In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, leadership expert Kevin Eikenberry explores the power of adaptability in leadership. He discusses how embracing flexibility helps leaders navigate uncertainty, make better decisions, and support their teams through change. If you’re looking for practical strategies to strengthen your leadership and drive success in a shifting workplace, this episode is a must-listen.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert, speaker, and author with nearly 30 years of experience developing leaders and teams. As Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, he has been recognized by Inc.com as a top leadership thinker. His books include Remarkable Leadership, The Long-Distance Leader, and his most recent, Flexible Leadership.
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THE UNCHANGING FUNDAMENTALS
Kevin Eikenberry emphasizes that when organizations undergo change, people often assume that “everything’s changing,” but it’s crucial to highlight for employees what will remain the same. He gives the example of a team modifying a structured process, explaining, “You’ve got a process […] that you want to change, and it’s a 12-step process, and you’re going to fundamentally change four of those steps.” However, instead of making it seem like everything is up in the air, he suggests leaders should reassure their teams by pointing out that “eight steps aren’t changing.” Even if the four modified steps are significant, focusing on what stays the same helps people feel more grounded and less overwhelmed by the transition.
He expands on this idea by explaining that, at its core, leadership itself hasn’t changed—only the context in which leaders operate has. “More is the same than is different,” he says. Foundational aspects like human nature, group dynamics, and goal setting remain constant. People are still “amazing and wonderful and full of potential and messy,” and the way they decide whether to embrace change follows familiar patterns. What shifts is the environment, such as new technologies, remote work, or market dynamics. By recognizing this, leaders can make smarter decisions, guide their teams with confidence, and help them adapt without feeling overwhelmed by unnecessary uncertainty.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
The Power of Flexibility
“In a world that is uncertain—and there’s no doubt that there’s a lot of uncertainty—the best antidote for uncertainty is flexibility. To be able to adjust and flex in the face of uncertainty is the critical skill that can help us navigate the uncertainty. […] If we’re not willing to adjust, able to adjust, aware that we need to adjust, then we can’t possibly be getting more effective.”
A Surprising Finding
“Daniel Ellsberg is the study. You’re in one of two groups, and you go in knowing you’re going to be shocked 20 times. The shocks will either be strong or moderate. One group gets 20 strong shocks, and the other group gets 17 strong shocks and three moderate shocks that are intermittently, randomly placed among the 20. Which group has higher stress? The one that actually had some shocks that were less—because they didn’t know. So, yes, hopefully, we don’t have to go get shocked to figure that out, but it’s true. We will choose the thing that gives us certainty, even if it’s more painful.”
Somewhere in the Middle
“Are we leaning toward outcomes, or are we leaning toward others—the people? And all of us probably know leaders who are on one side of that or the other. They’re all about the outcome. They’re all about the result—100%. ‘The people be damned,’ so to speak, right? Like, yeah, I got people, but they’ve got to get in line with this outcome. That’s one end. The other end is, ‘Well, I got to take care of the folks. If I don’t take care of the folks, how are we ever going to get to the outcomes?’ And I would suggest to you—and these flexors say to us—that most people think, ‘I got to pick. Is it about outcomes, or is it about others?’ And I would suggest, and the flexible leadership mindset says, ‘No, it’s not either-or; it’s both-and.’”
Breaking Strong Habits
“Well, what we—you and I—have both insinuated now but haven’t said out loud, and that I need to say, is that I’m challenging people by taking a flexible leadership approach. I’m suggesting that it’s going to be harder than what you already do because what you already do now is aided by your habit. And our habits are automatic. So we just go do them, right? […] The first piece of intention is recognizing that maybe I ought to stop and at least take a breath first. [It’s] just being aware that intentionality is valuable. Then, it’s a matter of reminding ourselves.”
Making Decisions in Context
“What your team wants is for you to just make a decision so we can move. And so, guess what? We treat more situations as chaotic than they truly are, and we treat way more situations as clear than they really are. And in both of those cases, making a unilateral decision is actually often really useful. But we end up taking that same approach when that’s almost the opposite of what we should be doing. So, without us being able to unpack all of it, I would just say that we tend to lean too often on assuming that a best practice is all we need—that the way we’ve done it is going to continue to work, and if we just follow the procedure, it’ll be fine. And in a world that’s changing, best practices rarely are—because the context is off.”
Getting Started
“The first choice I hope you make is to realize that you can be a more effective leader—that you are not yet the leader you were born to be. The second choice is to say, ‘The way I’ve done it up until now, even with good intentions, is not optimal. I can get better. I can get better. I believe I want to get better.’ Then, the third choice is to commit to looking at context more than simply leaning into your natural response. If you make those initial choices, your trajectory will be up and to the right. Not every day. It’ll be rocky. It won’t be perfect, right? But directionally—the same way you want your 401(k) to be up and to the right.”
LEARN MORE
Kevin Eikenberry’s book, Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence, releases on March 25, offering practical strategies for leading effectively in an ever-changing world. For more resources on leadership development, visit his website.