I came across these ideas in an article about adaptive leadership that sounded similar to transformational leadership:
| Adaptive leadership | Transformational leadership |
| Know the organization. Ecosystems bound together by a common purpose, but steeped in difference | Idealized Influence (II) - ideal role model |
| Forecast the future. Take the long view of all impacts | Inspirational Motivation (IM) - ability to inspire and motivate |
| Break down barriers. Community of interest that looks beyond contractual relationships, and is more about developing a collective of nontraditional public- and private-sector partners focused on sustaining whole community well-being | Individualized Consideration (IC) - genuine concern for needs and feelings |
| Be disruptive. Privilege outcome-focused goals and principles above all else, even if they require major changes to organizational norms and sacred cows | Intellectual Stimulation (IS) - challenges followers to be innovative and creative |
| Be agile to get to the end game. Adjust mid-course if new information is revealed or if economic, technological or social changes occur that require a different approach | |
| Empower the organization. Empower and flatten the organization to deemphasize hierarchy and silos | |
| Sense and respond. Hold true to your understanding of other people, and of yourself |
Adaptive leadership seems more action- and outcome-oriented, and transformational leadership seems oriented to the personal qualities of the leader. Overall, these aren’t new ideas. Here’s a list of US Army leadership principles that have been around since the 70s and certainly since before then:
- Principle #1 – Know Yourself and Seek Self Improvement
- Principle #2 – Be Technically Proficient ( in the 70s, this principle was “Be technically and tactically proficient.” In your organization, technical proficiency means knowing how to to your job and use your tools; tactical proficiency means being able to execute plans based on understanding the goals and business model)
- Principle #3 – Seek Responsibility and Take Responsibility for Your Actions
- Principle #4 – Make Sound and Timely Decisions
- Principle #5 – Set the Example
- Principle #6 – Know Your Personnel and Look Out for Their Well Being
- Principle #7 – Keep Your Followers Informed
- Principle #8 – Develop A Sense of Responsibility In Your Followers
- Principle #9 – Ensure Each Task is Understood, Supervised and Accomplished
- Principle #10 – Build A Team
- Principle #11 – Employ Your Team In Accordance With Its Capabilities
Notice how the 11 principles correspond to the ideas of adaptive and transformational leadership? Which one do you think is most important?
