In short, you must!
It is vital for effective leadership to be able to flex leadership style along a continuum from delegatory/laissez-faire to directive according to the needs of different situations. We each have preferred approaches, but an inability to change and adopt the best style required by the task, team, individuals and environmental context will result in sub-optimal performance because such leaders will only motivate others who appreciate their particular style. Lack of flexibility will also prevent a leader from seeing below-the-surface opportunities and issues because he/she will have a bias. To quote an old adage, 'if all you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail'.
Frequent readers may recall my (revised) LinkedIn article on this subject in which I identify some of the traits of outstanding leaders (vision, awareness and decisiveness and courage being 4 other essential traits). The article can be viewed here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-do-best-leaders-differently-ian-kirkby
It was encouraging to read recently that the HBR came to the same conclusion and called for leaders to develop and broaden their 'sweet spot range' of styles: https://bit.ly/Aspire015
Aspire MCL specialises in helping leaders do just that. Through coaching, mentoring, training and psychometrics, we have an excellent track record of helping leaders and teams fulfil their potential and thrive in challenging environments.
Get in touch today and take the first step to become the leader you always wanted to be:
Email - enquiries@aspiremcl.co.uk
Tel: 020 3904 7501
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