What is the essence of Adaptive Leadership?

Ever thought a car cleaner's routine holds the secret to effective leadership?

This morning, while I drank my daily glass of milk on the balcony, my attention was drawn to the car cleaner below. With a well-defined process, she astutely tailored her approach to every vehicle.

It almost looked like a practice of mindfulness!

For cars, she opted for a larger cleaning cloth, occasionally stepping on the tyre to reach the car's top parts. Meanwhile, for scooters, a smaller cloth and a bit of bending ensured thorough cleaning. The water she used to clean every vehicle was also in different proportions depending on the size.

What seemed like a monotonous task revealed layers of adaptability.

Here is where I saw the concept of adaptive leadership play out. Like the car cleaner adjusting her tools for different vehicles, this style of leadership advocates tailoring one's style to the unique demands of each situation or team member.

This adaptability ensures optimal performance.

Adaptive Leadership can help managers better adapt to their work environments and to the people they lead.