Adaptive Leadership: When Leadership Requires Movement

What is Adaptive Leadership?‍

You may have experienced it: A strategy that seemed entirely logical yesterday suddenly feels outdated. Something has changed. It might be the market, the energy of your team, or the broader context you're working within. And then you find yourself, as a leader, sensing that the old compass no longer points the way.

This is often when we try to regain control. We attempt to clean up, simplify, and create structure. But sometimes, what we need isn’t a new answer, it’s a new question.

Adaptive leadership is an approach to leadership that acknowledges not everything can be planned in advance. Some challenges don’t have a clear solution. It’s a form of leadership that makes space for inquiry, listening, adjustment, and learning along the way.

Adaptive leadership is closely related to transformational leadership. Instead of bringing the solution, the adaptive leader sets direction through curiosity. They invite others into the decision-making process and understand that answers are often found collectively.

It’s about staying in motion without losing direction and about enabling action, even in the face of complexity.
‍

Læs og lær mere om andre ledelsesstile, eksempelvis: Hvad er agil ledelse og hvordan mestres det?

‍

Why is adaptive leadership important?‍

It is no coincidence that so many people are talking about adaptive leadership right now. We are living in a time where change is no longer an exception but a basic condition. New technologies are emerging rapidly, the way we work is transforming, and the pressure to deliver both results and meaning is increasing. You may also have felt that it no longer makes sense to draw up a master plan and expect it to hold. Instead, we need to navigate the unpredictable. Not just as leaders but together with the people we lead.

Learn more: Employee satisfaction that pays off – here's how

Adaptive leadership matters because it reflects the reality we are facing today. Not a controllable and linear reality, but a complex and dynamic one, where change happens as we move.
It is not about having control over everything. It is about having control over the process. About creating spaces where you can understand, adjust, and find your way together, even when the map no longer matches the terrain.

Adaptive leadership is not just a response to change. It is a way to use change as an opportunity for growth – as a leader, as a team, and as an organization.
‍

Four traits of adaptive leadership

Before diving into tools, it is useful to clarify what adaptive leadership actually looks like in practice. Here are four traits often seen in organizations that work actively and courageously with leadership in motion:

1. ‍Meaning before action
   People put in effort when what they are doing makes sense. And that sense of meaning rarely comes from PowerPoints or emails but from conversations that connect the concrete to the valuable. As a leader, it is your job to clarify why something matters – not just what needs to be done.
   ‍‍
2. Experiment and adjust along the way
   You do not need to wait for the perfect answer. In many organizations, it is the courage to try something that creates momentum. And by evaluating and adjusting continuously, you actually gain a better grasp of reality than you would with the perfect plan.
   ‍‍
3. Stay in motion
   When something does not work, we should not wait three months to say it out loud. Adaptive leadership is about staying curious and responsive. That takes courage. Because it is easier to hide behind a spreadsheet than to step out and ask, “How is this actually feeling for you?”Learn more: Become a good relational leader
   ‍‍
4. Shared responsibility
   Adaptive leadership is about inviting others into the responsibility that used to be yours alone. When people are given the chance to influence the direction, both ownership and energy increase. This does not mean letting go of the reins. It means sharing them.
   ‍

Psychological safety and adaptive leadership‍

Adaptive leadership may sound a little abstract. But in practice, it often starts with something very simple: do people feel safe enough to say what they see and experience?

When a colleague says in a meeting, “I’m not quite following” or “I actually think we’re heading in the wrong direction,” it is more than just honesty. It is a form of leadership. These kinds of inputs are incredibly valuable when navigating something complex or unpredictable.

But they only happen if the environment feels safe enough for people to speak up. If they know they won’t be mocked, ignored, or singled out.
Psychological safety is not about always agreeing or avoiding confrontation. It is about having the courage to be honest, even when it feels vulnerable, inconvenient, or controversial.

In teams where psychological safety exists, there is a completely different sense of movement. People are more willing to ask questions, share ideas, experiment, evaluate, and learn out loud. And that is exactly what adaptive leadership needs. You cannot develop anything together if no one says what they really think.

This is why psychological safety is not just a nice-to-have, but a fundamental condition for developing your organization. Not because everything has to succeed, but because we need to be able to talk about development and change as we go.

Read more: Inclusion safety – The first step toward psychological safety
‍

A concrete example: Microsoft under Satya Nadella

A strong example of adaptive leadership in practice is Microsoft’s transformation under CEO Satya Nadella. When he took over in 2014, the company was stagnating, characterized by silo thinking and internal competition. Nadella didn’t just tweak the business strategy – he transformed the leadership culture.

At the core of the transformation was a deliberate shift from a “know-it-all” mindset to a “learn-it-all” culture (Business Insider). Learning, psychological safety, and continuous adjustment became central pillars of the organization. Teams were encouraged to experiment, take ownership, and learn out loud, even when things didn’t go as planned. Nadella set a new direction but insisted that it should be shaped collectively.

Decision-making was decentralized, and strategy became a living document – not a fixed plan, but a shared direction in motion. This led to faster execution, more innovation, and a culture where people felt safe acting in uncertainty – exactly what adaptive leadership requires.

The results were clear. Microsoft accelerated its development, became a global leader in cloud and AI, and regained relevance in the global market. All driven by a leadership style that dared to learn along the way, adjust course, and actively involve employees (Technology News).
‍

What can you do as an adaptive leader?

If you're curious about how to start working more adaptively, begin small. You don’t need a leadership manifesto or an organizational overhaul. It often starts with a conversation, a mindset, or a decision to do something a little differently than usual.

The most important thing is not doing everything at once. The most important thing is shifting your focus – from control to dialogue, from plans to reflection, and from solutions to learning.

Here are five practical approaches you can try as early as tomorrow:

• ‍Put questions at the center
  Start meetings or conversations with curiosity. Replace “Here’s what we’re doing” with “What do you see?” or “What are we wondering about right now?” Questions open up – answers tend to close things down.
  ‍‍
• Create space for reflection
  Not everything has to be decided on the spot. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do as a leader is to give your team space to think out loud without needing to conclude. That’s where understanding grows.
  ‍‍
• Show what you don’t know
  You don’t have to have everything figured out. In fact, it often builds trust when you’re willing to say, “I don’t know yet, but I’d like to figure it out with you.”
  ‍‍
• Try things out and adjust
  Adaptive leadership thrives when we dare to experiment. Ask, “What can we test for two weeks?” or “How will we know if this is working for us?” It doesn’t have to be perfect – it has to be possible to learn from.
  ‍‍
• Ask for feedback – and use it
  Feedback shouldn’t be limited to annual reviews. It’s fuel for development. Ask, “How did you experience the way I approached that?” Not to be validated, but to better understand how you lead.
  Learn more about Feedback: A tool for stronger relationships and better performance

‍Working adaptively isn’t a new job. It’s a different way of approaching the leadership role you already have. It’s not about changing everything – it’s about taking responsibility for what you can influence: the atmosphere, the conversations, and the direction you move in – together.
‍

But what if it goes wrong?

You might be wondering, what if you create space but no one steps into it? Or what if things get a little chaotic?
That can happen. Because adaptive leadership isn’t friction-free. Neither is traditional leadership.
The adaptive approach demands something from you. It requires that you can stand firm in uncertainty. You need to be clear without micromanaging. You need to dare to facilitate and let go when it makes sense.

Sometimes your team will stay in waiting mode. Other times, everyone’s energy will pull in different directions. That’s when your job is to shape the frame and guide without dominating.

And most importantly: You need to stay in motion and keep learning. As a leader, you shouldn't see this as an extra task, but as a natural part of leading in a dynamic, adaptive environment. You’re not just leading forward. You’re leading with.

Learn more: Distributed leadership – enabling autonomy and innovation
‍

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between adaptive and traditional leadership?
Traditional leadership is about control and planning. Adaptive leadership is about learning and adjusting together.

Isn’t it just another buzzword?
It can be. But it’s also a real description of a leadership style that makes sense in today’s reality.

How do you get started?
Start small. With a question, with reflection, with a small experiment. It doesn’t need to be big to be meaningful.

Should all leaders be adaptive?
No. But it helps to be able to shift between structure and learning, depending on what the situation calls for.

Can you measure if it works?
You can measure well-being, ownership, co-leadership, and innovation. And the conversations – do they become more curious? More open? Then you're on the right track.

What if someone doesn’t want to join in?
That happens. It takes time. Some people need to see it work before they’re ready to participate. It takes patience and clarity.
‍

For those ready to get started

You don’t have to wait for a strategy day or an approved development program. You can start tomorrow – with one question, one conversation, or one small experiment. Adaptive leadership doesn’t grow from big plans, but from someone daring to be curious and take the first step.

If you’d like help getting started, you can book a no-obligation meeting with us here. You’re also welcome to sign up for our newsletter on this page to receive invitations to webinars, free tools, and valuable insights straight to your inbox.