Leadership in Times of War: How to Stay Flexible Without Losing Ground

In a new article for Liga.net, Olena Korsun, Head of Region at SoftServe, shared her experience of adaptive leadership in the southeastern region. Despite constant challenges, around 850 employees work here, and the level of colleague satisfaction is higher than the company’s average.

At ITU Member SoftServe, Olena Korsun heads the southeastern region, which includes Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Kherson. About 850 colleagues work here, the majority of them in Dnipro and Kharkiv. These are regions closest to the front and constantly suffer from shelling. The company’s specialists work every day under wartime conditions, which is why the topic of adaptive leadership is not just a concept but part of everyday life.

Interestingly, Peakon research in Dnipro shows a higher level of colleague satisfaction than the company’s average. Olena has been in the IT industry for 10 years, 5 of which have been in leadership positions. Throughout these years, which have also been years of crisis, she has found personal space for learning and transformation.

Adaptive leadership today is not about control. It’s about the ability to react quickly, make decisions in uncertain conditions, and lead a team through change. The resilience of Ukrainian leaders is phenomenal, but even it has limits. It is important for us to not only withstand the blows but also grow during this time.

The world we live in has been described by futurists as BANI – brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible. This concept emerged in 2020 during the pandemic but is even more relevant today:

• Brittle – even strong systems can break suddenly, as seen with Silicon Valley Bank.
• Anxious – constant anxiety, uncertainty, and emotional exhaustion.
• Nonlinear – a small action can have big consequences, such as how Elon Musk’s tweet affects Tesla stock.
• Incomprehensible – the development of AI, with which we are still learning to interact, and its future remains uncertain.

Being a Leader in Times of Change

The difference between accepting change and leading through it lies in the ability to see opportunities even in crisis. Olena Korsun took on HR marketing during the pandemic, when all projects had to be urgently switched to remote. Over the past years, the world has changed, systems and rules have shifted, so it’s odd to expect that the same approaches that worked before will continue to work now. As leaders, we need to not only change the tools and methods we use but also our way of thinking in general.

Traditionally, leadership has been associated with the following characteristics:

• Focus on stability and predictability.
• Control and strict hierarchy.
• Long-term planning (it used to be common to ask, “Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?” in interviews).
• The leader is the source of all answers.
• Measuring effectiveness through the completion of plans.

Leadership has changed today. Adaptive leadership is about flexibility and quick response, dynamic teams with distributed responsibility, and continuous adaptation of strategies. In the operational team of the region, the company implemented the “always-on strategy” approach – a strategy that is constantly updated. Effectiveness is measured not only by the implementation of plans but also by the ability to adapt. This includes: regular monitoring, testing hypotheses, and quickly adjusting the course.

Olena likes the phrase: “When the world around is burning, the manager should carry water, not gasoline.” In such times, it’s important for the leader to maintain internal stability to be a support for the team. We cannot control the world, but we can control our own reaction. It’s like Formula 1 – the leader’s responsibility is also to make the pit stop on time.

Leader as a Navigator

When Olena thinks about the role of a leader, she recalls a navigator: we set the destination but adjust the route by analysing the circumstances. This analogy relates to adaptive leadership – we understand our final goal, but the route to it must be analysed and adjusted regularly. The team at SoftServe transitioned to scenario planning. The team thinks in scenarios, not forecasts – optimistic, realistic, pessimistic:

• Optimistic – everything is going well, just as we expect.
• Realistic – there are challenges, but we can handle them.
• Pessimistic – a serious crisis, preparing for the worst.

This practice should be applied to any projects, strategies, and plans. It’s also important for the team to be involved – this reduces colleagues’ anxiety and makes the future more predictable.

How to Support the Team in Times of Change?

We can’t choose between being empathetic or result-oriented. We need to combine both approaches. The balance is 70% support and 30% demand.

In practice, this looks like:

• First, support. Start meetings with a simple, “How are you today?” It’s normal to acknowledge that things are tough.
• Demand should sound human. Olena uses the formula: sense – fact – expectation: “This project is critically important (sense). We are 5 days behind (fact). What can we do, and what support do you need? (expectation).”
• Be flexible in approaches but consistent in principles. If needed, move the deadline, but don’t compromise on quality.
• Create a space for psychological safety – where questions can be asked, doubts can be voiced, and mistakes can be made.
• Communicate transparently – even a lack of news is news.
• Support emotional wellbeing – celebrate even small victories.
• Foster a culture of development – encourage learning and knowledge sharing.

Be flexible, but have your “anchors.” Flexibility without internal anchors turns into chaos, so it’s important to have your “anchors”: rituals, routines, values. We often hear about triggers, but there’s also the opposite – glimmers: small actions that bring a sense of joy and support. Olena “plans” glimmers on difficult days to improve her state. Every leader has tough days, and it’s important to know the tools that can help. In a world where the future is uncertain, the best strategy is to be ready for different scenarios. The BANI world changes quickly, so we shouldn’t look for the perfect plan – we need to learn to adapt in real time. High productivity is possible even in times of crisis like now.

How to Maintain Focus, Motivation, and Effectiveness in the Current Realities? Here are a few insights that we’ve noted for you:

• The BANI world is constantly changing. The leader’s task is not to find the perfect plan but to make decisions in real time.
• Empathy is part of the management system. The formula of 70% support and 30% demand creates balance: the team feels supported but clearly understands expectations.
• Implement Always-on strategy – a strategy that involves continuous focus updates and flexibility in approaches.
• Plan scenarios, not forecasts. Optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic scenarios provide clarity and readiness to act.
• Transparent communication is a must. Even the lack of news should be communicated. This builds trust and reduces tension.