How To Be An Adaptive Leader
Adapting to change is the key to running a business, especially in our ever-changing climate. Adaptive leaders are able to stay agile in challenging situations. Their adaptability allows them to navigate through challenges and push through to the other side.
When dealing with crises, adaptive leaders are resilient. They focus on adapting to the situation. Along with their ability to adapt, they facilitate collaborative problem solving to come up with innovative solutions.
In this article, you will learn more about what adaptive leadership is, how adaptive leadership improves business management, and how to implement adaptive leadership in your business.
What Is Adaptive Leadership?
Adaptive leadership was created by Harvard researchers Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky. They designed this leadership model to aid organizations in effectively navigating change. Heifetz and Linsky recognized that a single leader is not capable of solving the complex decision we face today on their own.
Rather than relying on one leader to face challenges, adaptive leadership takes a different approach. Modern challenges require creative solutions. The adaptive leadership model says that a team of leaders should be trained to work together with employees to develop innovative solutions.
Heifetz and Linsky outlined four keys in the adaptive leadership model. The four keys of adaptive leadership include the following.
- Organizational Justice. Adaptive leaders ensure fairness in their organization. They make sure everyone is included and work practices are fair.
- Emotional Intelligence. Adaptive leaders are emotionally intelligent. Being emotionally intelligent means they are able to recognize, understand, and manage their own emotions while empathizing with others. Adaptive leaders can use emotional intelligence to make objective decisions and connect with their reports.
- Development. Adaptive leaders make development a priority. They encourage continuous growth within the organization. They do this by continuously learning, offering learning opportunities to their reports, and finding opportunities for business growth.
- Character. Adaptive leaders have strong character. They have strong morals and ethics and infuse integrity in everything they do. They do what they believe is right, not what is convenient.
Moreover, adaptive leaders are skilled in anticipating future challenges, communicating those challenges with their team, and developing collaborative solutions that elevate their business. By embracing critical thinking among all members of their team, adaptive leaders are able to implement changes effectively.
How Adaptive Leadership Improves Businesses
Adaptive leadership is a strong method of improving your business. Top technology companies have integrated adaptive leadership into their businesses to improve their teams’ ability to respond to crisis situations.
For example, Microsoft recognized that the solution to working during the COVID-19 pandemic needed to be collaborative. They understood that one person couldn’t make such a big decision that will affect thousands of workers on their own. They worked together to come to a decision. Now, they are able to provide their employees balance by giving them the option to choose to work from home or use a hybrid work model.
They utilized the four A’s of adaptive leadership to come to this decision. As reported by Harvard Business Review, the four As of adaptive leadership are anticipation, articulation, adaption, and accountability. Adaptive leaders need to anticipate the future, articulate their vision, adapt to changing environments, and take accountability for their decisions. Moreover, adaptive leaders welcome diversity, are open to feedback, and are emotionally intelligent.
By utilizing adaptive leadership, leaders are able to make their employees feel valued, make strategic decisions, and grow their business. The solutions that teams are able to come up with under adaptive leaders strengthen the organization as a whole. This fortifies their chances for long-term success. The agility of adaptive leadership allows companies to succeed while dealing with disruptive technology and strong competitors.
Implementing Adaptive Leadership In Your Business
Let’s get into how to implement adaptive leadership in your business. Changing your leadership style won’t happen overnight, but anything is possible with hard work.
Follow these steps to implement adaptive leadership in your business.
- Communicate your vision. Adaptive leaders are visionaries. They have the ability to see the bigger picture and know the best way to communicate it to their team. Adaptive leaders must embrace change and be able to encourage it across their organization. The ability to communicate their vision will help employees transition to their changing environment.
- Be collaborative. Adaptive leaders are collaborative. They are the facilitators of their team and collaborate to make solid group decisions.
- Make strategic decisions. Adaptive leaders are decision makers. To make a strategic decision, define the need and analyze the options. Look at research and discuss with others before making your decision.
- Be empathetic. Adaptive leaders are empathetic. They can control their emotions and respond with empathy when speaking with their team.
- Be flexible. Adaptive leaders are flexible. Rigidity is one of the number one reasons businesses fail. Be flexible and agile to keep your business on top.
Amazon is a pioneer for adaptive leadership. They use agile team structures and adaptive practices to innovate. Their innovation leads to continuous improvement that provides better and better experiences for their customers. Amazon continues to launch new products and services to stay agile and relevant in constantly changing markets. They also have fast decision-making which allows them to be flexible. Further, their values of growth, risk-taking, and creativity keep them at the top of their industry.
Another example of a business that has had success with adaptive leadership is Apple. Their current CEO, Tim Cook, has been described as being cautious, collaborative, and tactical. His commitment to his work, along with his collaborative decision making, has doubled profits for Apple since he took the reins.
Become An Adaptive Leader Today
In conclusion, adaptive leadership requires organizational justice, emotional intelligence, development, and character. Adaptive leaders have strong morals and aren’t afraid to make changes for the good of the business. They navigate challenging circumstances by collaborating with their team to develop creative solutions. Their communication, collaboration, flexibility, empathy, and decision making make them strong leaders.
Are you ready to become an adaptive leader? Contact Mythos Group today to learn how to implement adaptive leadership practices into your business.
