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In this inspiring episode of the Do Good to Lead Well podcast, Jason Tham, chief innovation officer and founder of Nulogy, shares powerful insights on positive leadership in today’s fast-moving world. He highlights the importance of authenticity, agility, and a strong values-based culture in driving innovation and resilience. Jason also discusses practical strategies for fostering adaptability, mentorship, and psychological safety within teams. Whether you’re an aspiring leader or seasoned executive, this conversation offers actionable advice to help you lead with purpose and impact.
The Importance of Positive Leadership in Today’s Fast-Changing World
In a world where change happens rapidly and uncertainty is often the only constant, positive leadership has become more vital than ever. Leaders today must inspire, guide, and bring out the best in people. Positive leadership offers a powerful approach for navigating complexity by focusing on authenticity, purpose, and resilience. It's a practical framework that enables leaders to build innovation-driven and values-centered organizations that thrive in disruption.
Jason Tham, chief innovation officer and founder of Nulogy, shares invaluable insights on positive leadership from his extensive experience leading tech innovation and cultivating a purpose-driven company culture. His story, featured on the Do Good to Lead Well podcast, shows how authentic leadership anchored in core values drives sustained innovation and team engagement. Whether you are a CEO, a team leader, or an aspiring executive, learning from leaders like Jason offers real-world, actionable advice you can apply immediately to lead with greater impact.
Adaptability and Agility: Leading in a Disruptive World
What does it mean to lead with adaptability and agility? At its core, being an adaptable leader is about anticipating change, sometimes before it even happens. The pace of change, especially in a digital world, demands leaders who are comfortable pivoting quickly, learning on the fly, and helping their teams do the same. It's not enough to have a static plan and hope it works. You need a mindset that welcomes change as a natural and even energizing part of growth.
One memorable takeaway from Jason’s experience is the importance of consistency with core values, even when everything else is in flux. Sometimes, as he puts it, you’ll need to "tack" or adjust direction in response to emerging trends or challenges. But if your values are clear, they act like a compass, ensuring you don’t lose your way. People are more likely to trust and follow a leader who can steer through uncertainty without sacrificing integrity or credibility.
Visually speaking, imagine adaptability like a river that finds new paths around obstacles without losing its essence. Agility, on the other hand, is like a skilled surfer, reading the next wave, shifting balance, and staying upright. Both require awareness, courage, and a willingness to experiment.
Agility and improvement are not just skills, but pillars for long-term success and leaders can nurture adaptability by:
- Encouraging teams to voice ideas and share feedback on changing circumstances.
- Modeling openness to new information and being willing to admit when change is needed.
- Creating “safe spaces” where experimentation is celebrated, not punished.
Lasting success often comes from small, regular adjustments rather than huge, frantic course corrections. Think of it like steering a ship: consistent, small changes in direction prevent you from crashing later on. This focus on continuous improvement makes teams more resilient and ready to seize new opportunities, even those that emerge from setbacks or disruptions.
Adaptability and Agility: Leading in a Disruptive World
Change is no longer a seasonal event, it’s the everyday reality. In the modern workplace, adaptability and agility are not “nice-to-haves,” but absolute essentials if you want to thrive. So, what truly sets adaptable and agile leaders apart? It's their approach to navigating obstacles and finding opportunity in the swirl of uncertainty.
Imagine adaptability as water flowing around rocks in a riverbed, always finding its way forward, never rigid, never stuck. Agility, on the other hand, is like a skilled dancer, always poised, ready to shift steps in response to the beat. Both qualities let you move confidently through change, not just survive it.
“Being able to be agile and adaptive and team oriented and collaborative, I think is so important and more important than ever. And when I think of the agility adaptability, you still have to be, I think, very consistent. Those leaders who might, you know, flip-flop between their values are not going to be believed." -Jason Tham
Adaptability doesn't mean being all over the map. It means holding your vision and values steady, even as you adjust your tactics. So how can you put this into action?
- Start by making space for honest conversations: Open the door to feedback about what needs to shift, whether it’s a process that’s not working or a bold new opportunity on the horizon. These conversations keep you and your team ahead of the curve and foster trust.
- Next, try experimenting in small, low-risk ways: Think of each new change as a pilot project. What can you tweak? What can you learn quickly? Continuous, incremental improvement is far less overwhelming than dramatic, all-at-once pivots.
- Finally, model the behavior you want to see: If you’re willing to admit when a plan needs to change, your team will feel safe doing the same. Celebrate the learning that comes from mistakes and redirect focus when needed.
What are the benefits of being an adaptable, agile leader? You create teams who are comfortable with uncertainty, make better decisions faster, and bounce back quickly from setbacks. In environments where everything is a moving target, this is no longer optional. It’s the new core skill of positive leadership.
Building Values-Based, Innovative, and Resilient Cultures: Actionable Next Steps for Leaders
Creating a workplace where values guide every action, innovation flourishes, and resilience is a shared strength can feel like a complex challenge. But the good news is that building such a culture starts with a series of clear, intentional steps you can take today. Instead of waiting for the “perfect moment," leaders who want to make a real impact begin with small, consistent actions that reflect their core beliefs and encourage others to do the same.
First, it’s important to embed your organization’s core values into everyday decisions and interactions. This means not just sharing them on a poster or in an onboarding session, but actively reinforcing and recognizing behaviors that align with these values. When people see values in action, such as through genuine recognition or transparent communication, they feel connected to a higher purpose that goes beyond the work itself.
Next, embrace adaptability and agility as ongoing habits rather than rare responses to crises. Encourage your teams to voice ideas openly and contribute to continuous improvement. Fostering an environment where experimentation is welcomed, even if it means occasional setbacks, builds confidence and prepares everyone to navigate change without fear. This is how innovation becomes a natural outcome.
Continuous learning is another cornerstone. Leaders can champion learning conversations by asking thoughtful questions that promote growth mindsets, inviting diverse perspectives, and investing in mentorship opportunities. Offering psychological safety where employees feel safe to be authentic and to share challenges fuels resilience both individually and collectively.
Resilience, at its core, involves reframing adversity as an opportunity to grow stronger. Leaders can model this by openly sharing their own experiences of overcoming hurdles and by cultivating supportive networks where it’s safe to discuss struggles. This collective strength makes it easier for everyone to bounce back and sustain energy and engagement, even in tough times.
Finally, remember that building these cultures is a long-term journey. Success comes from persistent effort, patience, and a genuine commitment to people-first leadership. Start by choosing one small but meaningful action today, whether it’s recognizing a colleague’s contribution linked to your values, initiating a learning conversation, or simply asking your team how they’re navigating change. These small steps compound into a culture that is vibrant, inclusive, and ready to meet the future head-on.
Ready to take Innovation and Resilience to the next level?
- To get practical tools and actionable tips that will jumpstart your journey, download the Innovation and Resilience Kick Starter Booklet here.
- Join the newsletter to be notified when a new episode is ready for you to listen and get every Kick Starter Booklet for all future episodes.
- And if you’re looking to elevate your entire C-Suite leadership team, learn how Craig Dowden can help your leaders perform at their highest-level visit https://www.craigdowden.com/executive-mastermind
- For a deeper dive, listen to the full-length episode of the Do Good to Lead Well podcast featuring Wes Adams & Tamara Myles:
Did you like this article on the state of Ai therapy in organizations? Does it help you become a better leader? Then check out these articles to help hone those skills even further:
- AI Therapy: Lessons on Vulnerability and Listening: Why Leaders Should Create Judgment-Free Zones Like AI Therapy: Lessons on Vulnerability and Listening
- Lead your team or company in the future with ethical AI practices: AI Driven Leadership Strategies for the Future with Geoff Woods
- Create an environment for Meaningful Work: Exploring the Science and Practice of Meaningful Work with Wes Adams and Tamara Myles
- Reveal and fill blindspots in your daily professional life: Seeing with New Eyes: Martin Dubin on Leadership, Self-Awareness, and Blindspotting
Craig Dowden
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