Mike James Ross is a consultant at Egon Zehnder and former chief human resources officer at La Maison Simons.
More than nine in 10 CEOs believe they need to cultivate unprecedented levels of adaptability within themselves and their teams, according to an Egon Zehnder 2025 global survey of more than 1,000 chief executives.
That degree of consensus is striking for a group that rarely agrees on anything and it highlights an unavoidable truth: the old leadership playbooks aren’t holding up.
Adaptability has become an organization’s most valuable currency. With disruption accelerating and artificial intelligence reshaping the rhythm of work, a focus on hiring Swiss Army Knife-like employees who persist through diverse challenges is vital. But there’s another side to the equation: how are leaders building adaptability in themselves?
Teams will always take their cue from how higher-ups respond in moments of extreme change. Which means for adaptability to become an organization’s collective strength, it must begin as a commitment from leadership.
You can’t confront today’s issues with yesterday’s tools
Old habits die hard, especially when they’ve served us in the past. After spending years refining processes that help your team succeed, the idea of trading those for new approaches can feel unnecessary or even risky. But the real risk is clinging to what worked previously and hoping to achieve the same results in a changed environment.
For example, with AI, problems that used to take months to solve can now be answered in minutes, so why are we still holding bi-weekly check-ins? Why are we preparing elaborate Gantt charts when the timing and ambit of projects is continuously shifting? It is not that these approaches were bad, it is just that they are no longer fit for purpose. What got us here, won’t get us where we need to go.
Think of it this way: few people still navigate with a paper map in the age of GPS. Not because paper maps are inherently inaccurate, but because they can’t account for changing road conditions and re-route in real time. We use GPS because we know it gives us the best chance to reach our destination efficiently in a chaotic environment.
Leaders must be ready to question whether legacy strategies and processes can effectively address novel challenges. It requires a willingness to ask: Why am I approaching the problem this way and is this still the best path forward? And that also needs to be turned inward on ourselves. Are we acting in an adaptable way?
The good news is that being highly adaptable isn’t a fixed trait. Rather, it’s a muscle you can strengthen through deliberate practice and self-reflection.
Building adaptability the right way
Let’s be clear: becoming adaptable isn’t a one-time shift.
Without consistent introspection and willingness to experiment, any leader will struggle to shed outdated mindsets, let alone cultivate a culture of curiosity and open-mindedness, which CEOs see as the top skill to manage complexity, according to the same global survey.
In my experience, these three practices form a repeatable framework for honing adaptability:
- Know thyself: As with all personal growth, we have to start with self-knowledge. In an adaptability context we must start with recognizing the fears that create resistance to change. Why do we not like ambiguity? Are we afraid of appearing unprepared? What does a sudden change in plans trigger in us and why? It is by digging into what is holding us back that we can move ourselves forward.
- Get comfortable outside of your comfort zone: Try crossing your arms right now (actually do it). Now switch the position and put your other arm on top. That uneasy feeling? It’s your brain resisting a change in your usual pattern. Chances are, you experience a similar friction when deviating from your typical approaches and processes at work. If you’re testing a new AI tool, it might feel slower and clumsier than your typical routine, but that discomfort is where adaptability grows.
- Let go of ego: Young children tend to be far less self-conscious than adults. Even if they’ve never painted before, they’ll still pick up a paintbrush and give it their best shot. But as we grow, we become more concerned with how others will perceive us, which hinders us from trying in the first place. What if you met new challenges the way your younger self once did, by delving into exploration without fearing judgment? There is power in relearning how you learn to approach new tasks with curiosity and genuine excitement.
As you relinquish the need to always display mastery, you become more willing to experiment. And in doing so, enhance your ability to embrace non-traditional solutions and respond flexibly to changing conditions.
Practice the flexibility you expect from others
For adaptability to remain your organization’s edge, it must be modelled instead of mandated. Teams don’t learn to think and react in new ways because they’re told to. They follow the example leaders set when facing uncertainty themselves.
The next time you notice yourself defaulting to a familiar response, pause. Cross your arms the other way. Pick up the new tool. Ask a question instead of rushing to provide an answer. It will be uncomfortable. But that’s exactly how you’ll know you’re building the skill to guide your team through this age of constant change.
This column is part of Globe Careers’ Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab and guidelines for how to contribute to the column here.