Day 3: The Changing Ptarmigan vs. The Steady Penguin

Some people move with the wind, while others hold their shape no matter the storm. Both, in their own way, are trying to stay standing.

Yesterday, we stood in the heat of the savannah, observing the quiet pull between the Whispering Hyena and the Grounded Elephant—manipulation veiled as softness, strength disguised as stillness. Today, we shift scenes once more. Northward, into the crisp silence of the Arctic, a place where change is constant, and survival means learning how to navigate it.

There, we find two distinct styles of workplace presence. One changes its colours to match the climate. The other stands firm, unchanged, even when everything around it shifts.

🕊️ The Changing Ptarmigan

The Changing Ptarmigan is the master of adaptation. They blend effortlessly into their surroundings — not by accident, but by design. When a new leader comes in, they’re the first to adjust their tone, their stance, and their talking points. They quickly pick up on new language, new behaviours, and new rules. It’s not flattery — it’s survival.

They are strategic, responsive, and politically fluent. Their ability to read the room makes them valuable in environments that shift quickly. While others hesitate, they’re already aligning. When the winds change, they turn quickly, skillfully, and without drama.

But over time, something gets harder to pin down: what do they stand for? Their alignment is seamless, yes — but is it rooted in values, or just self-preservation? Their flexibility can inspire… or confuse. Their support can feel comforting… or conditional. What looks like agility can start to feel like opportunism, especially when trust depends not just on what we say, but on what we stay with.

Their motto, whether spoken or not, seems to be: “Fit in to stay in.” While this works in the short term, people begin to wonder who they are beneath the feather shifts.

🐧 The Steady Penguin

The Steady Penguin walks a different path. They don’t change colours when the environment does. They don’t reinvent themselves for every meeting or every manager. Their words sound the same whether they’re speaking to senior leadership or a new intern. There is comfort in that — a rare consistency in a world of quick pivots.

They are not stubborn by default. But they move with intention. They listen carefully before committing, and when they speak, it’s from a place that doesn’t shift with trends. Colleagues trust them because they don’t waver with the weather. They’re a fixed point when everything else feels uncertain.

But consistency, when unchecked, can drift into rigidity. The Penguin doesn’t always pivot when change is needed. Their sense of loyalty can harden into resistance. They might struggle to let go of systems or beliefs that once worked, even when those no longer serve the present moment.

Their motto could be, “Stand firm to stay true.” While that integrity earns admiration, it can sometimes isolate them in fast-moving waters where adaptability is essential.

🔍 The Reflection

Both the Ptarmigan and the Penguin have something to teach us. One moves with the system, slipping seamlessly into new structures. The other stands apart, offering something solid to lean on.

But neither path is without risk. If you lose yourself in adaptation, people may stop trusting your centre. If you refuse to adapt, people may stop inviting you in.

So ask yourself: In times of change, do you mirror the environment, or do you offer a mirror back to it? Are you blending in to stay safe, or holding steady to stay honest?

And which one do the people around you need most, right now?

📌 Did You Know?

The ptarmigan is a high-latitude bird that literally changes with the seasons. Its brown summer feathers turn white in winter, allowing it to blend into snow-covered tundra. This camouflage is a form of protection — an evolutionary response to predators. But it also means the ptarmigan is always becoming something else, shaped entirely by what surrounds it.

Penguins, meanwhile, remain visibly themselves all year round. Their stark black-and-white colouring serves a purpose, not for hiding but for signalling. While their environments are harsh and shifting, their appearance is constant. They form lifelong social bonds, survive together in brutal cold, and incubate their eggs for weeks with extraordinary patience and discipline.

In the workplace, these metaphors run deep. The pressure to adapt is real, but so is the cost of losing one's shape. Knowing when to flex and when to stand is one of the most underrated forms of wisdom.

📚 References

• Montgomerie, R. & Lyon, B. (2011). “Snow camouflage and seasonal colour change in birds.” Biological Journal of the Linnean Society

• Clucas, G. V., et al. (2014). “Understanding colony formation in penguins.” PLoS ONE

• Sinek, S. (2009). Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action

• Harvard Business Review (2021). “The Costs of Compromise and the Power of Principles”