Martin Linsky

The ideas in this book are critical for anyone engaging in organizational change in the face of complex change. What keeps it from 5 stars is that, as a book, it feels more repetitive and disorganized than it needs to be which makes it harder to focus on the key points.

Adaptive leadership is leadership in the face of complex (in the Cynefin sense) organizational problems. Adaptive problems generally require learning, risk taking, and figuring out what parts of past culture and procedure to keep and which to get rid of because it is no longer serving the organization. Expertise is of little use when solving adaptive problems.

This book is meant to provide practical ideas and exercises to help leaders grow in their ability to handle adaptive problems. It contains a lot of material, so I will try to outline just the key topics. There's a lot in the details. The exercises, in particular, are one of the most valuable parts of this book. Overall, this is worth a deeper read if you need to engage in complex organizational change.

There is a strong emphasis on diagnosis before action and understanding the many systems you and the organization have embedded in them. Since adaptive problems cannot rely on existing technical expertise, understanding the shape of things is critical to trying the right things. Diagnosis is critical because the status quo is tenacious, and changing it often has deeper structural implications than the initial surface problem may indicate.

We must distinguish technical challenges from adaptive challenges. Technical challenges can be broken down and solved incrementally. They often are best addressed using existing expertise. They are, in the Cynefin sense, complicated. Adaptive problems are interconnected. Existing technical solutions are often part of the problem. These problems are less about the surface shape of the problem and often are rooted in long standing values, beliefs, and loyalties. They are fundamentally human problems, and solutions must be centered on changing hearts and minds.

We must characterize the nature of adaptive leadership. Many leaders get to the positions they are in because they have a proven track record of solving problems. They are often rewarded for continuing to succeed in the same way (even if that success was boundary pushing the first time). Being an adaptive leader requires thoughtfully pushing at the boundaries of your influence and authority. This is because solutions to the complex problems of today are not to be found in the techniques and authorizations of the past. But they cannot just jump beyond the scope of their authority. Solving an adaptive challenge requires dancing on the edge between existing authority and leadership which pushes beyond that authority.

This is because solving adaptive problems often requires making people uncomfortable. An adaptive leader needs to be willing to raise the issues that others are unwilling to speak about. They need to be willing to push people into the zone of productive disequilibrium. This is the zone where they feel uncomfortable enough that they are motivated to take action but not so uncomfortable that they give up. Orchestrating productive conflict is hard. A leader needs to prepare by listening and learning, establishing ground rules for a safe conversation, making sure all views are heard, and keeping the uncomfortable issues on the table.

Leading in complex situations is an inherently political activity. This does not mean that it's about gaining and keeping power. Rather, it's about the more expansive sense of politics: the creation of coalitions to meet a common goal, across sometimes uncomfortable boundaries. An adaptive leader needs partners who are willing to support them, even when it is risky.You need to understand who will be affected by change. What will they gain? What will they lose? How likely are they to care? Acting politically also means being aware of the bounds of both formal and informal authority and working to expand that authority in directions that will aid future interventions.

Complementing all of this is the need to be observant. The metaphor used throughout the book is getting off of the dance floor and up on the balcony. Problems need to be observed and interpreted in multiple ways. These multiple interpretations open up the door to pursuing iterative experiments. Leaders need to understand that their interpretation is not the only one. They need to understand the interpretations of others, both to test for weaknesses in their own interpretations and to understand how to persuade others. Leaders also need to be able to lead others to new interpretations. Just as important as the interpretations themselves is growing the organization's ability to hold multiple, conflicting interpretations at once.

Leaders should see themselves as complex systems that interact with the organizational systems they are embedded in. Leaders have many loyalties and many roles they play, both professional and personal. Sometimes these can hold a leader back from doing what they need to. Each person is affected by the world around them in different ways. Leaders need to understand how they typically react so they can make sure those reactions don't become liabilities. Leaders need to intentionally stretch their capabilities.

Solving adaptive problems is hard. Progress will feel stymied by distractions, foot dragging, and failures. Adaptive leadership carries a real risk of failure with negative consequences on your role in an organization. Thus, a leader needs to make sure that they are working towards a purpose that they believe in strongly enough to handle the despair and stomach the risk. They need to stay connected to this purpose and let go of the parts of their past that limit their ability to achieve this purpose. All this is tiring, so leaders also need to make sure to take care of themselves by having sources of meaning and connection outside of the organization they are trying to change.

They also need to be able to inspire others when the going gets tough. Inspiration isn't about having a particular demeanor or saying the right words. Insted, it's about listening closely to the audience with curiosity and compassion so that the leader understand where they are in their journey. Then, when this has been absorbed, a leader needs to speak from their heart -- from their values, beliefs, and emotions -- so that they connect with the values, beliefs, and emotions of others.… (altro)

"Leadership on the Line" is one of the first leadership books I ever read, but it’s one that has stayed with me over the years.

I was especially impressed with the authors’ distinction between technical work, which involves applying known solutions to problems, and adaptive work, which is the task of helping people with problems learn how to solve them. Discerning which type of work is applicable to the present situation is one of the most important roles of leaders in organizations.

I was also impressed with the book’s practical advice on surviving the perils of leadership, such as avoiding being the “indispensable man” and instead handing work back to people when they are best equipped to do it.

Most surprisingly, the book ends with a beautiful reflection on an encounter Heifetz, a Jew, had with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and its implications for leadership.

"Leadership on the Line" is a book I have returned to numerous times during my career, and it is one I am sure will help other Church leaders as well.… (altro)