By: Estela Nchama
The word “Adaptation” is one that I had used several times before but I had never heard of “Adaptive Leadership”, it was a completely new concept in itself, which was eye-opening. To conceive an idea is good but not enough to guarantee its implementation and success. There is a need to take into account your audience – Their needs, opinions, background …etc, and adapt to those. One may have the best intentions to resolve a specific and obvious problem but is sometimes faced with an audience that does not care and is more concerned with taking the leader out of the picture.
Leadership is tough, and therefore requires that we have a positive mindset. It is advisable to begin to identify possible questions or issues that may arise and seek information beforehand. Leaders often think they always have or should have the answers to everything. We are often tempted to intervene first or jump into resolving issues before observing or analyzing or analyzing the issue at hand. There is the need to look beyond the obvious, understand beyond spoken words-that which people are not saying.
Real change does not happen unless there is a sense of urgency. There are times as a leader, you may need to back away from the solution of a problem-direct from the back, and allow other stakeholders to take the lead.
No matter what you are leading on, if the people you are leading are not involved, the solution may not be effective. Adaptive leadership brings out the best in people, their creativity, increase their engagement and may reduce turnover in organizations since there is a high sense of belonging. I am looking forward to exploring and applying this concept.
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