Adaptive Leadership

WORKBOOK 1

MODULE MODULE MODULE MODULE

1 2 3 4

GETTING THINKING ADAPTIVE EXPERIMENT

ON THE POLITICALLY VS. WITH
BALCONY TECHNICAL CREATIVE
TENSIONS

In partnership with

~1.5 HOURS
ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP READING 1

WELCOME!
At Acumen, we believe the future depends
on a new breed of leaders ready to tackle
the worlds most challenging problems.
Often times, though, the term leader or
leadership is misunderstood. As
Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO of
Acumen, writes:
A young woman recently reminded
me that I had told her a few years ago
that the world wanted her to lead. She
said shed thought about that
statement a long time: the idea of
leadership felt uncomfortable, overly
demanding, even a little arrogant or
ostentatious. Sure, she said, I crave a
life of purposebut does that mean I
have to be a leader?
Throughout the course, well share examples
of adaptive leadership in real life situations.
We encourage you to reflect on them and
proactively share your thoughts with the
virtual global community in this course.
This course is offered in partnership with
Eric Martin of Adaptive Change Advisors
(ACA) who trains Acumen Fellows in
leadership. Weve designed it so you can
apply the core tools of Adaptive Leadership
to a leadership challenge youre facing as you
go through the modules. By using a real
challenge, youll more deeply learn adaptive
leadership in the gut and, we hope,
discover that it is indeed time to admit we
are (all) the leaders were waiting for.

Jacqueline continues:
Maybe the language (leader) is off-
putting at a time when we see too
many leaders grasping for celebrity
and power, using divisive language
and preying on fear and insecurities
rather than encouraging our better
selves. At the same time, we cannot
wait for leaders to save us.

Maybe its time to admit that we are

the leaders we are waiting for.

By now, you know this course is premised

on the belief that anyone can lead and
create change. To benefit from it yourself,
you also need to lead.

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ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP READING 1
Do you spend most of your time DOING?
If so, youre likely not leading adaptively.
So let's "get on the balcony" first before we
do anything at all.
WHAT IS GETTING ON THE BALCONY?
Organizations want us to be where the
action is, on the dance floor.
Engaged in the dance of email, instant
messages, meetings, cell phones and to-do
lists, however, its nearly impossible to get a
sense of whats happening and why.
Motion makes observation difficult.
Indeed, we often get carried away by the
dance, the music, our partner and staying
off others toes.
THE DANCE FLOOR
WHERE THE DAY-TO-DAY WORK GETS
DONE; FULL OF ACTION, TO-DOs,
NOISE, AND DEADLINES.
When you feel caught on the dance floor,
picture yourself rising up to get on the
balcony instead. Above the frenzy of daily
activity, things look different. We notice
patterns in how we and others behave. We
see things we say we care about and
behaviors that indicate otherwise. The dent
in the wall weve been banging our heads on
for years comes into sharper focus.
THE BALCONY
WHERE YOU SEE THE BIG PICTURE; GET
PERSPECTIVE IN THE MIDST OF ACTION
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Without the capacity to move back and
forth between the field of action and the
balcony, to reflect day to day, moment to
moment, a leader easily and unwittingly
becomes a prisoner of the system. The
dynamics of adaptive change are far too
complex to keep track of, let alone influence,
if leaders stay only on the field of play.
Ron Heifetz
Reflecting in the midst of action is an age-old
idea. Yet, it can be challenging to truly do it.
Try it now.
MINI REFLECTION EXERCISE
Think about a time you were shocked or
surprised about something significant.
Maybe an employee or boss quitting
suddenly, a funder or partner coming
through in an unexpectedly big way (or not),
or the results of the recent US presidential
election. Your strong emotional reaction
means you were likely caught up on the
dance floor and failed to gain perspective.
I was shocked or surprised when:
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ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP READING 1

MINI REFLECTION EXERCISE (CONTINUED)

Now, take a minute to get on the balcony and be an observer of the situation you just
identified. Take a deep breath. Push your chair back a couple feet from your desk.

Consider:
+ Who kept you on the dance floor (other
than yourself)? For example, your boss, a
squeaky wheel, or the media.

+ How did they keep your attention on the

dance floor (consciously or not)? For
example, juicy gossip, complaining,
blaming others, demanding that you keep
them happy, or lavishing you with
recognition.
+ If a similar situation were to happen again, how might you make some time for
yourself to step off the dance floor and get on the balcony instead? Are there any
negative consequences youre afraid of that make it hard for you to get on the balcony?
When I get stuck on the dance floor its usually because:

For now, just sit with your answers to these questions. Dont try to solve anything
yet. That desire to leap to action is itself a dance floor pressure. Subtle isnt it?

Its even more subtle, and critical, when youre trying to exercise adaptive leadership. Lets
take a look now at how getting on the balcony is an essential first step in adaptive
leadership.

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ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP READING 1
GETTING ON THE BALCONY IN THE
CONTEXT OF ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP
Adaptive leadership requires helping people
gain a clear perspective in the midst of
action and uncertainty; making sense of
complex, often conflicting, signs and data;
and sifting through what is most important,
what is at stake, who will support and who
will resist change.
On the balcony, you can examine patterns
and dynamics, identify and interpret trends
and reach a deeper understanding of the
dance floor action. You see the structural,
political and social systems that will create
new possibilities, strategies and choices for
you and for your organization. And that
will help you more effectively
mobilize people around the right
problems.
If I had an hour to solve a problem, Id
spend 55 minutes thinking about the
problem and 5 minutes thinking about
solutions. attributed to A. Einstein
It takes discipline not to be seduced by the
satisfaction of getting stuff done. Yet,
lasting change is more likely if were willing
to deeply diagnose a challenge early on.
Getting on the balcony is where adaptive
leadership begins.
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FIRST STEP ON THE BALCONY
- SEEING THE GAP -
One of the first things to discern from the
balcony is the gap between your
current reality (the way things are
today) and your aspiration (an
audacious and courageous belief in how
things should be).
Examples of common gaps:
+ We have structures and processes in
place to include the voice of the people
we serve, but were not getting
authentic, honest input. (Gap between
intention and results)
+ I believe in being more strategic but I
dont make time to think long-term or
coordinate with colleagues. (Gap
between espoused values and behavior)
The gap is a leadership opportunity, a
tension to be held creatively, rather than
something to be relieved or solved.
What Next?
Use the following worksheet to identify a
gap or challenge facing you, your team or
your community. This will be the challenge
you work on for the rest of the course, so
consider it carefully.
After Module 1, youll return to the dance
floor step-by-step to engage others and
make sure youre not dancing or leading
alone. In the meantime, take a deep
breath to enjoy the spacious, fresh balcony
air.
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ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP READING 1

STEP 1 - BRAINSTORM AND IDENTIFY THE GAP YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK ON
The criteria below can help you identify one:
Making progress on it is core to your purpose or mission
You feel stuck despite past attempts to solve it
Multiple people are in conflict with each other and/or with you
People - maybe including yourself - are responding emotionally, irrationally or
avoiding the issue altogether
There's a degree of risk involved (i.e. your reputation, relationship or job might be
at risk in the process of bridging the gap)

CURRENT REALITY ASPIRATION

Whats the situation or persistent Whats the audacious and courageous
problem you, your team or your belief in how things should be?
community faces?

GAP

STEP 2 - REFLECT ON WHY YOU CARE ABOUT THIS GAP

Critical to exercising leadership is being connected to your sense of purpose and
meaning.
Describe how the gap youve identified above connects to your sense of purpose or meaning. If it
doesnt connect, you might want to reconsider and come up with a more meaningful gap.

IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO FIND A GAP TO WORK ON

Think of a past situation where you or others were trying to change something and
people experienced distress or conflict. This course can help you reflect and
uncover new learnings from it, particularly if there are still unresolved issues or feelings
you have about it.
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ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP READING 1
As an optional reading to close this module,
we offer this excerpt from The Theory
Behind the Practice Chapter 2 in The
Practice of Adaptive Leadership. You
might reflect on its content in relation to
the gap you just identified in the previous
page.
The Illusion of the Broken System
There is a myth that drives many change
initiatives into the ground: that the
organization needs to change because it is
broken.
The reality is that any social system
(including an organization or a country or a
family) is the way it is because the people in
that system (at least those individuals and
factions with the most leverage) want it that
way. In that sense, on the whole, on
balance, the system is working fine, even
though it may appear to be dysfunctional
in some respects to some members and
outside observers, and even though it faces
danger just over the horizon.
As our colleague Jeff Lawrence poignantly
says, There is no such thing as a
dysfunctional organization, because every
organization is perfectly aligned to achieve
the results it currently gets. No one who
tries to name or address the dysfunction in
an organization will be popular. Enough
important people like the situation exactly
as it is, whatever they may say about it, or it
would not be the way it is.
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Suppose you take it upon yourself to
regularly point out the gap between the
companys stated value of transparency and
the reality that most people in the
organization tightly control the flow of
information. You are not likely to be
rewarded or greeted with applause for
identifying this disconnect, particularly by
those who benefit from controlling
information.
Clearly, the system as a whole has decided
to live with the gap between the espoused
value and the current reality, the value-in-
practice. Closing that gap would be more
painful to the dominant coalition than
living with it. The importance of this idea
lies in the impact it has on the techniques
for trying to address the problem.
Embarrassing or not, the organization
prefers the current situation to trying
something new where the consequences are
unpredictable and likely to involve losses
for key parties. Taking that into account
will lead to different strategic options for
closing the gap. When you realize that what
you see as dysfunctional works for others in
the system, you begin focusing on how to
mobilize and sustain people through the
period of risk that often comes with
adaptive change, rather trying to convince
them of the rightness of your cause.
(The original excerpt can be found in the chapter, which is
available here. However, its not necessary to review the
chapter at this point. The chapter includes more content
thats not the focus of this module and some that will be
covered in later modules.)
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ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP READING 1

SHARE WHAT YOU WILL BE WORKING ON

Using your input on The Gap worksheet on p.5, articulate the gap you plan to bring
into to this course as your adaptive challenge you wish to solve. Use the
assignment page on NovoEd platform to make the submission.

Important note: Your assignment submissions will be made visible to other learners on the
platform. If you would like to omit some details due to the nature of your situation, you are
welcome to do so. See example below.

EXAMPLE

I am a CEO at a social enterprise that serves the poor in East Africa. We have
been in operation for a number of years and won several awards for our work. The
company has been thriving. But if I look ahead, I worry that our growth trajectory is
unsustainable.

I believe that we need to change the way we do our sales if we are to stay on
track. This seems risky to many people at the organization because the old
strategy worked so well. Because of the companys growth, everyone on the team
is incredibly busy and I am unsure if the team has the bandwidth to try something
new. I also worry that our customers will need to get used to a new way of doing
business, even though it will be better for them in the long run. Whats worse is that
the new strategy may fail! - This is the context of the gap I am trying to tackle in this
course.

As long as the below points are included, the format of your submission is up to you.
+ Who you are
+ What your (or your teams, your organizations, your communitys) aspiration is
+ Why it matters
+ What the current reality is

If you have any questions about the assignment, please use the discussion forum.

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ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP READING 1

Congratulations on completing Module 1! But the learning doesnt stop here,

especially if you would like to further advance your knowledge.

IF YOU WANT TO GO QUICKLY, GO ALONE.

IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR, GO TOGETHER.
AFRICAN PROVERB
Here are two things you can do.

CONNECT WITH OTHERS TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF

THE GLOBAL NETWORK
Weve seen that one of the most powerful benefits of
+Acumen courses is the ability to interact with others
. in the course
Make the best use of the diverse expertise,
perspectives and collective passion & inspiration
available from the community of learners and
. practitioners. Post your thoughts in the discussion
forum and check out the profiles and comments from
other people
If you are taking this course but still not sure which
challenge to apply the adaptive leadership framework
to, review what other learners have posted as their
assignments and use that to brainstorm further

SELF-REFLECTION IS HELPFUL BUT DEEPER, IN-PERSON

(OR VIRTUAL) SYNCHRONOUS DISCUSSION WITH
. PEERS IS MUCH MORE POWERFUL
. If you are taking this course in a team, use the
workshop guide on pp. 9-10 to conduct a team based
dialogue around the inputs from Module 1
If you dont have anyone to do this with, you can
either connect with other active learners on the forum,
OR invite your friends or colleagues to this course to
do this together
Refer to pp. 11-12 for tips on effective discussion

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ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP DISCUSSION GUIDE 1

The following two pages are for those of you who have decided to take this course in a team.
Please use this guide to conduct your team session. This should be approximately 1.5 - 2
hours but feel free to make modifications based on your team size and availability.

SUGGESTED AGENDA
1. Introductions and Course Logistics (20min)
2. Discussion on the Reading + Assignment 1 (60min)
3. Discussion on the Course Community (15min)
4. Ahas (15min)
5. Preparing for the next session (5min)

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

+ Appoint one of your team members to be the timekeeper for this discussion meeting
+ Complete Team Formation Assignment and make sure everyone has access to the
Team Workspace on the NovoEd platform

1: INTRODUCTIONS & COURSE LOGISTICS (20min)

BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Take a moment to make introductions (i.e. who you are, what you do, and what you
wish to take away from this course). If you have any prior knowledge or experience in
the adaptive leadership framework and/or practice, please briefly share.

TEAM NORMS & COMMITMENT

We recommend that your team takes a moment to set a few rules or norms for how
you would like the team to function throughout the course. Review How Teams Work
on the platform if necessary, as it includes 5 key factors for making your team more
successful. Think about how you want to structure your team meeting to ensure that
there is an environment of mutual trust and respect.

SCHEDULING
This is a 4 module course and in order to fully benefit from being part of a team, we
strongly encourage everyone on the team to be fully present for all of the team
discussions. Review the course calendar and plan your schedule ahead for your
second, third and last team discussion and commit to the plan. Remember, discussions
can be conducted in person or virtually.

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ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP DISCUSSION GUIDE 1

2: DISCUSSION ON THE READING + ASSIGNMENT 1 (60min)

REFLECTIONS ON READING 1
Below are suggested discussion prompts to discuss in your team. You may choose any
of these or pick something based on the members interests.

Suggested discussion topics

1. Share your work in the mini reflection exercise on p.3 and your experience of
being stuck on the dance floor. As you listen to everyones different situations,
try to do so from the balcony. What patterns or themes do you notice?
2. Can you identify someone who is adept at helping people gain a clear
perspective in the midst of the action and uncertainty (regardless of their title
or given authority). Share and discuss with each other.
3. When was the last time you intentionally put yourself On the Balcony in the
midst of action? How did you do it? Brainstorm with your group tips for good
Getting on the Balcony practice.

DISCUSSIONS ON ASSIGNMENT 1 THE GAP YOUVE IDENTIFIEID

Share your current idea or your completed work for Assignment 1

3: DISCUSSION ON THE COURSE COMMUNITY (15min)

What can you and your team learn from the other learners in this course? Take a
moment to discuss in your team what would be the best use of the virtual
community/discussion forums and when to use them throughout the course.

4: AHAS (15min)
REFLECT ON YOUR AHAS
Take 1-2 minutes to think about your Aha from this first team discussion. Were you able
to get new perspectives from your teammates? What are the parting thoughts from
the team discussion? Any insights shared by your teammates that you want to
particularly highlight and thank them for?

SHARE YOUR AHAS

Spend the rest of the time sharing your Ahas with each other.

5: PREPARING FOR THE NEXT SESSION (5min)

Confirm the schedule for the next session. Make sure everyone has time to go through
Module 2 prior to meeting up for the second time.

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 TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE FACILITATION
REVIEW BEFORE WALKING INTO YOUR FIRST MEETING WITH YOUR TEAM
IMPORTANT TIPS EVEN IF YOU DO NOT PLAN TO LEAD THE DISCUSSION
+ Provide a safe space for the team to
share At times the team discussions
may become difficult. People may share
experiences that are particularly painful
or scary. Acknowledge at the beginning
of each meeting that this is meant to be
as open a conversation as possible. It is
also wise to ask everyone to verbally
affirm whats said in the space stays in
the space.
+ Open with a Check In The Check In is
the initial phase of a meeting and is
really independent of the module
content. The purpose of this is to bring
everyones focus into the room and
establish the discussion boundaries, so
that right from the start you can be clear
on how everyone is feeling that day and
what to expect from each other. One
technique is to go around the group and
ask everyone to rate on a scale of 0-
100% how present they feel. Are they
only 75% present because they had a
bad day at work and are still mulling over
what their boss said? Or are they 100%
present because theyve been looking
forward to this discussion all day?
+ Encourage storytelling people love
stories and they are far more likely to
remember information they hear in a
story than as a recitation of facts.
Encourage your group mates to share
their stories, and share your own.
Opening up and a willingness to be
vulnerable will often create a greater
willingness in your group mates to
reciprocate and share their own stories. It
builds an atmosphere of mutual trust.
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+ Allow each participant to come up with
the answer themselves These
discussions are not intended to feature a
lecture. Instead, your goal as the
facilitator is to help participants and
yourself find your own voice within the
discussion. You dont need to provide
the solutions. Everyone in your group has
access to wisdom and can help teach
each other as well as teach you. A good
facilitator helps find those with the seeds
of wisdom in the room and allows them
to grow. The key is not to judge, not to
impose your own opinions and not to
dominate the conversation.
+ Improvise Facilitation is not about
following the script. While we provide a
series of topics, questions, and activities,
let the conversation guide the group.
Feel free to add your own questions or
explore ancillary topics and lines of
discussion. You all have your own
experiences, knowledge, and wisdom
that will enhance these discussions. Use
these topics as a starting point, and
make the conversation your own.
+ Dealing with difficult group dynamics
There will be times when you will be
faced with challenging situations, either
from individuals or from the group. If you
can learn to embrace these situations,
and work with them, they can be
powerful experiences for learning and
growth. The following, taken from The
Facilitators Guide to Participatory
Decision Making by Same Kaner, gives
some typical challenges, with
suggestions for how to deal with these.
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TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE FACILITATION (CONTINUED)
MORE TIPS GOOD TO KEEP IN MIND AS THEY WILL BE RELEVANT TO YOUR WORK AS
AN ADAPTIVE LEADER IN THE NEAR FUTURE
Problem Ineffective response
Everyone has Try to get the group to
different perspectives arrive at one common
understanding by the end
Inconsistent Call them out
arguments
Silence Filling the silence just to fill
the gap
Highly vocal member Trying to control this person
dominates discussion excuse me XXX do you
mind if I let someone else
take a turn?
Minimal participation Ignore it, and act as
by members who though silence means
dont feel consent.
involved/interested
in the particular topic
Someone becomes Talk behind the persons
strident and back. Confront the person
repetitive during the break, and then
be surprised when you see
their anxiety go through
the roof when you resume.
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Effective response
Differences in understanding are
good. Try to draw out the
distinctiveness of others
arguments and ideas with caring
and humility. If you find yourself
confused or skeptical, those
moments are precisely the points
to stop and discuss. Ask: Can you
say more about that? What do
you mean by XXX?
Let the group know its ok to
change and construct new
understandings as you go along.
That is a key sign of intellectual
growth.
Be comfortable with silence.
Sometimes people need time to
process before speaking up.
If one person is over-participating
everyone else is under-
participating, so focus your efforts
on the under-participators and
encourage them to
participate more. Ask: How do
the rest of you feel about this?
Look for an opportunity to have a
discussion on Whats important to
me about this topic? This gives
everyone a chance to consider
their own stake in the outcome of
the discussion.
People repeat themselves
because they dont feel heard.
Summarize the persons point of
view until s/he feels understood.
People just want to feel heard, not
necessarily that everyone must
agree with them.
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