Trust and rapport are essential for moving a positive first impression forward to create a meaningful and lasting connection. They are the heartbeat of business, the backbone for high performing teams, and the secret sauce for healthy relationships.

An ambivert navigates the introvert/extrovert spectrum with ease since they do not fit directly into either category. Since neither label applies to them, they are social chameleons who adapt to their environment to maximize their interaction and optimize their results.

It is not unusual for people to believe that their way is the best way—that they are right and everyone else is out-of-sync or mistaken. The divine irony is that since we are better at being ourselves, how can we expect others to be less like themselves to fulfill our expectations? We cannot change who we are wired to be and neither can others.

By becoming aware of the differences and developing an understanding of each person’s uniqueness, you will improve your interactions to make more positive first impressions.

Not everyone is going to like us or understand us. And that is okay. It may have nothing to do with us personally; but rather more about who they are and how they relate to the world.

In his book, The Four Agreements, Miguel’s Ruiz encourages us to “not take things personally; people behave for their reasons, not ours.” Our personality differences and life experiences shape how we perceive, engage, react, and respond.

When you strive to become a conversational chameleon, you can more swiftly adapt to your environment and surroundings for your own safety, survival, and healthy well-being.

Learning the personality styles of others will further heighten your awareness of differences to enhance your social agility. When you gain clarity on what is important to others and why they act as they do, you will be better able to engage confidently with their energies and personalities to thrive in most any situation.

Being a conversational chameleon allows you to do that. One day I may be speaking to the CEO of a global company and the next to my four-year-old nephew. Just as you would not talk to your eighty-year-old grandmother the same way you would talk to a twenty-three-year-old co-worker, adapt your own behavior to the person with whom you are speaking.