In a world where change is constant, unprecedented technologies and business models routinely disrupt the status quo, and new global competitors arrive on the scene daily, it is unreasonable to expect business leaders to know what to do to successfully address the latest discontinuity. It is, quite simply, a totally unrealistic expectation, but one that many leaders continue to have of themselves. In today's world, the role of the business leader is to mobilize the creative, adaptive resources of their co-workers and direct reports in order to address the challenges they face in the midst of high levels of ambiguity and uncertainty.

And while it is understandably a challenge for leaders to acknowledge that they do not have all the answers to the latest threat on the horizon, this is precisely what they must do — the first bold step towards intelligently responding to the demands of non-stop change. The second step? Sustaining the effort to identify and evaluate alternative responses — while being mindful of their own and others' tendency to revert to so-called "tried and true" solutions that are comforting, but no longer relevant to the current situation.

Becoming an Adaptive Leader provides a model of leadership that gives leaders an opportunity to learn the skills they need to lead people through times of great uncertainty, ambiguity, and relentless change.

Bottom line, leading an organization that must continually adapt to new demands requires a new kind of mindset and approach that not all business leaders have mastered — the right balance of resourcefulness, internal fortitude, the ability to elicit high levels of trust, and a willingness to coach, mentor, and empower.

You Will Learn To:

• Recognize the difference between a technical and adaptive challenge and the types of leadership most appropriate to each
• Appreciate and manage your own internal sense of inadequacy when faced with an unprecedented challenge or opportunity
• Gauge the level of disequilibrium experienced by your co-workers when faced with an adaptive challenge and manage the balance of pressure and support required to keep them engaged
• Avoid taking on responsibility for providing solutions to challenges that require the resources of all your co-workers
• Deal with the complexity and uncertainty engendered by surfacing multiple perspectives on an adaptive challenge

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