AWARENESS AND FLEXIBILITY – LEADERSHIP IN ACTION!

As we’ve discussed in our previous 2 posts, there are several different leadership styles and it’s crucial that every leader develops an awareness of the style they exhibit to help them better understand their strengths and gaps.

Knowing yourself and how you positively impact others will empower you to be your best self at all times – which to everyone’s advantage.

Knowing yourself will also enable you to communicate more effectively with your team. The better you understand yourself, the better they will understand how you work which will prepare them to work more efficiently with you. This openness draws out differences in teams and allows a deeper understanding of what it would take to flex styles to meet others’ where they are (not where you’d, perhaps, like them to be!).

Awareness of your style better equips you to define your goals and personal development plans as well as making it easier for others to evaluate your progress and results. It helps you assess your ability to handle problems and challenges, and to decide, quickly, what the best solution might be and whether there is a need for a different strategy. A colleague once shared three valuable questions with me: Does it need to be said/done? Does it need to be said/done by me? Does it need to be said/done now? Using these critical questions to navigate your leadership style will ensure you achieve the best possible outcome in all situations.

Awareness comes first, then learning how to manage ourselves follows. How adept are you at altering your approach to make sure it is/you are appropriate for each situation? Flexibility for leaders is key, particularly in an environment marked by constant change. Those who can successfully modify their style in response to changing and unpredictable circumstances will hold the biggest influence. The ability to adapt styles is very powerful when we find ourselves leading teams. Being alert to what our people need, by being able to effectively ‘read the room’ as opposed to what we think we should be (which can be an imposition) creates better, more connected outcomes. Flexible leaders adapt to changes as they arise, easily revising their strategies to incorporate these changes.

Flexibility is essential for any leader’s survival, and a flexible leader is vital for the survival of any organisation. They can help the company navigate their way through change, overcome obstacles and adapt to innovation. When old problem-solving methods cease to be effective they implement new behaviours and methods. This constant reflection on what’s right, needed and in the best interests of the people they serve as a leader, allows the development of new and different behaviours – a constant, personal evolution!

To determine your leadership flexibility, ask yourself the following questions: