Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education leaders in America were navigating a notable shift in the trajectory of the field (Soliday & Lombardi, 2018). The COVID-19 pandemic added urgency to the challenges facing institutions of higher education. For this study, the researcher sought to add to the body of knowledge to better understand how leaders in higher education exercise leadership in response to technical and adaptive challenges during times of crises. Using a phenomenological approach, the researcher studied the lived experience of a small group of higher education presidents and chief academic officers through the lens of the practice of adaptive leadership as defined by Heifetz et al. (2009). The researcher interviewed five higher education presidents and chief academic officers. Bazeley's (2013) Stepping Through Qualitative Data Analysis process was utilized to make meaning of participants' responses using both a deductive and inductive approach to identify themes.Thematic analysis resulted in five key findings. First, presidents and chief academic officers focused on six strategic priorities throughout the pandemic: creating an inclusive community, developing new academic programs, implementing & revising strategic plans, maintaining financial stability, preparing for a change in demographics, and utilizing technology as an education tool. Second, presidents and chief academic officers shifted their strategic priorities during the pandemic. Third, through the presidents' and chief academic officers' responses to questions about their leadership during the onset, and throughout the pandemic, the following themes were identified: ask questions first, innovative solutions take time, urgent challenges require authoritative decision making, 'communicate, communicate, communicate,' listen to understand stakeholder perspectives, and collaboration across silos is essential. Fourth, in hindsight, presidents and chief academic officers valued communication, collaboration, and understanding stakeholder perspective as they led through a period of crisis. Fifth, presidents and chief academic officers applied technical solutions to both technical and adaptive challenges during the pandemic and occasionally exercised adaptive leadership to identify adaptive challenges. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]