Eric Martin
Leadership | Adaptation | Systems Change
For two decades, I’ve built spaces where leaders confront their toughest challenges, reclaim their agency and grow in the process. As founder of Adaptive Change Advisors (ACA), I’ve helped shape one of the largest global communities of practice in Adaptive Leadership™.
My craft sits at the intersection of leadership development, systems transformation and human growth – where change isn’t a concept, it’s lived experience.
What I Do
I help leaders move from firefighting to sensemaking – from reacting to complexity to using it. I build the muscle to lead adaptively when the map runs out.
How I Work
Direct. Reflective. Fiercely practical. I hold the mirror and the line at the same time – helping people see what’s in play, name what’s at stake and move what matters.
Selected Highlights & Projects
- Founder, Adaptive Change Advisors (ACA) – Built the largest Adaptive Leadership™ training and certification body worldwide.
- NYC ACS Cabinet Program – Helped senior executives strengthen trust, accountability, and coherence across the nation’s largest child welfare system.
- FAO Systems Labs – Designed global learning labs for UN leaders tackling complex agricultural transformation.
- Beyond Leadership Retreats – Created immersive spaces where leaders explore the edges of purpose, resilience, and possibility.
Speaking & Teaching
Eric speaks internationally on Adaptive Leadership, systems change, and the inner game of transformation. Audiences range from UN executives to Silicon Valley founders to social impact networks. His talks cut through noise, challenge assumptions and leave people thinking differently about what leadership really is.
Focus Areas
- Executive and Cabinet-Level Leadership Development
- Vertical Development Coaching
- Culture and Systems Transformation
- Partnership & Coalition Building
- Adaptive Leadership Certification
- Global Leadership Capacity-Building
Relevant Credentials
- Harvard Kennedy School, Adaptive Leadership
- Author, Your Leadership Moment: In a Time of Authoritarianism (link)
- Co-Author: Adaptive Leadership Facilitator Guide (link)
- Founder & CEO: Adaptive Change Advisors
Articles and Insights
Talking Adaptive Strategy vs Actually Doing It
Ever since Peter Senge published The Fifth Discipline in 1990, how leaders think about strategy has never been the same. Few still believe a five-year
Leading Meetings that Matter
Most of us have been in meetings where the energy dips, conflict flares or the conversation goes nowhere. Conventional facilitation techniques often aim to smooth
Saying Yes: The Courage to Let Go and Receive
Leadership is often framed as knowing what to do, charting the path and mobilizing others to follow. But the deepest leadership moments rarely begin with
Innovation in a Time of Volatility
The traditional drivers of development and innovation are shifting. That is not necessarily a bad thing. For decades, a daunting adaptive challenge facing emerging market
Seeking Truth in Leadership
In times of uncertainty, leadership isn’t just about having answers — it’s about learning to live with the unknown. This essay explores an alternative approach to leadership rooted in curiosity, complexity, and the power of mystery. Drawing insights from a retreat with leading quantum physicists, it challenges the traditional model of fast solutions and absolute clarity. Instead, it invites leaders to embrace adaptive thinking, deepen their attention, and stay present long enough for new insights to emerge. When we lead with humility and imagination, mystery becomes not a threat — but a teacher.
When Democracy Falters, Ordinary People Lead
Thank you to our friends at People Power Health for bringing me back to On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, by historian Timothy Snyder — a
Work With Me
If you’re facing challenges that can’t be solved by expertise or authority alone, that’s the work I do.
Let’s build leadership that makes real change possible.