Conventional leadership styles, such as those where an individual single-handedly generates results by imposing their will (on their team), aren’t working as effectively in the modern world. Indeed, for every advancement in areas like automation or artificial intelligence, business leaders have to embrace and work through new ideas and challenges. Given this reality, they need to adapt skills and mindsets that enable them to thrive.
That’s where adaptive leadership becomes important, because it understands that adapting to market changes and realities means being flexible. Where technical problems have pre-determined ways of resolving them, adaptive problems can be vague and have no clear path to resolution. As such, leaders have to work with their teams and take on different mindsets to find solutions.
Volker Hartzsch has coached leaders since the mid-1990s, and over time he has seen the value of adaptive leadership in the business world. As he knows, whether it’s a seasoned entrepreneur or budding investor, the tools and mindset to navigate uncertain times are necessary for every leader.
Key Principles
The following principles underlie adaptive leadership at its most effective:
- Emotional Intelligence: Also known as EQ, this is the ability to recognise feelings, both personal and of others, and use this awareness to build trust and quality relationships.
- Continuous Development: Being an adaptive leader calls for learning new or improved ways of doing things. If one style doesn’t achieve the intended results, an adaptive leaders takes the time to learn and implement new strategies.
- Character: An adaptive leader displays good character traits, including openness, creativity and integrity. They may not always be right, but they earn their team’s respect.
- Respect and Justice: Adaptive leaders know what’s good to introduce for the organisation, and they also know the best way to introduce these changes that get people to embrace them.
Market uncertainty, disruptions to supply chains and regulatory changes are among the key challenges facing leaders across every industry. Dealing with them requires flexibility and sensitive adaptability, which run counter to rigid styles. For entrepreneurs and business leaders, it means embracing agility, even if it means focusing on short-term priorities that build the resilience for longer-term success through feedback. In the end, the ability to adjust quickly, while staying true to core values, is what sets apart adaptive leaders in the rapidly changing world of work.