How do you match your leadership style to your company culture?

1 Assess your leadership style

The first step to matching your leadership style to your company culture is to understand your own strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and tendencies as a leader. There are many frameworks and tools that can help you assess your leadership style, such as the Blake-Mouton managerial grid, the Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership model, or the Goleman emotional intelligence model. These frameworks can help you identify how you approach tasks, relationships, decision-making, communication, and feedback as a leader. You can also ask for feedback from your peers, mentors, or coaches to gain more insight into your leadership style.

2 Understand your company culture

The second step to matching your leadership style to your company culture is to analyze the values, norms, beliefs, and behaviors that shape your organization. You can use frameworks such as the Competing Values Framework, the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument, or the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions to evaluate your company culture along different dimensions, such as flexibility, stability, innovation, collaboration, hierarchy, or power distance. You can also observe how your company communicates its vision, mission, and goals, how it rewards and recognizes performance, how it handles conflicts and changes, and how it engages and empowers its employees.

3 Find the best fit

The third step to matching your leadership style to your company culture is to find the best fit between your style and your culture. This does not mean that you have to change your style completely or conform to the culture blindly. It means that you have to adjust your style to the expectations, needs, and preferences of your company and your team. For example, if your company culture is more hierarchical and formal, you may need to adopt a more authoritative and directive style, while if your company culture is more collaborative and informal, you may need to adopt a more participative and supportive style. You can also use different styles for different situations, depending on the task, the team, and the context.

4 Develop your leadership skills

The fourth step to matching your leadership style to your company culture is to develop your leadership skills and competencies. Matching your style to your culture is not a one-time event, but a continuous process of learning and improvement. You have to keep updating your knowledge, skills, and attitudes as a leader, and seek feedback and guidance from others. You can also leverage your strengths and address your weaknesses as a leader, and learn from other leaders who have similar or different styles from yours. You can also explore other styles and theories of leadership that can enrich your repertoire and enhance your effectiveness.

5 Balance your authenticity and adaptability

The fifth step to matching your leadership style to your company culture is to balance your authenticity and adaptability as a leader. Authenticity means being true to yourself, your values, and your purpose as a leader. Adaptability means being flexible and responsive to the changing demands and expectations of your company and your team. Both are essential for matching your style to your culture, but they can also create tension and conflict. You have to find a balance between being yourself and being what others need you to be, between being consistent and being versatile, between being confident and being humble. You have to respect and appreciate the diversity of styles and cultures, and find common ground and alignment.

6 Communicate your leadership style

The sixth step to matching your leadership style to your company culture is to communicate your style clearly and effectively to your team and stakeholders. Communication is key for building trust, rapport, and collaboration as a leader. You have to communicate your style in a way that is transparent, respectful, and constructive. You have to explain the rationale behind your actions, decisions, and expectations as a leader, and how they align with the company culture. You also have to listen to the feedback, concerns, and suggestions of others, and acknowledge their styles and perspectives. You have to communicate in a way that is appropriate for the situation, the audience, and the channel.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?