adaptive leadership

Well, it wasn't quite adagio today, but then again there wasn't quite the rush there had been yesterday.

Not quite.

But enough to mean I was back and forward here and there, and sometimes it seemed like pretty much everywhere as well. Seeing different people. Attending to different tasks that needed done.

And bit by bit making progress of a sort I guess.

The other night the person I was with was speaking about what they call adaptive leadership.

And it crossed my mind today again that half of the time (at least) my daily life is pretty much 'adaptive' in the many quick adjustments that I'm having to effect.

Like this afternoon. There's a lady who's not been well for a while and is now along at the Hospice.

I knew she'd have a visit in the morning from another of the leaders here. So I called myself, deliberately, in the afternoon.

Only to find she was nowhere at all to be found. The Hospice staff were unable to trace her at all. Until one of them reported back to me that she'd actually had her family in and take her out. For an hour.

Since that had been at least an hour or so before I'd arrived myself, I said that I would wait. It wouldn't be long before she was back. I presumed.

Forty five minutes later on, there was still no sign of the person!

It could have been so much wasted time, I guess. Or viewed as such.

But that's where adaptive leadership (in a non-technical sense) comes in. Adapt to the situation.

So I'd gone into the little cafe that the Hospice has. Got a cup of tea.

And instead of just twiddling my thumbs - which would have ended up blistered the time I'd have been twiddling away! - I got on with some much needed preparation.

I carry a pocket bible, so that was all ready to hand. And I had a scrap of paper. And a pen.

And the place has always a wonderful sense of tranquility. So it's really very conducive to prayerful reflection and pondering what the Lord's saying.

It worked out well. As it usually does, of course, in the wise and far-seeing providence of the Lord.

It just means that all leadership needs to be adaptive most of the time.