Adaptive Leaders are not ordinary leaders. They thrive in the most challenging environments and get out of the most difficult situations by adapting to the circumstances, and by accepting the challenges placed on their tables. They are bold enough to catalyze meaningful changes in their ecosystem, but patient enough to accept that change doesn’t happen overnight, that change is a gradual, often painful and arduous process.
When he assumed as head of PPWSA, he realized that its mandate to provide safe water to the people cannot be achieved by just doing what it has been doing. He took it upon himself and the entire organization to create an enabling environment that would transform impossibilities to possibilities. A visionary leader who had high aspirations for his war-torn country, Chan sought to formulate a framework when no framework was available, to create a model out of their own, to effectively stir PPWSA amidst uncertainty and instability. He was not afraid to “rock the boat”, to interrupt and to innovate even in the face of internal and external challenges. How did he do it? How did he survive long enough [once again], to see the aspirations PPWSA come to fruition in spite of the situation’s volatility- amid “the chaos after the chaos”?
Chan, thanks to his early life struggles, was able to separate the MUST HAVEs- the essentials, from the WANTs- the expendables, when he began working on his adaptive challenge. His tragic past did not cloud his vision to be able to see what is essential to the future of PPWSA. His experiences taught him well to determine the obstacles he will face and how to overcome them. He was unafraid to challenge the status quo- perhaps because he thought he had nothing else to lose (most of his family members perished during the war). But neither was he arrogant nor self-centered. He celebrated small wins and attributed big successes to his staff, to the team THEY have painstakingly built.
He smart enough to take unfathomable risks. He didn’t buckle down in the face of adversity - he didn’t flinch when the General pointed a gun on his head. He didn’t succumb to local and international pressures- he sought to prove them that the Cambodian people can stand on its own. When everyone was in doubt, he believed in his people’s capabilities, constantly challenging, educating and motivating them. They were able to develop, test and propagate their own “best practices”, and prove to both detractors and supporters that they can do it.
Chan’s character and strong leadership enabled him and the PPWSA to do a disciplined and comprehensive assessment of the entire organization- where they stand, where they want to go, what to do next. They made selfless service, transparency and accountability as their battle cry at a time when selfishness, corruption and nepotism seemed to be the norm.
An adaptive leader knows when to take a step back, take the high ground, survey the arena, listen to voices, watch out for missing pieces, see through the cloud of dust, know where to go and how- and dive right back into the melee, put the parts together and keep on moving and pushing forward. And that exactly was how Chan did it.
We need more EK SONN CHANs nowadays.
