NextFutureToday - Episode 27: Flexible Leadership in the Age of AI

Leading 5? 50? 50,000? Or just yourself? Here's an episode you won’t want to miss! This week, our host Dan Keldsen sits down with renowned leadership expert Kevin Eikenberry to dig into his latest book, “Flexible Leadership.” Whether you lead a team of 50 or you’re focused on leading yourself through uncertain times, this episode is packed with practical wisdom.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find in this episode:

Flexible Leadership: More Than Just a Buzzword Kevin breaks down what it really means to be a flexible leader. Spoiler: it’s not just about adaptability for others; it’s about balancing your core values with an ability to pivot, much like a deeply-rooted tree that bends with the wind but doesn’t break. Consistency and flexibility aren’t competitors—they’re partners.

Understanding Context: The Cynefin Framework Explained You’ll hear a fantastic introduction to Dave Snowden’s Cynefin framework—a tool for making sense of complex, complicated, and chaotic situations. Kevin shares how leaders can use this strategy daily rather than just during business crises. You’ll learn why “shooting the snake” (making quick decisions) sometimes works—and sometimes leads to a nest of unintended consequences.

Flexors: The Secret to Real-Time Leadership Choices Kevin introduces the concept of “flexors”—not the hip kind, but the ability to intentionally move along spectrums like top-line vs. bottom-line thinking, consistency vs. flexibility, and customer vs. employee priorities. The secret? The most effective leaders embrace both/and thinking, not just either/or.

The Mindset, Skill Set, and Habit Set Trifecta Applied learning is everything. Kevin and Dan discuss why mindset, skill set, and habit set must all work together to translate leadership concepts into real-world change, citing ideas from “Atomic Habits” and “The Power of Habit.”

Practical Takeaway for This Week We love actionable insights at Next Future Today, and Kevin has a great one: The next time you’re facing a decision and hear yourself think, “it depends,” stop. Ask, “what does it depend on?” Think about context, then choose your response intentionally. That’s flexible leadership in action.

Want More?

• Grab a chapter of "Flexible Leadership," resources, or take a free leadership masterclass, at kevineikenberry.com/flexible and kevineikenberry.com/gift.

• Learn more about Kevin and his work at kevineikenberry.com.

As always, thanks for listening. If you find these episodes useful, hit reply and tell us what topics you want us to dive into next—or share this email with someone who could use a new perspective on leadership.

Stay flexible, The NextFutureToday Team at infocap.ai - the Human-Centric Automation Company

P.S. Put your new mindset into action today—not someday!