How Adaptive Leaders See Around Corners in Times of Disruption

You’ve probably heard it in your own head: 

“If I just keep delivering results, people will see I’m a strong leader.” 
“Once I prove I can handle the chaos, I’ll earn a seat at the table.” 
“If I follow the plan and keep things on track, everything will fall into place.” 
 
But here’s the truth. Leadership today isn’t about control, hierarchy, or perfect plans. It’s about staying self-aware enough to adapt, uniting people around purpose, and guiding them through uncertainty. 

In this episode of the PMO Strategies Podcast, I am joined by Ken Banta, founder and CEO of The Vanguard Network and author of Seeing Around Corners: Leadership in an Era of Disruption. Together, we explore what it really means to lead through influence, how to earn trust before it’s tested, and how to turn turbulence into measurable IMPACT. 

It’s about purpose before position, adaptability before authority, and connection before control. 

 
What is Leadership Really About? 

Leadership lives in how people unite around shared purpose, stay flexible through change, and deliver results that drive real IMPACT. The leaders who stand out aren’t the ones with the biggest titles but the ones who help others succeed and stay grounded in purpose when everything shifts. 

Inside the organization, great leaders act as strategy navigators. They translate executive vision into practical steps that teams can act on, and they elevate what’s happening on the ground into insights the C-suite can trust. Outside the organization, their influence strengthens outcomes that customers, partners, and stakeholders can feel. This two-way alignment turns leadership from a concept into measurable results. 

Leaders do this by: 

• Building trust through self-awareness, credibility, and empathy 
• Connecting strategy to execution so every effort supports a shared vision

• Anticipating disruption early and guiding teams through it with confidence

Leadership can be built at any level and for any initiative. But when it loses adaptability and becomes rigid, it stops serving its purpose. High-IMPACT leaders continually recalibrate by sensing what’s changing, adjusting their approach, and keeping people aligned around what matters most.

Leading through change isn’t instinct. It’s awareness. 

The most effective leaders don’t wait to react to change, they recognize patterns early, stay self-aware, and adjust their approach before disruption becomes crisis. They don’t rely on instinct alone. They build habits that strengthen their awareness, credibility, and trust so they can guide others with confidence when the ground starts to move. 

 Here are five ways adaptive leaders “see around corners” before the turn: 

1. Listen before leading
   Self-awareness begins with curiosity. Great leaders make time to listen to teams, peers, and stakeholders before they act. This helps them understand not only what’s happening but why it’s happening, allowing them to respond instead of react.
2. Turn observation into action 
   Noticing early signs of change is valuable only if you use them. Adaptive leaders turn insights into quick, targeted actions that build trust. They connect what they see on the ground to what executives need to know, bridging small signals into strategic guidance.
3. Keep communication two-way 
   Information should flow both up and down. Strong leaders interpret what’s happening for executives and translate strategic direction back to their teams. This ongoing exchange keeps decisions informed and people aligned.
4. Build trust before you need it 
   Credibility isn’t built in a crisis. Leaders who invest in relationships early can move faster when change comes because their teams already trust their direction. Trust makes adaptability possible. 
5. Reflect and recalibrate often
   Leadership growth requires consistent reflection. The best leaders pause to assess what’s working, what isn’t, and where new opportunities are emerging. They stay agile by learning continuously, not by waiting for perfect conditions.
    

Stop Treating Leadership as a Title 

Authority, process, and performance reviews all have their place. But on their own, they don’t define real leadership. What matters is the awareness, adaptability, and trust that turn change into opportunity and teams into catalysts for IMPACT. 

When leadership stays focused only on control and activity, the real connection gets lost. Teams hear what to do but not why it matters, and that’s when trust begins to fade. 

Executives and stakeholders pay attention when leaders connect people, purpose, and outcomes. That’s when communication turns into alignment, and direction turns into measurable results. 

That’s the moment leadership shifts from managing disruption to shaping the organization’s future. 

👉 Click play above to learn how adaptive leadership helps you earn trust, build alignment, and turn uncertainty into results that matter. 

Connect with Ken: 
Follow him on LinkedIn
Visit www.thevanguardnetwork.com

P.S. Ready to lead through disruption instead of reacting to it? The PMI Global Summit 2025 will equip you with the tools, insights, and connections to deliver measurable IMPACT. Join us November 12–15 in Phoenix, AZ and take your leadership to the next level. Click here to register.