“On becoming citizens who can mobilise people to solve problems”

Adaptive Leadership 

WEEK ONE 

Immediately after the opening of the Youth Leaders’ Leadership Development Programme on June 6, the programme was underway with the first presentation on Adaptive Leadership by Floyd Haynes – founder and Managing Director of Haynes, Inc., an accounting and management consulting company based in Washington DC. Haynes presentation on leadership saw its genesis in the teachings of his former professor Ronald Heifetz, author of Leadership Without Easy Answers. Haynes presentation began with an immediately stimulating idea – what is leadership?

With the root word “lead” in common, it has been incidental that we always expect that all leaders display elements of leadership, but Haynes forced us presents to confront this idea. Is a “leader” inherently someone who displays leadership? What situations demand leadership? And, are all types of leadership the same?

“Leadership is the activity of a citizen from any walk of life mobilising people to solve problems.”

Heifetz, Leadership Without Easy Answers

This profound quote from Heifetz attacks one of the key precepts of our M.A.D. ideology. For leadership to occur, citizens must be willing to mobilise persons. Mobilisation is not just about the literal action of something being moved but it is when persons are encouraged and organised and motivated to take collective action in pursuit of a particular objection. And leadership, true leadership, can only be effected when persons have become willing to become active and committed to Making A Difference. Leadership is doing the adaptive work necessary to mobilise people to tackle and solve tough problems, while elevating them to a higher moral level.

Haynes’ presentation zeroed in on the difference between technical and adaptive problems. Technical problems are those which are clearly defined, and solved in a straightforward manner. However, in this constantly changing world we are experiencing problems which present adaptive challenges. They require learning before they can be defined. They require learning for us to even begin thinking about solving them and oftentimes they are so ever-changing a true solution often seems elusive.

Haynes’ battle cry for the participants was simple – in order to effect real and profound effects on the persons in our organisations and the persons we come into contact with as Youth Leaders we must be ready to assist with Adaptive Challenges. We must be ready to do adaptive work.

As Heifetz notes in his text Adaptive Work requires a change in values, beliefs or behaviour. Change is essential. Indeed, adaptive leadership is about effecting change. In short, Making A Difference.