What top three leadership characteristics do you admire in others? I was facilitating a three day leadership course last week where we posed this question to the participants. While there were some similarities in the responses; traits such as integrity, caring and coaching, it occurred to me that no one mentioned flexibility. This is not to say these other traits aren’t important, they are. But I remember several years ago when I was the manager of a team and someone asked me to describe my leadership style. And my response; “depends on the individual”.
You see the best leaders know how to flex their style. They know how to assess their talent and adjust based on individual needs. Being flexible is by far the hardest leadership trait and here’s why. We hire in our own mirror image and therefore are attracted to people that are most like us. If we are driven and take initiative we hire others who are driven and take initiative. And when they need motivation we know what to do because it’s what we need when we lose traction.
However, how about that employee who struggles with making decisions? Or someone who isn’t open to new approaches and fears trying something new. Or an employee who avoids conflict at all costs and gives in to group think. Regardless of what frustrates you as a leader, it’s important that you know how to flex your style and give employees the personalized help they need. One-size-fits-all leadership isn’t going to work here. Scenarios such as these require a flexible leader who knows how to assess what the individual’s needs are and motivate, coach and inspire them based on those needs. A flexible leader who can bring out the best in their employees is in my eyes the number one trait all leaders need to possess. Are you a flexible leader?
Sage Alliance, a Leadership Performance Company, provides coaching, teambuilding and assessments, workshops and speaking on topics including; leadership development, empowering teams, communications, lasting impressions, personal branding and building a coaching culture for executives and high-potentials – for both team and individual leaders.
Contact us today to discover how your organization can get the most through improved productivity, efficiency and direct impact to your bottom line, while leaders gain powerful insight, crystallize opportunities for growth and fine tune their strengths, enabling them to make the greatest impact. You can contact Shelley Hammell directly at shammell@thesagealliance.com.