Leading with Both Hands: The Power of Ambidextrous Leadership
In a world where leaders are expected to deliver results today and shape the future of their organisations tomorrow, one mindset, way of working or “leadership style” alone won't cut it. Enter ambidextrous leadership: the ability to operate in two modes at once—the stable and the exploratory.
The term "ambidextrous leadership" comes from the Latin roots ambi (meaning "both") and dexter (meaning "right-handed" or "favorable"). It literally means "right-handed on both sides", which is a metaphor for being equally skilled in two directions. In leadership, it's come to signify the ability to lead with equal strength in seemingly opposite directions: maintaining stability while also pursuing innovation.
If this sounds like impossible multi-tasking, bear with me:
One Hand: The Ship
Think of one hand as a cargo ship. It moves steadily in one direction. It’s all about consistency, reliability, and systems. In this mode, leaders focus on:
Clear tasks and responsibilities
Defined communication structures
Roles and routines that create predictability and alignment
This mode builds trust, keeps the lights on, and ensures the organisation can scale.
The Other Hand: The Speedboat
Now picture the other hand as a speedboat. Agile. Fast. Designed to explore unknown territory. Here, the leadership mode shifts into:
Experimentation
Iteration
Cross-functional collaboration
Fast learning and even faster course correction
This is where new ideas are tested, assumptions are challenged, and small teams prototype what might become an inherent part of tomorrow’s core business.
The Art Is in the Switch
But ambidextrous leadership isn't just about being good at both! It's about knowing when you're in which mode and making that visible and easy to comprehend for your team.
Most frustration in organizations comes not from the mode itself, but from the mismatch of expectations:
A team thinks they’re in ship mode—and you suddenly take a hard left in a speedboat.
Or they think they’re prototyping—and get surprised by a demand for stability and efficiency.
Good ambidextrous leaders moderate the shift:
They say, "We’re in exploration mode right now. It’s okay to break things."
Or, "We’re moving into implementation. Let’s align, document, and operationalise."
When to Use Which Mode
Stability mode: Use when scaling, training, clarifying roles, or executing proven strategies.
Discovery mode: Use when venturing into new markets, launching pilots, testing ideas, or working through complex unknowns.
Each mode works best under different conditions—and with different teams.
Discovery Mode often thrives in small, cross-functional teams with psychological safety and room to fail forward. Navigation Mode benefits from clarity, structure, and focus, especially when rolling out what’s already been tested.
Ambidextrous leadership isn’t a science. It’s an art.
You don't have to be perfectly balanced all the time. In fact, that’s probably impossible. But you do need to be intentional. Ambidextrous leadership means learning to lead with both hands—and teaching your team which one you're using and why. If you adopt this, you’ll find that teams adjust easily, both to the modes and the language you use around code switching.
They won’t just follow, they’ll begin to propagate ambidextrous leadership themselves.
Because leadership isn’t about choosing between innovation and execution. It’s about holding both—and knowing when to switch the grip.
