Flexibility is the ability to adapt your thoughts and behaviours to changing circumstances without losing your sense of self or purpose.
This psychological agility isn't about being a pushover or having no backbone; it’s about having the mental space to pivot when life doesn’t go to plan. Whether you are navigating a sudden shift in project scope or a change in a personal relationship, being flexible allows you to respond rather than react. At Hey Compono, we believe that understanding your natural starting point is the first step toward building this essential skill. Hey Compono helps you map your personality so you can see exactly where your rigid spots might be hiding.
Key takeaways
- Flexibility is a learned skill that involves mental agility and emotional regulation.
- Your natural personality type significantly influences how comfortable you feel with change.
- True adaptability requires recognising your 'rigid' triggers before they lead to burnout or conflict.
- Developing a flexible mindset improves professional resilience and deepens personal connections.
- Small, intentional shifts in daily habits can rewire your brain for better adaptability over time.
We’ve all been there – that moment when a plan changes at the eleventh hour and your stomach drops. Maybe you feel a flash of heat, or perhaps you just shut down entirely. If you’ve ever been told you’re 'too stuck in your ways' or 'difficult to work with', you know how much that bite hurts. It feels like a personal attack on your integrity, but usually, it’s just a sign that your need for certainty is in the driver's seat.
Rigidity often masquerades as being 'principled' or 'organised'. While those are great traits, they become a cage when you can’t let go of a specific outcome. When we refuse to bend, we eventually break. This leads to chronic stress, fractured team dynamics, and a feeling of being constantly out of sync with the world around us. It’s exhausting to fight against the tide of change every single day.
At Compono, our research shows that most people don't choose to be rigid – they are simply operating out of a survival mechanism. Your brain craves predictability because it feels safe. But in today's workplace, safety doesn't come from a static plan; it comes from the confidence that you can handle whatever happens next. Learning to embrace flexibility isn't about changing who you are; it's about expanding what you're capable of handling.
Not everyone experiences change the same way. For some, a new direction is an exciting spark; for others, it’s a threat to their stability. This is where your work personality comes into play. If you are The Coordinator, you likely find comfort in structure and schedules. When someone messes with the timeline, it feels like a direct hit to your productivity.
On the flip side, The Pioneer might actually struggle with too much structure, finding flexibility comes naturally but perhaps lacking the follow-through to see a pivot to the end. Neither is 'wrong', but both have different growth edges. Understanding these nuances is exactly what the Hey Compono app was designed for – it gives you a mirror to see your natural tendencies.
When you recognise that your frustration with a change is just your personality type reacting to a lack of data or structure, the emotion loses its power over you. You can say, 'Okay, my brain is panicking because it loves a plan, but I can choose to take one small step forward anyway.' This self-awareness is the foundation of genuine flexibility. It allows you to move from a place of 'I can't' to 'How can I?'.
Building flexibility is like training a muscle. You wouldn't walk into a gym and try to deadlift 200kg on day one, and you shouldn't expect to be perfectly adaptable overnight. It starts with small, conscious choices. The first step is naming the feeling. When a change occurs, take five seconds to identify the physical sensation in your body. Is it a tight chest? A clenched jaw? Naming it helps move the experience from your emotional brain to your logical brain.
The second step is to challenge your 'must-haves'. Ask yourself: 'Is this process truly the only way to get the result, or is it just the way I’m comfortable with?' Often, we cling to methods rather than outcomes. If you can stay focused on the goal while being open to the path, you’ve already won half the battle. This shift in focus is a core part of the coaching provided by Hey Compono, which helps you align your actions with your actual goals rather than just your habits.
Finally, practice 'micro-pivots'. Change your morning routine, take a different route to work, or try a new way of running your weekly meeting. These small disruptions desensitise your brain to the 'threat' of the unknown. Over time, you’ll find that when the big, scary changes happen at work or in life, you don't spiral. You simply take a breath and look for the next logical step.
If you’re leading a team, your level of flexibility sets the ceiling for everyone else. A rigid leader creates a culture of fear where people are afraid to suggest new ideas or admit when a plan isn't working. This stifles innovation and leads to massive turnover. Modern teams need leaders who can balance directive guidance with the openness to listen to new perspectives.
Being a flexible leader doesn't mean you lack a vision. It means you trust your team enough to let them find the best way to achieve that vision. It means being willing to say, 'I thought this was the right way, but based on what you're seeing, let's try your approach.' This builds incredible trust and psychological safety. When people feel seen and heard, they are far more likely to go the extra mile when things get tough.
Hey Compono helps leaders understand the diverse personalities within their team. By knowing that your 'Doer' needs clear tasks while your 'Campaigner' needs a dream to sell, you can adapt your communication style to fit their needs. This isn't being 'fake' – it’s being an effective, flexible communicator who cares about outcomes more than being right.
Key insights
- Rigidity is often a defensive response to a lack of control or certainty.
- Self-awareness of your personality type is the primary tool for increasing adaptability.
- Focusing on the 'what' (outcome) rather than the 'how' (process) reduces resistance to change.
- Micro-pivots in daily life build the resilience needed for major life transitions.
- Flexible leadership fosters psychological safety and drives higher team performance.
You aren't stuck with the level of flexibility you have today. Whether you’ve been told you’re too rigid or you simply want to feel less stressed when life throws a curveball, the path forward starts with self-discovery. You don't need to fix yourself – you just need to understand yourself.
Ready to see how your personality handles change? You can get started with Hey Compono today and begin the journey toward a more adaptable, less stressed version of you. It’s about making work and life fit your brain, not the other way around.
While some personality types are naturally more open to change, flexibility is absolutely a skill that can be developed. It involves building emotional regulation and cognitive reframing techniques that allow you to move past your initial 'threat' response to change.
Flexibility becomes a problem when it turns into 'people pleasing' or a lack of boundaries. If you find yourself constantly changing your mind to suit others at the expense of your own values or goals, you may need to balance your adaptability with more assertiveness.
Your brain’s amygdala views uncertainty as a potential physical threat, triggering a 'fight or flight' response. This is why you feel physical symptoms like a racing heart or tension when plans change suddenly. Understanding this is a biological response can help you manage it.
Start by providing as much 'certainty' as possible in other areas. Rigid people usually need more data and clear reasons for a change. Instead of just announcing a pivot, explain the 'why' and give them time to process the new information before requiring action.
Not at all. Flexibility is about the method, not the standard. You can maintain extremely high standards for the final result while being completely open to different ways of achieving that result. It’s about being 'firm on the goal, flexible on the journey'.