How to be an adaptive leader

Winfield Bevins and Mark Dunwoody May 5, 2021

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The Bible reminds us how unwelcome disruptions come to the Church and although we fight against it and hope that God would never let terrible things happen—disruptive change results in a deepening and expanding of spiritual and numerical growth for the Church.

As the nation of Israel was heading into the uncharted territory of the Promised Land, God encouraged Joshua four times to "be strong and courageous" (Josh.1:6, 7, 9, 18).

Just like Joshua, we live in uncertain times, where many people are struggling to navigate the challenges of the new realities in which we live. We are in uncharted territory and have never "been this way before" either.

We need courageous leaders who will take us into the future!

So what is a courageous leader?

According to Professor Nancy Koehn, "A courageous leader is an individual who's capable of making themselves better and stronger when the stakes are high and circumstances turn against that person. Courageous leaders are not cowed or intimidated. They realize that, in the midst of turbulence, there lies an extraordinary opportunity to grow and rise."

Based on her research, Brené Brown defines courageous and daring leadership as, "the courage to show up when you can't predict the future."

Today's world requires courageous leaders who are willing to lead when they can't foresee the outcome.

In our world, it is so important to be flexible and adaptable to the needs of others. Leaders of the future must be able to adapt to rapidly changing environment. Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky define adaptive leadership as the ability of "individuals and organizations to adapt and thrive in challenging environments."

The concept of adaptivity is an organic concept drawn from biology in which living things adapt to survive.

The Old and New Testaments are also based on an organic worldview. The church is the spiritual and living Body of Christ. Like all healthy organisms, it requires numerous systems and structures that work together to fulfill its intended purpose and overall health. Just as the physical body has to have an organic structure to hold it together while allowing it to grow and develop, so the body of Christ must have an organic structure that can do the same.

Leaders need to be flexible and adaptive to the changes that are swirling around us. Leonard Sweet says, "We must develop ministries that continually adjust and change with our continually changing culture."

In a similar way, leaders need to be both courageous and able to adapt to the ongoing changes and challenges around us. If not, our growth is at stake.

Excerpted fromHealthy Rhythm for Leaders: Cultivating Soul Care in Uncertain Times,by Winfield Bevins and Mark Dunwoody (Exponential, 2021).

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