WHAT KIND OF LEADER ARE YOU?

WHAT KIND OF LEADER ARE YOU?

I don’t know about you, but I have to admit I find it somewhat shallow and irritating when so-called leadership experts try to reduce the complexity of human leadership by slotting us into pigeonholes as one ‘kind’ of a leader or another, who displays one ‘style’ of leadership or another.

The truth is that we are all highly idiosyncratic in the way in which we lead. The ‘kind’ of leader we are is intricately shaped by our personality and our experience, and ten years of experience in recruiting school leaders has taught me that no individual ever ticks all of the boxes listed in a bunch of Selection Criteria.

The act of leading stems from having followers, who follow a leader fundamentally because they have a personal relationship with that leader. They do not follow their leader because they like their ‘style’. Their leader’s so-called leadership ‘style’ in fact is probably not at the front of their minds. They follow because they find in their leader personal qualities that engage and encourage them to contribute the best that they have towards fulfilling their leader’s vision, a vision that has caught their imagination and inspired them to strive. We follow because we respond to our leader’s relational nature and their individual authenticity.

That said, categorising leaders by identifying certain behaviours, behaviours that demonstrably engage and draw people together to apply their own individual talents and capabilities to the shared purpose of striving towards an agreed, shared objective, can sometimes be helpful in focusing on what makes for successful leadership in certain situations.

Acknowledged leadership expert Rachel Wells deftly does just this in 3 Leadership Styles Of Highly Effective Leaders In 2024, (in Forbes, 11 Feb 24), offering the crucial observation that effective leaders rarely if ever manifest the behaviours associated with one exclusive leadership style in every situation. Rather, Wells asserts, if we are to face the challenges posed by the modern workforce, leaders will need to possess and understand a diverse range of leadership styles, so they can continue to motivate, inspire, and empower their teams to be high-performers and compete effectively within their industry, regardless of the circumstances.

Wells goes on to affirm that to be an effective leader in 2024, you will need to be able to adapt your leadership style to the particular needs of your team or of an individual team member, as well as to the situation in which you are asserting your leadership. Leadership is more than issuing directives and enforcing your authority and control, she continues. Today's organisations need leaders who are emotionally intelligent, empathetic, adaptable, and resilient, and who put their people first.

Scholars have written on, and researched, numerous leadership styles, Wells points out, identifying three which she recommends aspiring effective leaders should aim to master and have in their toolkit in 2024.

1. Transformational Leadership Style

Langston University defines Transformational Leadership as an approach that results in positive change within individuals, with the end goal of developing followers into leaders, Wells explains, adding that their research states that by adopting the leadership behaviours associated with a transformational leadership style, your team members will have a sense they are part of the organisation and will be engaged in fulfilling the overall mission of the organisation.

Wells cites key behaviours the Langston research identified in this approach, including being a role model for followers; challenging followers to take greater ownership for their work, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of followers, so the leader can align followers’ particular talents and experience with tasks that optimise their performance. She also cites Simply Psychology, which offers a simpler summary: ?transformational leaders begin by identifying individual strengths and weaknesses of their team members, and then, guiding team members towards a common goal in which all can play an active part. This fosters a sense of unity within teams and helps to nurture and retain engagement.

2. Adaptive Leadership Style

Adaptive Leadership is where a manager or leader questions the status quo, Wells points out. Adaptive leaders embrace change; grow themselves and their organisation through ongoing adaptation, learning, and experimentation; and create an environment in which people feel empowered to take risks and learn from their own mistakes.

Wells offers this example from the commercial world: A good example of where adaptive leadership would come into play is if you were a project or product manager, for instance, and halfway through development, a significant shift occurs in the market, rendering the project or product ineffective or outdated. You would then need to assess the situation from various sources, obtain feedback and seek input from team members, create a safe space for your team to share their ideas, and provide support and encouragement while testing and adapting your project's approach. All the while, you would need to reiterate to your team that it's OK to make mistakes, and implement procedures that would ensure lessons were learned through failures.

3. Inclusive Leadership Style

This is perhaps one of the most important styles a leader or manager needs in 2024, Wells attests, noting that more and more socially-conscious Gen Z professionals are entering the workforce, and have already made it clear that diversity and inclusion are key priorities for them when considering a new employer. Additionally, remote and hybrid work means that you will likely be managing (directly or indirectly) employees from around the globe, with varying backgrounds and cultures, Wells avers, adding that inclusive leadership entails creating an environment in which all team members are respected and valued, have a sense of belonging, and that they are all equally given the resources and opportunities to excel in their role.

Key emotionally intelligent behaviours come to the fore as part of leaders’ adopting inclusive leadership strategies. According to Wells, inclusive leadership is evidenced by leaders who ?seek to build empathy, who facilitate various preferred ways of working, and who work towards establishing rapport through active listening as a basis for understanding, along with matching individual talent to specific tasks. This involves being ‘culturally’ intelligent too, showing respect for individual differences in background, country of origin as well as determining team members’ grasp and confidence in using English, so that you can develop stronger working relationships with your employees.

Effective leaders in 2024 will stand out, Wells concludes, by demonstrating that they have the ability to engage and relate to every team member under their supervision, and that they understand how important it is to adopt a full range of leadership behaviours to draw the best from each team member, enabling them to achieve their full potential.