Leading changes.

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Adaptive Leadership Learners

We hold a collaborative discussion group about Adaptive Leadership.

Join Our Group

What is Adaptive Leadership ?

Most complex and important issues can’t just be solved by bringing more expertise, resources or technology.

People usually have many legitimate reasons to resist change: fear of losses, unripe issue, competing loyalties…

Adaptive leadership is a systemic approach that allows anyone to feel empowered, by better understanding their environment, observing dynamics and identifying opportunities to design effective interventions.

Watch the video

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Group Work

What We Do

Experimental lab:

We create a space for people who are eager to experiment their leadership as they learn more about the adaptive leadership framework.

  • Once every 3 weeks
  • 2-hours virtual meetings:

    • 1st half: various exercises (debate, experience sharing, workshop)
    • 2nd half: Peer consultation case study (A structured case study where the group generates fresh insights in the diagnostic of a case presented by one participant)
    • Preparation needed: pre-read, case study
Peer consultation group:

Outside of scheduled sessions, you will have access anytime to a group that can help you diagnose your ongoing real-life adaptive challenges, get new perspectives and solutions that you wouldn't be able to generate alone.

Our Purpose

Why We Do It

We live in a time full of adaptive challenges: climate crisis, political instabilities, world multipolarisation, cultural changes, adoption of technologies fastening...

We are touched by values at stake in the challenges we see in our lives, and we want to do something about it. However, the traditional way of thinking leadership - centered around notions of authority and charisma - gives us not much hope of progress.

On the contrary, Adaptive Leadership opens up many roads to thrive. Indeed, mobilizing people and resources for collective work is a very potent way to be part of solutions that can shape our future.

Because it is counterintuitive, adaptive leadership is hard to learn and easy to forget. Our group makes us recall the fundamentals and dig deeper into the theory, month after month.

Moreover, our group is a safe place to experiment and practice leadership. It enables us to grow our adaptive capabilities without taking the risk of being neutralized in our lives.

Finally, the group is preciously helpful when one doubts and feels stuck in an adaptive challenge she is engaged.

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What Matters To Us

Our Values

Diversity

Systemic change can only happen with a collective effort inclusive of diverse perspectives, beliefs and values. Thus, we are committed to empower anyone who wants to develop their leadership skills.

Experiment

Our main motto is learning by doing, and because we learn from the view of others, the group is a safe place to experiment adaptive leadership before doing it in the “real life”.

Commitment

This program requires a reasonable amount of preparation prior to each workshop. We want to make sure that everyone in the room receives valuable insights while also showcasing their own value as a leader.

Tolerance

Profound and complex topics will be addressed during the workshop. We are aware that triggers and conflicts are inevitable, we make sure that everyone is allowed to express their opinion while being safe and respected.

Confidentiality

Personal information may be shared during the workshops and should not be shared outside of the group.

Punctuality

Leadership is all about observing, interpreting and intervening at the right timing. It is important for us that everyone is punctual to preserve the dynamics.

About Us

The Team

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Céline Sysavath

I am Celine, a Pharmacist, Yoga teacher and aspiring Qi Gong master.

I am passionate about sharing knowledge and experience in career and personal development.

I am currently working on shifting to a lifestyle that is more respectful of my values and work ethics - my greatest personal adaptive challenge.

Get in touch:

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Milàn Martos

I am a dancing business developer with an engineering background.

I enjoy working in team, developing new skills, and listening to people.

Passionate about entrepreneurship, I am about to start a (new) entrepreneurial journey. I currently prepare myself for this challenge by working on improving my sales abilities.

Get in touch:

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Anaïs Mekki

I am Anaïs, curious about everything, always searching for learning new things, and discovering new topics.

I choose my studies in function of what I am passionate about, and to better understand the world around me and not to find a job. I studied history of art, management and public affairs, and today I work in a bank.

My motto is “you must always aim for the moon, because even if you fail, you land among the stars” from Oscar Wilde, it helped me to reach things I have never thought I could do in my life, adaptive leadership is one of them 😉.

Get in touch:

We learn from

Our readings

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The Practice of Adaptive Leadership

When change requires you to challenge people's familiar reality, it can be difficult, dangerous work. Whatever the context, whether in the private or the public sector, many will feel threatened as you push through major changes. But as a leader, you need to find a way to make it work.

The Practice of Adaptive Leadership is a hands-on, practical guide containing stories, tools, diagrams, cases, and worksheets to help you develop your skills as an adaptive leader, able to take people outside their comfort zones and assess and address the toughest challenges.

The authors have decades of experience helping people and organizations create cultures of adaptive leadership. In today's rapidly changing world, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership can be your handbook to meeting the demands of leadership in a complex world.

“What I like the most in this book is the wise mix between theory and practice. I have a particular attention to the exercise parts and the examples when I read it because it allows me to understand better the theory that is sometimes a bit complex.

Thanks to this book I had the possibility to discover the technique of adaptive leadership from A to Z. Clearly this book revolutionized my vision of leadership and how to demonstrate it.”

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Anaïs Mekki Inspector at BNP Paribas
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Leadership Without Easy Answers

This book defines Leadership with clarity and patience for the reader. Seeing Leadership as a collective work, all of a sudden a lot of complex situations start to make crystal sense.

Then the author decline different concepts and strategies to prepare leaders to lead change in organizations, and - most importantly - to stay alive.

Finally, Heifetz takes the time to discuss the reader's motivations as a leader to tackle adaptive challenges. Making us think this way about our roots, ancestors, values, and all that makes our identity, is invaluable.

“I have found this book very clear and enlightening. Even though I had been familiar with Heifeitz's framework for leadership for years with readings from Leadership On The Line, I had deep learnings reading carefully this book. The magic is about delivering that much pedagogy for such a counter-intuitive theory.”

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Milàn Martos Business developer
What we have learned

Our experience in the group

“I have joined the Adaptive Leadership Group when I was looking for my first permanent job after graduation, and it was a pretty hard period because it was in 2020 during the Covid Crisis.

I have learned how to better live with people that are different from me and to understand better professional situations.

With this Group I learn everyday more about myself and how to go out of my comfort zone but being ok with it even if it is uncomfortable it is always in a benevolent environment so it helps.

You should join the group if you are seeking intellectual stimulation and you want to connect with society and better understand the world that is surrounding you.”

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Anaïs MEKKI Inspector at BNP Paribas

“I attended the Leadership program by Valentine de Lasteyrie in 2016, while I was a student, and never quitted it ever since.

In this group, I learned compassion and to act strategically.

Thanks to these years of practice, I learned to be a better coworker, a better brother, a better son, and hopefully tomorrow, a better entrepreneur.

I recommend to join us to anyone willing to pay the compassion and courage price to lead progress in any informal, non-profit or business organisation.”

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Milàn Martos Business developer

“I was 22 when I joined the Adaptive Leadership program, naively thinking that it would be like any training - you go there, meet nice people, hear interesting concepts and leave with catchy takeaways.

It was nothing like that. I mean, I went there and met nice people, even long-lasting relationships.

However, each session was emotionally intense, embracing the uncomfortable complexity of human interactions.

Now I have these new glasses that help me focus on group dynamics, hidden factions, holding environment,… instead of assumed personal intentions, anything that prevents you from showing empathy and from looking at the big picture.

This program has helped me grow into the soon-to-be 30 y/o woman who no longer sees her introversion as a weakness, is able to connect with her purpose and yearns to lead with affirmation and kindness.”

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Céline Sysavath Consultant

“I joined the group in September 2016 to develop my skills in team management and teamwork, aiming to contribute to the growth of my business.

I developed skills in three key areas of leadership: understanding the functioning of groups within an organization, improved empathy towards the needs and risks of individuals and groups, and better understanding and management of my emotions.

By joining this group, I discovered a wide variety of work environments and a broad spectrum of human emotions.

Knowing oneself and understanding others better saves a significant amount of time and provides a tremendous positive energy.”

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Maxime Vaux CEO of SIGNS and SIGNS PRODUCTION
Application form

Join Us

To make sure everyone gets the most out of our group, please take a moment to fill out the contact form so we can connect with you. We’ll share more details and a timeline, and arrange a brief call to ensure this is the perfect fit for you.

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