I was recently coaching a leader who shared what they were hoping for in their next role…
They wanted meaningful work, but with a little less urgency, less reacting and a calmer pace.
My first instinct was to question how realistic that would be, given the speed of technological change, growing expectations and ongoing disruption.
Because there’s not much we can predict about our futures, but one thing I’ll put money on is that change and uncertainty aren’t going anywhere. And being able to adapt is so important.
But I’ve been thinking about that conversation since…
What were they actually telling me about the effort it takes to keep adapting?
The Adaptability Paradox
Adaptability is regularly called out as one of the most important capabilities for the future of work.
And it’s no surprise why.
The ability to adjust our thinking, continuously learn, navigate uncertainty and respond to unfamiliar situations helps us remain effective in a changing world.
But some recent research made me look at adaptability a little differently…
Cappfinity, which assesses behavioural skills through the lenses of performance, energy and use, has identified an interesting shift.
In 2020, 31.59% of people assessed had Adaptable as a realised strength. By 2026, that figure had fallen to 23.6%.
Meanwhile, the proportion identifying Adaptable as a learned skill, increased from 46.56% to 59.67%.
Why does that distinction matter?
Because a realised strength is something we’re good at and find energising. A learned skill is something we can perform well but it might not necessarily energise us.
In other words, adaptability is increasingly showing up as something people can do well but it’s draining them.
The research doesn’t tell us exactly why this shift has occurred.
For me, I’m wondering if we’ve become so practised at adapting to change, we’re now finding it much less rewarding than we once did.
And if that’s the case, what might it mean when we’re going to be asked to keep doing it over and over again?
When Adaptability Comes at a Cost
Another recent study from DDI adds an important dimension.
Its 2026 Global Leadership Forecast research found that only 17% of leaders feel very prepared to anticipate and respond to change.
It also found that leaders who frequently feel depleted are 3.9 times more likely to learn about problems later than they should.
And that’s what makes this worth paying attention to.
Change fatigue doesn’t always announce itself through missed targets or people leaving. It can show up more quietly — in slower decisions, less forward thinking, problems being spotted too late, or leaders having less capacity to support their teams.
People may still be performing. But what is it costing them to keep doing so? And what might it already be costing the organisation?
Because when the energy required to keep adapting starts to affect how people think, decide and lead, this is no longer simply an individual wellbeing issue.
It’s a performance risk.
Are We Asking People to Adapt, or Simply Accommodate?
Of course, none of this means adaptability is a bad thing.
Quite the opposite!
Developing the confidence, skills and flexibility to navigate change can make us more effective, more capable and potentially less overwhelmed by uncertainty.
But I think there’s an important distinction between adapting constructively and endlessly accommodating whatever comes our way.
Sometimes adapting means learning a new skill, questioning an old assumption or trying a different approach.
Sometimes it means challenging an unrealistic expectation, reconsidering a priority or recognising that the current way of working isn’t sustainable.
And that’s where responsibility needs to be shared.
Individuals have a role in developing their mindset, skills and habits to navigate uncertainty more effectively.
But organisations also have a responsibility to create the conditions that make adaptability possible.
Because there’s a real danger in treating adaptability as an unlimited personal resource.
But if every new demand is met by asking people to be more flexible, resilient or adaptable, when do we stop to question the demands themselves?
A Different Way to Think about Getting Stronger
I keep coming back to that coaching conversation.
Perhaps wanting a calmer role wasn’t about avoiding challenge or resisting change.
Perhaps it was about wanting the space to do meaningful work well, without constantly feeling on the back foot.
We can’t remove uncertainty from work. Nor would we necessarily want to. Challenge, learning and change can create huge opportunities for growth.
The future will need people who can adapt. But it will also need organisations that know how to help them sustain it.
So, are we actually becoming stronger through change, or just getting better at absorbing it?
