Here’s the article I wrote for Reno County Leaders on Monday:
Happy Post-Fair Monday, Fellow Reno County Leaders…
We’ve all heard that phrase, “Don’t put a band-aid on a cancer.” And we know what it means, don’t we? It means don’t try to solve problems in ways that are ineffective. This got me thinking recently about how quick I am to forget to distinguish between technical and adaptive challenges. I tend to think that most problems I encounter can be solved with a simple solution. But, the true reality for those of us who deal with people is that most of the problems we are working to solve are more adaptive in nature.
To clearly spell this out, I’m helped by how the KLC, in its Leadership Lexicon, defines Adaptive Challenges or Adaptive Work: “problems that resist easy solutions and in which new learning is needed, often causing an examination of the context of a situation and the individuals involved including the way things typically work and the way we work. Contrasted with technical problems in which known remedies and expertise can be applied.” Often, in our work as leaders, there are elements blended in our leadership. Part of the solution may very well be technical, but there is a huge adaptive element that must be considered.
Part of our acts of leadership, then, especially in diagnosing a situation, must be distinguishing between the technical and adaptive elements and even exploring the adaptive interpretations that emerge. Band aids don’t fix cancer. And, your trying to solve all the leadership challenges you face with known remedies and expertise doesn’t work either. Step into leadership by seeing those adaptive challenges for what they are, exercising leadership by applying wise solutions to these. And just see if the effect isn’t more progress on these issues you care about so deeply.
Have a great week.
Oh, and if you’d like to dig deeper, here’s a journal article from the KLC which defines Adaptive Work.