Adaptive Leadership Course Analysis

Climbing into my car, cap hitting the ceiling and gown getting caught in the door, I was ready to drive away from my small town of 600 people after graduation. Parked in the cow pasture directly across from my school, I realized that I did not know who I was or have any hobbies. For 13 years, I had always been surrounded by the normalcy and sameness of my small farm town, Ozawkie, Kansas. Wanting to break out of the monotony was (and is) my driving force to embrace new opportunities enthusiastically and with an open mind. This newfound mindset, my past experience in leadership, and my ambition and enthusiasm to invoke action is what drew me to enroll in this course. I expected that this course would teach me ways to become a more effective
and great leader… until I read the guidelines that specifically stated that my perceived expectation of the class is exactly what this class would NOT be. Coming towards to end of this course and the semester, I realize that the guidelines were exactly accurate. This class does not teach one how to become a better leader, but how to fit into any role in an organization trying to evoke action and how to effectively execute that plan. This class has enlightened me on a multitude of leadership strategies and necessities that I did not even know existed. Throughout the semester, I gained valuable knowledge about what adaptive leadership truly is, how to work effectively with the characteristics of adaptive leadership, with this valuable knowledge, I also gained experience in goal setting and reflecting on my progress as a leader through journals.
Adaptive leadership is presumed as a difficult concept, when it is really quite simple.
Adaptive leadership, as defined in the “Intro to Adaptive Leadership” video in module four, is “the practice of mobilizing people to tackle tough challenges and thrive.” There are very difficult challenges when facing adaptive leadership, because adaptive leadership is so ambiguous. The module four video also states that adaptive leadership involves a system of individuals coming together to solve an adaptive challenge that does not have a clear, easy solution. The module also states that adaptive challenges are solved by encouraging an inclusive environment that offers a multitude of ideas and interpretations in its diversity. This environment helps to foster creativity, while celebrating and encouraging strength (rather than focusing on improving
weaknesses).
Approaching adaptive challenges, we were exposed to the Kansas Leadership Center’s (KLC) four competencies of leadership to solve these challenges effectively. These competencies of leadership included: diagnosing the situation, managing self, intervening skillfully, and energizing others. Effectively using these four competencies together ultimately aid in solving the adaptive challenge. The second competency, managing self, is what I believe is the most important competency when addressing an adaptive challenge. Managing self involves identifying your own strengths, vulnerabilities, and triggers, being objective, and to prioritize your values. It is difficult to examine your actions and leadership style honestly and objectively “from the balcony”. Admitting to weaknesses and vulnerabilities is extremely difficult for individuals to do, but a necessity in leadership. As difficult as it may be to admit to weaknesses, knowing and identifying your strengths gives an individual confidence and motivation to solve the adaptive challenge. When reviewing my personal journal entries, I constantly utilized the manage self competency to improve upon my leadership skills, and since the first entry, I feel as if I have made improvements in my leadership style.
In my first journal entry, I wrote that, “I am always trying to find new ways to effectively communicate and to be a leader in whatever capacity it is needed.” This quote demonstrates that I was willing and able to identify my weaknesses, but I did not identify or focus on my strengths as a leader (which KLC states is essential to do in an adaptive challenge).
Later, in journal nine, I identified two of my strengths as communication and empathy. Within my journals, I stated my adaptive challenge as my family dynamic. Being the youngest of five children, it is difficult to maintain strong connections with each of my siblings. My goal for my adaptive challenge was to develop and maintain a stronger bond with each of my siblings by “calling them more often and arranging bimonthly meetings”. When stating my two strengths in journal nine, I also stated the strengths of each of my siblings, such as the “open door policy” my two sisters have, and the “communication strength” my two brothers have. In journal eight, I examined my family “on the balcony” and realized that “the heat” (conflict) that was causing my adaptive challenge within my family was due to each of my siblings being “very busy raising their young children.” I had not realized the “hectic schedules” of my other siblings until going out “on the balcony” in this journal
entry.
As for my progress on my goal setting, I feel as if I did not improve as much as I would have liked. Particularly in journal eight and journal ten, I did not fully understand the assignment of the journal entry, and my score reflected this. If I had taken the time to evaluate a goal more in depth and thoroughly in these “SMART” (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goal setting journals, I feel as if I would have gotten more knowledge out of this section. In these two journals, I basically restated my adaptive challenge, my family dynamic, rather than creating new goals for myself. After realizing my mistake in journal eight, I tried to create the SMART goals in journal ten. In journal ten, I stated that for my goals, I wanted to “become more organized and respond, rather than react”. These goals should have been set in journal eight, rather than journal ten, which was to be used to utilize reflecting on the progress of our goals established in journal eight. If I could resubmit these journal entries, I would have asked the instructor for clarification on the assignment, rather than proceeding with uncertainty. In the lecture from module four, the video says “successful adaptive changes build on the past rather than jettison it.” So, in the spirit of adaptive leadership, I will learn from this experience and proceed with asking for clarification on assignments I am not confident in.
This experience provided me with opportunities and knowledge about leadership strategies that I would have never known if I had not been enrolled in this class. In my future endeavors, I will be utilizing the information learned in this class. Examining myself presently “on the balcony,” I would tell my future (nurse) self to remember the competencies of leadership when working in my profession. Nursing can be a stressful profession that requires adaptive leadership, because in nursing there is frequent disequilibrium. In module five, the lecture stated that “changes create stress and disequilibrium, and those effectively engaging in the process of leadership understand that they need to live in the disequilibrium.” In the diagnosing the situation competency, part of finding a solution comes from “looking where there is conflict (disequilibrium) or pain”. In a literal sense, looking for where there is disequilibrium in a patient will help me find a solution to an ambiguous problem (adaptive challenge). Moving forward in life in general, I would advise my future self to always have self awareness (manage self). Being able to “be on the balcony” and knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help you analyze situations from different perspectives and give you confidence in any situation.
Although the leadership course is not what I expected (learning to become an effective and powerful leader), because it was much more than that. This class taught me that to solve a challenge, individuals work together cohesively in a complex system, while welcoming diversity and facing uncertainty together. This class also taught me that leadership is not a title reserved for the elite authority, but a quality that anyone at any position can possess. Focusing on your strengths, knowing your role in the complex system, analyzing situations objectively, and being open to diversity allows anyone to contribute to solving an adaptive challenge. The lessons I have learned in this class are skills that I will utilize in everyday life, for the rest of my life