adapt your leadership style to your situation
Leadership tip of the week #115
adapted from HBR
There’s not one leadership style that works for all contexts. Steve Jobs was not just a great leader he was a situational leader, with flexibility in his leadership styles.
For example, in some situations, it’ll make sense to tell people what to do, whereas asking open-ended questions will work better in others.
You might need to adjust goals as new information emerges, or, under certain circumstances, stick exactly to the plan.
You should adjust your style based on the people you’re managing, the context in which you’re leading, and the outside pressures you’re under.
To navigate tensions like these, you need a good deal of self-awareness. So understand your natural tendencies. What’s your default position? Do you tend to be more of a traditional leader, or do you align with a more adaptive, fluid style?
If you’re not sure, get feedback from others.
Then learn, adapt, practice.
The goal is to develop a portfolio of micro-behaviors you can employ when the situation demands you use a different style. And look to your employees for signals on when it’s appropriate to favor one approach over another
This tip is adapted from “Every Leader Needs to Navigate These 7 Tensions,” by Jennifer Jordan, Michael Wade, and Elizabeth Teracino
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