What is Adaptable Leadership? Your Guide to the Eight-Posture Framework
When your GPS offers three routes to the same destination, how do you choose which to take? Do you pick the fastest? The one with fewer turns? Whichever one avoids highways?
It likely depends on the context: time of day, traffic, whether you're in a hurry, if you need to stop for gas along the way.
Now imagine you always take the same route. Every single time. Even when there's construction. Even when it's rush hour. Even when a faster option is available.
You'd call that stubborn. Inefficient. Maybe even a little ridiculous. And yet, that's exactly how most leaders operate.
Leaders who value consensus seek to earn buy-in when the situation really calls for someone to just make a decision. Those who are natural cheerleaders sometimes miss that their teams really need more turn-by-turn guidance.
These leaders aren't inept. They're just on autopilot. When they miss context clues and rely on their traditional approach, that's where their leadership potential goes dormant.
Enter Adaptable Leadership, a framework that helps leaders identify their default routes, recognize when conditions require a different path, and confidently choose the right approach for each unique situation.
The Core Idea: Meet the Moment
Most leadership development focuses on who you are—your personality, your strengths, your "style." It tries to make you a better version of your default self. There's nothing wrong with that; self-awareness is a critical skill.
Adaptable Leadership flips the script, though. It focuses on what the situation requires and whether you're activating your full range of potential to deliver it.
Think of the framework as your leadership GPS:
It shows you eight possible routes (postures) to reach your destination (the outcome you want)
It helps you assess current conditions to choose the right approach
It acknowledges that sometimes your usual route might cause more harm than good
It builds your confidence to try a different approach when the moment calls for it
Just like your favorite navigation app, there's not just one "right" way to lead. You have options, and situational awareness empowers you to choose wisely.
How the Assessment Works
The Adaptable Leader Profile uses a series of behavioral questions to measure your habits around all eight postures. The results give you a visualization of where you're thriving, where you're developing, and where you're leaving potential untapped.
But here's the key: The assessment is just the beginning.
Knowing your default postures is useful. Building the confidence to tailor your approach requires practice. That's where you work with a certified facilitator to translate your results into action.
What This Means for You
If you've ever felt like…
Your leadership style works great in some situations, but falls flat in others
You get feedback that surprises you ("I thought I was empowering them!")
You're stuck in patterns that no longer serve you
Your team isn't responding the way you intend
...then Adaptable Leadership gives you language, the skill, and the situational awareness to lead with more intention and less guesswork.
Ready to Become Adaptable?
At Unknotted Solutions, we're certified coaches and facilitators of the Adaptable Leadership framework. We work with:
✅ Leaders who want to close the gap between how they INTEND to show up and the impact they're ACTUALLY having
✅ Intact teams looking to develop a shared leadership language and identify collective growth opportunities
✅ Organizations ready to embed a scalable leadership development approach across departments and levels
The first step? A conversation. Let's talk about where you're feeling stuck and whether Adaptable Leadership is the right fit.
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