Kathy Miller Perkins, Ph.D.

In today's ever-changing world, leaders find themselves engaged in a breathtaking dance, encountering both thrilling opportunities and daunting crossroads without a clear map to guide them. The once dependable leadership playbook, woven from the threads of past wisdom, now seems inadequate when confronting formidable challenges.

If you are among those yearning for a fresh approach to successfully navigating uncharted territories, look no further than adaptive leadership. Embracing this game-changing approach to leading is the key to thriving in this complex world.

Why Adaptive Leadership Now

Who can deny that the world is undergoing rapid and profound changes, leading to increasing unpredictability and complexity?

For example, consider some pronounced societal threats and opportunities that seep into our organizations: Advances in AI, rapidly escalating consequences of climate change, the recent pandemic, and social and political unrest, to name a few.

These wicked challenges require a fresh framework for leading. Adaptive leadership fits the bill, focusing on tolerance for ambiguity, agility, and resilience.

While adaptive leadership isn’t new, its relevance to our current predicaments is compelling.

Why? Because many of our present-day challenges are multifaceted. Leaders need more than clear-cut solutions or historical precedents to guide their decision-making.

Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all solutions as unpredictability and variations surge.

Leaders who wish to flourish must embrace a dynamic framework that enables creativity to shine and unique solutions to emerge for conquering the multifaceted complexities that lie ahead.

You can find a path toward transformative leadership by unraveling the hidden philosophies and behaviors that set adaptive leadership apart from more conventional frameworks.

Adaptive vs. Conventional Leadership

Conventional leaders tend to seek simplicity. They fear complexity because they are uncomfortable with ambiguity. Therefore, they look for solutions that provide certainty and control. As a result, their decision-making is often rigid and resistant to rapidly changing circumstances.

On the other hand, adaptive leaders are open to complexity. They embrace it as an opportunity for growth and transformation. They approach complex issues with curiosity and open-mindedness rather than fear.

Recognizing that some problems are not linear or straightforward, adaptive leaders are comfortable navigating the unknown, encouraging exploration, and promoting fresh solutions.

They know that traditional organizational hierarchies may prevent the agility required to address wicked problems. Therefore, they tend to emphasize resiliency by encouraging inventiveness and nimble behaviors.

Problem-Solving and Decision-making Orientation

Conventional leaders seek solutions based on their expertise and best practices. Sometimes they merely rely on their positional authority for making decisions.

On the other hand, adaptive leaders take a different approach to problem-solving. They are unabashed by considering solutions that include shifts in mindset, actions, and values.

Relying on collective intelligence, they involve diverse stakeholders and encourage open dialogue for solving problems and identifying opportunities.

While conventional approaches to problem-solving may work well when leaders address familiar or technical challenges, adaptive frameworks succeed more often when the issues are unfamiliar and complex.

Growth vs. Efficiency Focus

Conventional leaders strive for efficiency. By doing so, they may achieve short-term gains and streamlined processes. However, they also risk experiencing several adverse consequences in the long run by discouraging the experimentation that leads to innovation.

Adaptive leaders emphasize continuous learning and growth for all. They encourage their teams to analyze problems, experiment with potential solutions, and learn from both successes and failures. This learning orientation promotes a growth mindset and a culture of flexibility and resilience.

How to Become an Adaptive Leader

Perhaps you are convinced that adaptive leadership is the framework that will work best for you in these turbulent times. Take the following three steps to begin your shift into a new kind of leadership.

Step 1: Increase Your Tolerance for Ambiguity and Uncertainty

Your first and most critical step is to become comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty.

When faced with ambiguous conditions and problems, leaders are often uncomfortable, struggling to retain a sense of control. However, they must confront the undeniable truth that control in such situations is usually unattainable.

As the challenges demand bold experimentation and daring risk-taking, you must shed the illusion of absolute control and embrace the exhilarating journey into the unknown.

Creativity expert Marc Runko describes the transformative power of ambiguity tolerance in his recent book, Creativity: Research, Development, and Practice.

He suggests that increasing comfort with ambiguity empowers you to embrace the nebulous nature of problems, recognizing their hidden creative potential.

In the dance with uncertainty, you unlock the ability to explore a myriad of options, fearlessly navigating complex challenges with ingenuity and finesse.

Focus on developing ease with exploration rather than seeking immediate answers.

Step 2: Develop Acceptance of Paradox and Inconsistency

A defining characteristic of adaptive leadership is the ability to embrace paradoxes and contradictions.

Adaptive leaders successfully fight either-or thinking. They embrace the tensions of holding seemingly contradictory notions at the same time.

For example, you would be right if you think stability and continuity are essential to organizations. However, adaptive leaders can embrace the need for some steadiness while encouraging innovation and change simultaneously. They do not accept that one is exclusive of the other.

Therefore, adaptive leaders might encourage their team members to challenge the status quo while also expecting them to identify the values, purposes, and processes that should remain unchanged.

Rather than seeking answers that offer perfect clarity and certainty, acknowledge that the world is messy and requires you to hold multiple truths simultaneously.

Step 3: Learn to Enable Rather Than Direct Problem-Solving

Conventional leaders often carry the heavy burden of providing all the answers, fearing that any hint of uncertainty reflects weakness in their leadership. But it's time to shed these misconceptions and take a new approach.

Embrace the power of adaptive leadership by acknowledging the limitations of your experience and expertise. Instead of clinging to the illusion of having all the answers, become the enabler of exploration and collaboration. Encourage the diversity of perspectives. Therein lies the seeds of innovation and progress.

Step into the role of a visionary convener, uniting brilliant minds to tackle challenges collectively. Be the bridge-builder, connecting varying points of view and igniting the sparks of creativity.

In this exhilarating transformation, you will unlock the full potential of adaptive leadership, where the collective genius leads to remarkable solutions.

As our world becomes increasingly complex and unpredictable, adaptive leadership emerges as a robust framework to address the challenges of our time. By embracing complexity, empowering others, fostering a culture of learning and adaptability, and balancing stability with change, you can navigate uncertainty confidently and lead your organization to success.

Embrace adaptive leadership to usher in transformative change and create a brighter future for your organization.