringing change to the world around you rather than simply conforming to what already exists. If I am changed by the prevailing culture around me instead of that environment being changed by me, then in reality I am a more of a follower than a leader. It happens all the time in big organisations where valuable individuals morph slowly into cookie-cutter clones.

When does being adaptable serve a purpose? When it comes to the non-negotiables in life and business adaptability tends to be the higher road. In May I’m relocating to New York City to expand The Leadership Coach to the USA. I’m going to need to adapt to lots of new things like higher rents, US currency, and driving on the right hand side of the road. They’re non-negotiable… unless I want to end up homeless, broke or hospitalised in a car crash.

But what about my Australian accent and spelling, my personal values, leadership strategies or business model for example? If I adapt on these things I become just one of the masses. In fact I might need to register The Cookie-Cutter Coach as my business name instead. I’d be giving up some of the very things that make me distinct and add value to who I am in the marketplace. Standing out is a fundamental aspect of being a leader.

There’s a higher level than adaptability and it’s the space that every leader should occupy most of the time – being culture creators.

Great teams are full of culture creators. They are the lifeblood of true movements. Culture creators replicate themselves in others. They reproduce and amplify the qualities they want to see more of in the world around them. Their influence is infectious and it goes well beyond their job description. You can tell when a culture creator has joined a team because things start to change.

As I asked in a recent post “Are you a thermostat or a thermometer?”. One changes the temperature of the room, the other merely measures it.

So, are you a culture creator?
•   What are the impact of your words, your actions, your beliefs, and your attitudes?
•   What do you reward, what do you tolerate, and what do you punish?
•   What are your priorities, your agendas, and your non-negotiables?

In these ways and more a leader shapes the culture of their team, their business and even their personal world.

I’d love to hear your comments and feedback
Plus click “ShareThis” below to post this article to your blog, Facebook, Twitter and more…

Be Sociable, Share!

Tags: Adaptability In Leaders, Culture, Culture Creators, Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Performance Coaching, Team Building

19 Responses to “Being Adaptable Is Over-Rated”

Robbert Gorissen

15. Mar, 2010

Great blog mate! It’s very helpful for me as I am moving this year or next year to Amsterdam.

[Reply]
Paul Andrew Reply:
March 16th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Europe needs great coaches Robbert – all the best with the big move
Paul

[Reply]
Dean Evans

16. Mar, 2010

Paul

Always love hearing your valuable insight on situations and events I see and experience daily in my current role. I agree with you that “adaptability to the norm” is over-rated! It seems the fastest way to allow yourself to NOT change those things around you that are not working would be to just do more of the same.. the worst example of adaptability i can think of!!
Good luck to you too in your new venture in the USA. Having just completed my intake weekend at The Coaching Institute your pathways over the last couple of years are truly inspiring. Besides, New York City rocks….!!

[Reply]
Paul Andrew Reply:
March 16th, 2010 at 10:25 am
Thanks for the feedback Dean – glad to hear the articles have been helpful. Come visit us in NYC some time!
Paul

[Reply]
Erusi Mujay

16. Mar, 2010

Hi Paul,

Very inspiring and challenging article. It’s very refreshing to see that adaptability does have to mean samey.

As a leader at heart, I now plan to challenge myself to Culture Creators as opposed to Cookie Cutter where necessary.

All the very best in NYC

Erusi

[Reply]
Phi Nguyen

16. Mar, 2010

Hi Paul,

I am totally with you on the culture-creator journey of a leader. what I find difficult though is when you are not at the top of the org chart, there is limitation in how you can create an influence. Is that true or are there other ways of doing this?

Cheers,
Phi

[Reply]
Paul Andrew

16. Mar, 2010

Good question Phi. I do agree that there are limits on what a team member can do if the organisational culture is heading in a different direction. BUT I also believe that 99 times out of 100 people discover when they really try to change the culture that they can influence much more than they thought. And if they do, those very people are often the ones who rise in organisations to places of authority and influence. It’s leading… before you ever have the title.
Paul

[Reply]
Moira Maraun

16. Mar, 2010

Hi Paul,

I’m enrolled for the TCI intake late May 2010 in Sydney. I’ve watched your progress from TCI through to your business and I must say I’m inspired by you and happy for you with your new adventures.

Your newslettter has been the perfect remedy for me after a shitty day in the public work sector. However, it is also a bit of a rude awakening. I have become aware that I’ve stepped into and have been up until now, trapped within the cookie cutter. I’m becoming a clone of complacency and indifference. How the hell can I make a difference if I am indifferent. I guess I’ve been making an indifference up until now. Ouch, that’s big!

Never fear, I am Nannowoman (recent nickname for me as a new nanna) and the fragrance from your blog will travel with me to work tomorrow under my wingspan and propel me toewards a sea of vast differences!

Moira
x

[Reply]
Paul Andrew

16. Mar, 2010

Be my guest Bill.

And Moira – glad to be part of the rude awakening since the outcome is positive!

Paul

[Reply]
Chris Carrero

17. Mar, 2010

Hey Paul,

Great Post as always.

If you ever feel like posting more then one Blog a month then feel free. The Leadership Coach always inspires me and is recommended reading for all my leaders.

[Reply]
Ben Tootill

17. Mar, 2010

Hey Paul,

So true…I am seeing the need to be a culture creater so clearly with our business.

Keep up the great posts.

Ben

[Reply]
Bill Smith

16. Mar, 2010

Hey Paul.

Love the thermostat/thermometer metaphor – first time I’ve seen it that I can remember. Permission to plagiarise, with reference to your good self, please…

Cheers,

Bill

[Reply]
Mark Gee

20. Mar, 2010

Jesus LifeHouse Church in Tokyo started about 8 years ago with a group of Australians in Tokyo who decided to use their “aussieness” to make friends and create a church culture that is warm and welcoming to new people. They just had 1100 people in services last weekend.
Paul, I can still remember things you said in one of the seminars their in Tokyo, must have been in 2003,
Bless ya,
Mark

[Reply]
Vicki Donlan

24. Mar, 2010

Yikes, if adaptability were a measure of leadership I wouldn’t be who I am today. Now, culture creator is more like it. In my experience, true leaders create a vision for others to follow. They articulate the big picture and passionately inspire others to get on board. The debate of whether leaders are born or educated to do this is a question I love to banter about. Again, in my experience most leaders seem to have been spawn or at least nurtured by leaders. They role model the qualities and learn to ape them almost from birth. So, yes, culture creators they are as well as visionaries and adventurers. I’d like to hear more discussion on this.

[Reply]
Matt

25. Mar, 2010

Hey Andrew,

Absolutely agree with you. I think on one hand adaptability is critical and I train that to the new corporate leaders I work with. On the other hand, however, these guys (non gender specifically!) are also being trained to do things differently to their peers and as a facilitator, in my role as cultural change agent, it’s my duty to train the leaders to lead in a way that has integrity and is in some ways out of sync with their work areas.

Also, as I coach, I am constantly helping people to become who they want to be and to perhaps be less concerned with what “everybody” else is doing. Adaptability and flexibility to your environment are key aspects of dealing with change but sometimes you need to drive the bus, rather than just get on board!

Love the article!

Matt

[Reply]
Rob Stanmore

10. Aug, 2010

I only just found this blog today and everything here is so unbelievably relevant to so many form of leadership. I’m in Year 12 currently, and just finishing this year of leading the school prefects and leadership in ministry within the school.

Your analogy of thermostat/thermometer in terms of changing the culture is increasingly important coming from a Christian school. The culture has been set by the school’s vision of varying denominations, however with the incredible group of friends I have around me, we set out to bring out the life and excitement out of an otherwise very subdued and conservative lunchtime group and school ministry evangelising to our friends.
Over 5 years ago we had an amazing year group that established FRESH (the group) and really lived out to its name to the extent that so long ago when I was much younger was being impacted by their leadership and culture! Our aim this year was to bring that original vision and culture back to the school and empower the younger grades to carry that vision on, and I really believe that we’ve seen that happen more than we could possibly imagine. Thank you so much for this insightful post and I’ll be sure to pass on the grades rising up to be thermostats in school culture serving the vision to see God glorified!

[Reply]
Paul Andrew Reply:
August 10th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
Thanks Rob, keep stepping up as a leader mate and I have no doubt you’ll make a real difference in the world around you!
Paul
Paul Andrew´s last [type] ..Burn Your Boats

[Reply]
Rob Stanmore Reply:
August 11th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Thank you so much, really looking forward to the coming months (although a massive change leaving school) to continue seeing a consecutive catalyst effect with leadership through the grades.
Also, thank you so much for the comment on my blog – will be posting up a film I’ve been working on in the coming weeks.

[Reply]

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

What's Your Leadership Footprint? | Paul Andrew | Keynote Speaker, Leadership Trainer, Executive Coach | The Leadership Coach - 11. May, 2010
[...] 1. The “Atmospheric Pressure” Test Many leaders don’t realise that they change the atmosphere of a room when they walk in, and they can change it for better or for worse. What if we measured how you leave people feeling after they’ve had an interaction with you? Do you leave people stressed, encouraged, inspired, deflated, negative, relaxed? You carry an atmosphere with you and every leader needs to understand that they are a thermostat not just a thermometer. [...]

The Leadership Coach™