Owning ‘The New’ with your Built-in Superpower: Adaptability
- Dilek Süzal
- Aug 20
- 3 min read
When the new arrives, it often feels bigger than us.
For the past 6 weeks, I’ve been traveling and working from Asia with my family. Each new country brought that mix of excitement and uncertainty, from finding groceries and navigating public transport to discovering the best local spots! It took us about a week in each place to settle in and find our rhythm.
And as someone who changed many countries and jobs over the last decade, I promise you, adapting to ‘the new’, whether a new city or a new situation at work, is never as difficult as it seems at first! You just need to give yourself the time and prepare the environment to adjust.
Problem: Fear and Overwhelm Freeze Us
Starting fresh, many of us feel lost and anxious. At work, a new environment, new colleagues and expectations can create pressure to “get it right” immediately. The fear of failing or looking incompetent often leads to stress, burnout, or worse, resistance to change altogether.
Solution: Adaptation Is Your Evolutionary Superpower
Instead of fearing ‘the new’, accept it as something to ‘make your own’ over time. Give yourself permission to learn, make mistakes, and grow gradually. Adaptability is an evolutionary superpower built within you!
An Insight from Architecture: Frank Gehry, My Master Thesis Subject
I wrote my master thesis on Frank Gehry, a pioneer who challenged architectural norms. Using CATIA, an innovative design software ahead of its time, he created flexible, dynamic structures like the Guggenheim Bilbao that transformed modern architecture.
Like Gehry’s dynamic designs, your work and life can thrive when you allow room for adaptation and innovation, rather than expecting different results by doing the same thing over and over again.
Here are three practical ways to adapt to a new professional beginning:
🔹 #1 - Explore Your New Environment Like a Traveler
Approach your first weeks as if you’re learning the layout of a new office, get to know your key contacts, discover where to focus your energy, and familiarize yourself with the tools and workflows that will boost your productivity.
🔹 #2 - Craft Your Personal Work Rhythm
t’s normal for colleagues to check in or for urgent requests to pop up during adaptation. When possible, indicate your productivity peaks, set clear boundaries by blocking short focus times on your calendar, even 30 minutes, to dive into key tasks.
🔹 #3 - Use Feedback as a Compass
See feedback as helpful direction, not criticism. Adjusting your course sharpens your skills and impact.
Owning ‘the new’ and changing is an opportunity to bring you closer to the person you were meant to be. Give yourself permission to adapt at your own pace and uncover strengths you didn’t know you had!
If you’re facing a new beginning at work or in life and want support to build clarity or ways to adapt, just reach out. Book a free call and start turning this inner calling into action.
Warmly from Singapore,
Dilek
Official Collaboration Partners:
★ Lead Coach at the global coaching platform BetterUp based in USA.
★ Executive Coach and Trainer at SparkUs based in Turkey and Netherlands.
★ Impact Partner for coaching, training & facilitation projects at leadership experts Think Beyond Group based in Austria.
★ Leadership Coach at Percoms AG, based in Switzerland.
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