“The measure of a person’s strength is not his muscular power or strength,
but it is his flexibility and adaptability.”
― Debasish Mridha
Erasmus* has been an Uber driver for six months. Before signing up with Uber, he operated a stand alone taxi within Nairobi.He draws comparison between his past experience operating a stand alone taxi and his current reality as an Uber driver. It is evident that the latter doesn’t allow much flexibility to run errands for clients such as picking kids from school. He is quick to add that for you to get a client who requests you to do those kinds of errands, you must have a relationship with them.
As we take a turn into one of the roads off James Gichuru road in one of Nairobi’s upmarket suburbs, he points out a house that was once occupied by renowned clergyman, the retired Archbishop Ndingi Mwana a’Nzeki. I feigned ignorance and enquired what the retired archbishop is doing lately. His response was an indicator that he is well informed on this subject matter as he pointed out that we all have a season to make a contribution to society. When our season is over, we leave the scene to others. He could not imagine that the once vocal archbishop’s activity and engagement with the church is a pale shadow of his former to due to struggles with poor health and old age.
Before arriving at my destination, Erasmus brings the subject of age in leadership. He noted that Ndingi’s successor is also elderly. In his view, Church leadership cannot be entrusted to younger people as they lack the necessary emotional intelligence to manage the complexity of leadership in the Church.
When I asked how he has managed to change from the old model taxis to the new technology driven taxis and their challenges, he highlighted that being flexible and adaptable to new circumstances has been his great asset in adapting to the change.
Effective leaders always adjust to their operating environment, commonly referred to as situational awareness. Situational awareness requires leaders to evaluate the information that is available to them and make adjustments in their approach, style, and plans to achieve success while remaining true to their values. Although leaders need to demonstrate perseverance to achieve their goals, they must also be flexible and adaptable in their approach to accomplish their mission. Knowing when to stand firm and when to be flexible is the art of leadership.
Simon T. Bailey suggests that for a leader to remain adaptable to changing times, the leader needs to think creatively, embrace ambiguity, exercise emotional intelligence and shift focus.
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