Download a printable PDF of this Hermie the HR Hermit Crab cartoon.
Panel 1:
Hermie: You know, as a hermit crab, I change my shell pretty frequently.
Panel 2:
Hermie: Most look pretty similar. Sometimes I just outgrow the old one. But some shells have real utility on the job…
Panel 3:
Hermie: I put on this one when I need to talk to the Boss about sensitive information.
(Hermie in a bomb-proof shell as he’s walking into Boss Betta’s office to deliver bad news…)
Panel 4:
Hermie: Sometimes, a more relaxed shell helps me to chill out.
(Hermie in a “chillin’ at the beach” shell for the company picnic…)
Panel 5:
Hermie: When I’m onboarding new members of the team, I like to wear this festive one.
(Hermie wears a “Welcome New Team Members” shell when he’s onboarding new pets to the team…)
Panel 6:
Hermie: But, by far, this one is my favorite. It really says who I am!
Gary: Oh, Hermie… that reminds me, let’s talk…
Hermie: You got it, Gary!
(Hermie’s shell says “Change Champ”…)
Hermie the HR Hermit Crab changes shells. It’s kind of his thing.
Sometimes he needs a new shell because he has outgrown the old one. Sometimes the situation calls for something a little more specialized. Delivering sensitive information to the boss? Better bring some extra protection. Welcoming new employees? Break out the festive shell. Company picnic? There’s a shell for that, too.
But underneath every one of them, Hermie is still Hermie. There may be a lesson there for the rest of us.
Adaptability Isn’t Inauthenticity
Organizations routinely ask people to adapt. New technology arrives. Leadership changes. Teams reorganize. Responsibilities shift. A new strategy requires employees to work differently than they did before.
Successful adaptation, however, doesn’t necessarily mean changing who we are.
Research on psychological flexibility suggests that people benefit from adjusting their behavior in response to changing situational demands while staying connected to their values and goals. In organizational settings, adaptability has similarly been associated with responding effectively to uncertainty, learning new tasks, and navigating changing interpersonal and workplace demands. In other words, we may need different “shells” for different situations.
A leader delivering difficult feedback probably shouldn’t communicate the same way they would while celebrating a team accomplishment. A change practitioner facilitating a contentious stakeholder meeting may need a different approach than when coaching an individual employee. Someone onboarding a nervous new hire may need to emphasize warmth and reassurance, while that same person may need considerably more directness when addressing a project risk. That doesn’t necessarily mean inconsistency; it can indicate adaptability.
Know Which Shell the Situation Requires
Effective leaders develop a repertoire of behaviors rather than relying on a single preferred style. That idea appears throughout leadership and organizational research. Situational and contingency approaches to leadership have long challenged the idea that one leadership style works everywhere. More contemporary research on behavioral complexity similarly suggests that effective leaders must sometimes demonstrate seemingly contradictory behaviors depending upon organizational demands.
Change management makes this particularly important. During change, employees may need information, reassurance, direction, participation, coaching, or simply someone willing to listen. The appropriate response depends upon the person, the situation, and where they are in the change process. A one-shell-fits-all approach probably won’t cut it.
But Keep Something Constant
Adaptability has a limit. Constantly changing our behavior simply to please whoever happens to be in the room can undermine trust and authenticity. One’s individuality provides the unique value proposition to that person and to the company, and organizations should celebrate that uniqueness, not strive for complete conformity. People shouldn’t aim to become a different person every time circumstances change. Instead, by learning, gaining skills and abilities, and understanding how they operate as individuals, they can expand how they respond while maintaining a recognizable core of values, principles, and purpose.
Hermie can wear the bomb-proof shell, the beach shell, or the onboarding shell.
But his favorite, “Change Champ,” shows that while the situation may determine which shell he needs today, Hermie still knows who he is underneath it and embraces the unique value he offers.
What shell does your work require today, and what stays constant underneath it?
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