Core Concepts: The Self-Aware Leadership Compass #6 - Adaptability
Knowing Self-Aware Leadership Minimalistical
Hello KSKOers
Welcome to today’s Knowing Self-Aware Leadership minimalistical!
The first nine Knowing Self-Aware Leadership blog articles of 2025 are exclusive extracts from my book, The Self-Awareness Superhighway, focused on the nine directions of the self-aware leadership compass. Here’s the minimalistical all about trust. You can read the full article here.
Looking forward to joining you on your learning journey!
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” Leo Tolstoy
Adaptability
The core concepts from the article are:
Next Level Adaptability: Covid forced organisations to adapt like never before, making flexibility and change essential rather than optional. Individuals and organisations had to adapt together.
Different Layers of Adaptability: It happens at three levels: systems (big picture), organisation (how businesses run), and individual (how we personally adjust). But at the end of the day, it’s all about people.
Leadership That Moves: In adaptive systems, leadership isn’t just about titles—it shifts to whoever has the right skills at the right time, rather than sticking to traditional hierarchies.
Leading by Letting Go: The best leaders don’t try to do everything themselves. They step back, delegate effectively, and let others shine.
Empowerment Over Micromanagement: If you only delegate tasks, you create followers. If you delegate authority, you create leaders. True adaptability means trusting your team to take charge and make change happen.
The ‘Adapt-abilities’ You Need: Ira Wolf says that grit, resilience, mental flexibility, unlearning, and a growth mindset are the key skills to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Relational Skills Matter: Things like adaptability, creativity, collaboration, and flexibility are now crucial for success in modern workplaces.
Mindset Makes the Difference: If you’re open to learning and change, you’ll keep up. If you’re stuck in your ways, you might struggle to move forward: and the world might move on without you.
Unlearning is the New Learning: Being adaptable isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about being willing to rethink, relearn, and stay open to new ways of doing things. Check out my other article about unlearning!
The Last Word
Covid took adaptability to a whole new level, forcing businesses, leaders, and individuals to embrace change fast. It’s no longer just a buzzword—it’s essential at every level, from how organisations run to how we work day-to-day. True adaptability isn’t about rigid hierarchies; it’s about shifting leadership to the right people at the right time. The best leaders know when to step back, delegate authority (not just tasks), and trust their teams. To thrive in a constantly changing world, we need grit, resilience, a growth mindset, and the ability to unlearn and relearn. The future belongs to those who stay open, flexible, and ready for what’s next.
Nia is an expert leader who talks the talk and walks the walk. She is an academically awarded thought leader in self-aware leadership and practices self-aware leadership every single day in her role as a Director in a Children’s Charity.
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