In almost any book or teaching about leadership, you will hear about the importance of delegating. A leader can’t and shouldn’t do all the work. But adaptive leadership takes that even further by exposing that much of what must be done was never the leader’s work in the first place. Just as each of us places a part in any organization or group we’re a part of each of us has work to do that contributes to whatever that group is meant to be doing. Those aspiring toward adaptive leadership must learn to give the work back.
Let me illustrate this with an analogy that will be familiar to hopefully all of us: our body. As we move about the world, we are taking in stimuli (touch, taste, sound, sight, smell). In any given situation our body will relay observations to our brain, which will in turn survey the data, compare it with what we know to be true, make some interpretations, and access the possible actions. Now the brain can’t carry out whatever action it deems most beneficial in that moment, it must give the work back to the body that gave it the information in the first place.
In this analogy, the brain is like the adaptive leader(s) from within the organization or group. They have listened to and observed from various members of the group and have made some interpretations. Using the information that they have, they come up with some potential responses to meet the challenge before them and choose to take action. And, just like our brains that tell the appropriate part of the body to respond, an adaptive leader with give the work back to the group or person most suited to carry out the work that needs to be done.
Now, just as one of my seminary professors frequently said, “Every metaphor limps,” we realize that our adaptive leader is not totally off the hook for the work that must be done. They have to be wise about who does what, which may include themselves as well. But more than just delegating to subordinates, the adaptive leader will engage those that have the most potential to get the work done. This may involve bringing people together that don’t often work together or perhaps tasking an already existing group. Either way, just as it would be useless to tell our eye to jump out of the way, giving the work back involves selecting the right person(s) for to take the work on for the common good.
I see Jesus doing this in a couple of different places. In many ways, we can see the Last Supper as an act of giving the work back. While Jesus has spent the majority of his ministry performing miracles, teachings, and caring, he says to his disciples “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). Jesus called the disciples to action, handing over the work of the Kingdom to them—for remembering was not meant to be just a mental exercise but a call to do likewise, to follow. He then also gives the work to the Holy Spirit to remind his followers as well (John 14:26). It is both the work of the Holy Spirit and the gathered community to remember and carry on the work.
--Clayton Gladish