Key behaviours contributing towards Adaptive leadership

Adaptive leadership as a concept is not entirely new, though it might never have been as relevant as it is now. As a strategy for business growth and success, it has become more valuable than ever in this incredibly volatile and  uncertain environment. The efficacy of long term forecasting and traditional strategic planning is coming under the scanner. Technological advances and push towards digital transformation have forced companies to rethink their operating models, structures, and how they can best serve their customers while optimally harnessing the creativity, capabilities, and passion of their people. The pandemic has contributed towards this, stretching the limits of business and accelerating the need for resilient and rapid responses to a dynamic environment. This ever-changing landscape has propelled leaders to build capabilities to navigate uncertainty by means of proactive thinking and sound decision-making ability. The focus now, needs to shift from adjusting individual leadership style to realigning organizational culture.

Adaptive leadership is largely about leveraging the collective strength of the organization’s culture and its people to identify solutions unique to the immediate environment. This model identifies a set of behaviours, which enables leaders to do precisely that; emphasising collective strength instead of lauding individual heroics. Needless to say, emotional, situational and self-awareness play pivotal roles in developing this style.

Here are some key behaviours that help in developing this style of leadership within an organization:

Ability to get perspective

Stepping back and getting a wider perspective is instrumental in creating enablers within the environment. Being aware of the existing environment is the first step towards facilitating Change, and that’s what adaptive leaders do effectively. Take real time stock of the people, processes, policies, systems, failure and success points. Developing this ability enables leaders to make watertight strategies, with high probability of success.

Creating a Safe environment

This is a very critical aspect while driving Change. Adaptive leaders strive to do this. Managing stress by creating a safe space for employees helps build trust and facilitate Change. Higher self-awareness in leaders is useful in this context. Managing one’s own fears, frustrations and anxiety, while helping others do the same, goes a long way towards creating a safe environment.

Empowerment and encouragement of diverse opinions

An inclusive and empowering work environment provides the fulcrum for a winning organizational culture. Organizations which enable employees to form opinions and express the same in a healthy manner are poised for growth. Also, encouraging diverse views and mindful debate facilitate healthy conflict which goes a long way in giving the organization a competitive edge, especially when managing Change. 

Keeping focus

Change can be an all-consuming and overwhelming process. Real issues can often get derailed due to the high energy which runs in the system. If we consider the ‘Denial’ phase on the S-curve of Change management, there might be visible signs of deliberate procrastination, avoidance, or simple inaction. All of these can adversely impact the Change management process. Adaptive leaders therefore, should maintain unerring focus on the big issues, both overt as well as the underlying ones.

In conclusion, Adaptive leadership is about consistent teamwork and collaboration. Consequently, ‘Adaptive teams’ might be a more appropriate term to employ, when we address Adaptive leadership as a style. It is about inclusivity, mutual trust, distributed leadership principles, and a sense of oneness. 

About the Author

Neelakshi Mukherjee

Senior Director, The Next Milestone Technologies Pvt. Ltd

Neelakshi Mukherjee is a seasoned leadership facilitator and executive coach with over 25 years of experience in human resource development and Leadership Development across global markets. Formerly the Head of HR at Aegis, responsible for a team of over 20,000 people, she brings deep expertise in leadership development, competency mapping, and talent nurturing. 

She specializes in succession planning, leadership transitions, team building, communication skills, conflict management, and DEI initiatives. Her tailored interventions help organizations cultivate high-potential leaders through step-up programs, individual development plans (IDPs), and culture-building initiatives. 

Neelakshi is an NLP Practitioner, Train-the-Trainer professional, an image consultant, and a POSH cer fied expert, making her a trusted facilitator for leadership excellence and workforce transformation. She has extensive coaching and facilita on experience across the global market, including Europe, Russia, Middle East, Singapore, and Australia. She has deep expertise in sectors like Banking , Insurance services, Hospitality, Technology and Tech-enabled services, Retail and Manufacturing, among others.