Flexible leadership is the ability to adapt your style and approach to different situations, people, and goals. It is a key skill for leaders who want to be effective, resilient, and agile in a complex and changing world. In this article, you will learn how flexible leadership can benefit you and your team, and how you can develop it through leadership development coaching.
Flexible leadership is not about being inconsistent or indecisive. It is about being aware of your own and others' preferences, strengths, and needs, and choosing the best way to communicate, motivate, and influence in different contexts. Flexible leaders can switch between different leadership styles, such as directive, supportive, participative, or delegative, depending on the situation, the task, the people, and the goal. They can also adjust their tone, language, and body language to match the audience and the message.
Flexible leadership, involves adapting leadership styles and approaches to different situations and team members, offers several benefits for organizations. Some organizations can benefit from flexible leadership: First to improve employee engagement Enhance team performance Talent development Improved communications Adaptation to culture differences Positive organization culture Resilience and agility To benefit from flexible leadership, organizations should invest in leadership development programs that teach leaders to recognize when and how to apply different leadership styles. This approach can help create a dynamic and adaptable organization that thrives in an ever-changing business landscape.
Flexible leadership is important for achieving better results, building stronger relationships, and coping with uncertainty and change. By being flexible, you can align your leadership style with the expectations and preferences of your team, peers, boss, and stakeholders. You can also empower your team to perform at their best by providing them with the right level of guidance, feedback, and autonomy. Furthermore, you can foster a culture of trust , collaboration, and innovation by encouraging diversity of perspectives and approaches. Additionally, you can adapt to changing circumstances and challenges by being open to feedback, learning, and experimentation. Finally, you can enhance your credibility and influence by being authentic, consistent, and respectful.
You can do things one way and apply it to everybody. And, one person, or a few, might do something remarkable, if they fit. That seems a rather weak return-on-leadership (ROL). And misses out on the highest performance influencing factor that you could use, your employees' real #belonging. When you create an environment for belonging, where people feel, own, and care for each other, in successes, dreams, and failures. Flexibility naturally occurs. Belonging leadership is adaptable, one-to-one-to-one-to-one... etc ... in tribe, not one-to-many in rank. Here, we unite & fight, finding more optimal ways for those with whom we (love &) belong. It's our highest-performing neurobiology #TeamOS. We innovate because they are ours and we must.
One of the things we must take into account is that leadership is now evolving. It used to be that only C-suite individuals, or department or division heads could claim the ability to "lead." But we are intuiting a nearer future that will change this. I see flexible leadership as the next step toward Collective Leadership. The Collective Leadership style is completely at home in Teal organizations. Leadership is specifically shared by all - it is "Broadly Held Leadership." In Teal, few people have "C-suite" titles or tasks, and depending on the duties to be accomplished, leadership fluctuates among team members who have specific expertise in the areas needed for the task. This requires that all people understand how to lead effectively.
Before you can improve your flexibility, it’s important to assess your current level of flexibility and identify your areas of strength and improvement. To do this, you should seek feedback from others on how they perceive your leadership style, reflect on your own preferences, habits, and biases, and use self-assessment tools such as the Situational Leadership II model or the DISC personality profile. Additionally, you should compare your self-assessment results with your feedback and identify any gaps or discrepancies.
Developing your flexibility is not about transforming your personality or abandoning your values. Rather, it is about broadening your set of abilities and behaviors to become more versatile and responsive. To accomplish this, you can set goals and action plans for improving your flexibility in certain situations or with certain people. Additionally, you can practice different leadership styles and approaches in low-risk scenarios or with supportive colleagues or mentors. Moreover, feedback and coaching from others can help you improve your flexibility and effectiveness. You can also learn from successful flexible leaders and observe how they adjust their style and approach in various contexts. Finally, you should review your progress and celebrate your accomplishments.
Leadership development coaching is a powerful way to enhance your flexibility and achieve your leadership goals. A coach can provide you with a safe and confidential space to explore your strengths, challenges, and aspirations as a leader. They can also support you in assessing your flexibility, setting SMART goals and action plans for improving your flexibility and effectiveness, as well as providing constructive feedback and guidance on how to practice and apply different leadership styles and approaches. Furthermore, they can hold you accountable and celebrate your progress and success.