Diagnosing�the Challenge
Unit 3
It is far easier to be a technical leader than an adaptive one. It is easy to leave it to God, hard to realize that God is calling us to responsibility, to become His partners in the work of redemption...Adaptive leadership is, for Judaism, the highest form of leadership.�That is what the Prophets did. Without relieving the people of their responsibility, they gave them a vision and a hope. They spoke difficult, challenging truths, and they did so with a passion that still has the power to inspire the better angels of our nature.
�Rabbi Sacks�Play video
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Diagnosing the problem�is at the heart of successful leadership work
Leadership work is adaptive; it requires changing people’s hearts and values and their sense of identity
Technical work, in which the problem is identified and solvable with expertise, is part of leadership, but only one piece of the puzzle; this work is the authority figure’s responsibility
Don’t accept the first (few) interpretations of the problem;�dig deeper.
Technical problems live in people’s heads and logic systems. They are susceptible to facts and authoritative expertise. Adaptive challenges live in people’s hearts and stomachs. They are about values, loyalties, and beliefs.
Kansas Leadership Center,�Play video
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What Was Said | What I Thought |
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Kind of Work | Problem & Solution Definition | Locus of Work | Type of Work |
Technical | Clear | Authority | Optimize Execution |
Technical & Adaptive | | | |
Adaptive | Requires�Learning | Stakeholders | Experiment�& Smart Risks |
Technical and Adptive Challenge Overview | |
Technical Challenge | Adaptive Challenge |
Clearly identified | Difficult to identify (easy to deny) |
Effective, applicable solution | Requires changes in values, beliefs,�and approaches to work |
Requires small changes�within known boundaries | Require a lot of changes across many,�sometimes unknown, boundaries |
Can be solved by expert or ‘authority’ | Solved by people with the problem |
Solution can be implemented quickly | No quick fixes, requires constant experimentation |
Increased efficiency/decreased learning | Decreased efficiency/increased learning |
Technical Components | Adaptive Components:�“So, What’s the Problem?” |
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B.
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Share your charts; how are you thinking about the problem differently?
Check in about your “What I Thought and What Was Said” chart from the beginning of the session.
Are your interpretations more technical or more adaptive?
What did you notice about yourself and others?
UNIT LESSON SUMMARY:
Our leadership intervention is only as successful as our leadership diagnosis. If we can differentiate between technical and adaptive challenges, we can decide how to deploy ourselves more effectively.