Organizations continue to grapple with inflexible leadership. Maybe you do, too.
Like overly rigid foundations cracking under seismic pressure, too many leaders stubbornly cling to habits, personality labels, or outdated practices and then wonder why things fall apart in times of uncertainty.
Maybe you do, too.
Kevin Eikenberry, author of the timely new book Flexible Leadership: Navigate Uncertainty and Lead with Confidence, believes leaders must finally shed their comfortable habits if they want to remain effective.
It means recognizing when yesterday’s best practices become tomorrow’s obstacles and moving intentionally toward flexibility before rigidity creates chaos.
Comfort Isn’t the Answer
Leadership habits and personality labels—alongside countless snake oil assessments—offer a tempting promise of simplicity. “You’re an ENTJ,” they claim, or perhaps a “results-driven” leader. Such labels feel neat and tidy. Yet, according to Eikenberry, these comfort zones trap leaders, ushering them to levels of leadership rigidity when flexibility is needed.
“If we just follow our habits or default to our preferred style, we’re operating without intention,” Eikenberry said. He argues persuasively that leadership effectiveness isn’t about finding the correct answer; it’s about choosing the best response based on the moment’s needs.
Leaders often confuse “right answers” with “best answers,” he explains.
We’re educated from childhood to believe there’s always a singular correct solution. “We were raised on right answers. Two plus two equals four. Columbus discovered America. But leadership isn’t math, and it certainly isn’t history class,” he notes.
Instead, effective leaders must acknowledge multiple viable options and pick the most suitable path given the context.
Why Leaders Resist Flexibility
Eikenberry admits that the idea of leadership flexibility faces real hurdles, including complexity, inertia, and cost, to name a few. Leaders feel pressure for quick solutions where immediate certainty feels safer than thoughtful consideration. “Do more with less,” a common corporate phrase and my most loathed term, does us no favors either.
But the fastest response, like “do more with less,” isn’t always the smartest response.
Eikenberry emphasizes this point through his “flexors” concept, which is a spectrum of choices leaders should consider rather than rigidly adhere to.
He cites the difference between leading for compliance versus commitment. Most leaders instinctively prefer commitment because engagement feels better than grudging obedience. But he warns that even commitment isn’t always the ideal goal.
“There are situations when simple compliance is enough,” Eikenberry explains. “Demanding full commitment every single time can actually frustrate your team rather than motivate them.”
According to Eikenberry, what matters most is recognizing when and how to flex between extremes. The goal is thoughtful intention, not automatic reactions based on comfort, habit, or labels.
Eikenberry believes that too often, leaders fall victim to inertia. Like those personality assessments, they default to what has worked in the past, even as situations dramatically change. “Houston, we have a problem, oh, never mind,” was not the famous phrase.
Inevitably, leaders ignore the subtle signals of havoc and become overwhelmed when major disruptions inevitably occur.
Flexible Leadership Framework
Eikenberry offers a flexible leadership framework through three components:
- Mindset: Leaders must begin by questioning their comfortable assumptions and habits. “Awareness and intention come first. If we can’t adjust our thinking, nothing else matters,” he said.
- Skill Set: Knowing how to flex is not innate; it is a learned skill. Leaders must cultivate new skills to recognize complexity, evaluate situations accurately, and respond with genuine agility rather than default behaviors.
- Habit Set: Knowledge is pointless without action. New flexible behaviors must become habitual for leaders. A “habit set” requires consistent, conscious effort until flexibility becomes second nature.
Eikenberry emphasizes how crucial intentional practice is.
“We learn new ideas easily enough, but how many of us consistently apply them weeks or months later? Usually, not many,” he says with a wry smile.
Eikenberry advises you to develop flexible leadership habits until they become second nature intentionally. You cannot just wish them to happen. Making these habits reflexive rather than reactive and proactive versus panic-driven is crucial.
Flexible Leadership Imperative
At the heart of Eikenberry’s work is a leadership reality. Ultimately, the world isn’t getting simpler, nor is leadership.
Leaders cannot afford to rely solely on individual best practices. He uses the example of return-to-office policies post-pandemic. Many organizations implemented blanket rules across vastly different teams and locations, resulting in endless unintended consequences. Policies often assumed simplicity in situations where complexity was prevalent.
“A rigid policy works fine when the world is predictable,” Eikenberry says. “But in complex environments, rigid approaches fail spectacularly.”
Leaders today operate in an environment filled with ambiguity and contradictions. Yet, rather than adapting, many default to old methods. They act quickly without fully understanding the context, but that is precisely when context matters most.
Eikenberry argues that flexible leaders will pause, assess, and deliberately choose a better path forward by doing so. These leaders are comfortable navigating tension, operate well in nuance, and can be patient as required. They do not, if you will, ‘fly off the handle.’
Are You Rigid?
To become a flexible leader, you must enhance your awareness, intention, and adaptability.
Eikenberry does not advocate for the abandonment of experience; instead, he argues against blind allegiance to past success. Flexibility is about purposeful balance, not inconsistency or indecision.
“Your past experience matters, but it can’t blind you,” Eikenberry says.
He challenges leaders to take a step back and reconsider their ingrained assumptions. If leaders embrace a more nuanced understanding of their leadership, it can result in a better outcome.
And that may be the payoff for you.
Leaders who master flexibility can lead more effectively through the ups and downs of uncertainty. They respond rather than react, choose thoughtfully rather than habitually, and ultimately build stronger, more resilient teams.
Are your leadership habits helping or hindering your team during times of uncertainty?
Kevin Eikenberry would say it’s probably time to flex.
Watch the full interview with Kevin Eikenberry and Dan Pontefract on the Leadership NOW program below, or listen to it on your favorite podcast.