There’s not one leadership style that works for all contexts. 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.
Before going to the actions and provide you with some usefull steps, what is your mindset? Sometimes your beliefs about adapting can hold you back, regardless of the competenties you master … even if the steps to take are clear and feasible.
What do you really believe about adapting your leadership style to your situation?
What are your intentions to learn about ‘Adapt Your Leadership Style to Your Situation’?
Let’s say that you belief that it will make you a better leader, a more powerfull leader … than the motivations to – not only learn the competenties – but also to put the capabilities into practice will drive you to your outcome and you will get the results you had in mind.
- 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.
Source: This blog is inspired by the HBR article “Every Leader Needs to Navigate These 7 Tensions,” by Jennifer Jordan, Michael Wade, and Elizabeth Teracino
Human Centric Solutions 