What is adaptive leadership?

Adaptive leadership, developed by Ronald Heifetz, is the practice of mobilizing people to tackle tough challenges and thrive. It distinguishes between technical problems (solvable with expertise) and adaptive challenges (requiring new learning and changed behaviors).

What is growth mindset?

Growth mindset, researched by Carol Dweck, is the belief that abilities can be developed through effort and learning. Leaders with growth mindset create cultures of continuous improvement and resilience.

How does strategic thinking relate to adaptive leadership?

Strategic thinking is the capacity to see patterns, anticipate change, and make decisions with long-term implications. It complements adaptive leadership by helping leaders navigate complexity proactively rather than reactively.

Achieving Leader - Adaptive Leadership

The most complex challenges facing leaders today cannot be solved with existing expertise alone. This workshop integrates Carol Dweck's growth mindset research, Ronald Heifetz's adaptive leadership framework, and strategic thinking practices to help leaders navigate uncertainty, drive change, and grow through challenge.

Key Concepts

Growth Mindset

Carol Dweck's research demonstrates that leaders who believe abilities can be developed (growth mindset) outperform those who believe abilities are fixed. Growth-mindset leaders embrace challenges, persist through setbacks, learn from criticism, and find inspiration in others' success. This workshop helps leaders identify and shift their own fixed-mindset triggers.

Adaptive vs. Technical Challenges

Ronald Heifetz distinguishes between technical problems (solvable with existing knowledge) and adaptive challenges (requiring new learning, changed values, or shifted perspectives). Most leadership failures come from applying technical solutions to adaptive challenges. Leaders learn to diagnose challenge types and respond appropriately.

Strategic Thinking

Adaptive leaders think beyond the immediate. They scan the environment, identify emerging patterns, and make decisions that account for long-term implications. This factor develops the capacity to balance operational execution with strategic awareness — to work "on" the organization, not just "in" it.

What You'll Learn

Identify your growth-mindset and fixed-mindset triggers
Diagnose whether challenges are technical or adaptive
Lead adaptive change without providing premature solutions
Build a learning culture that embraces experimentation and failure
Develop strategic thinking habits for day-to-day leadership
Navigate resistance to change with empathy and persistence
Model growth mindset behaviors that cascade through your team

Workshop Format

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In-Person

Interactive on-site sessions with hands-on exercises and group activities.

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Virtual

Live online delivery with breakout rooms and collaborative tools.

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Half-Day or Full-Day

Flexible scheduling to fit your organization's needs.

The Research

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Decades of research show that growth mindset predicts achievement across education, sports, business, and relationships. Leaders with growth mindset create organizations that learn and adapt faster.

Heifetz, R. A. (1994). Leadership Without Easy Answers. Adaptive leadership theory has been applied in government, military, healthcare, and business to address the most complex organizational challenges — those where the problem definition itself is part of the problem.