How to know your leadership style and be flexible?
One of the keys to successful leadership is the ability to adapt to different situations. Being able to call upon different leadership styles can help you solve problems, motivate your team, and build strong relationships with those you lead.
The challenge, however, lies in knowing your leadership style and finding the flexibility to adjust it according to the situation and the needs of your team.
Let’s explore the different leadership styles, how to discover your own, and tips on how to be flexible in your leadership approach.
What Are The Different Leadership Styles?
There are several leadership styles used in organizational theory and management. These different styles are often categorized based on their degree of control and the level of involvement of the leader. A few of the most popular ones include:
- Transformational Leadership: leaders who focus on inspiring and motivating their teams to achieve goals.
- Situational Leadership: leaders who adjust their leadership style according to the situation and the needs of their team.
- Autocratic Leadership: leaders who have complete control over their team, making decisions on their own without input from others.
- Servant Leadership: leaders who prioritize their team’s needs above their own and aim to help them grow and develop.
For more information about the different leadership styles read our article How to Lead: 6 Leadership Styles and Frameworks
How to Discover Your Own Leadership Style?
Understanding your own leadership style is important for several reasons. Firstly, it helps you identify your strengths and areas for improvement as a leader. Secondly, it enables you to recognize the situations in which you need to utilize a particular type of leadership style.
Here are some tips to help you discover your own leadership style:
- Take a personality test: there are many free tests online that can help you identify your personality traits and leadership tendencies.
- Ask for feedback: ask your colleagues or team members about how they perceive you as a leader. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Reflect on your past experiences: think about the past situations in which you have led a team and how you approached the task.
How to Be Flexible with Your Leadership Style?
Having the ability to adjust your leadership style according to the situation is important. It allows you to be more adaptable and effective as a leader.
Here are some tips on how to be flexible with your leadership style:
- Be attentive: Notice the situation, people involved, and relevant factors to identify if you need to adjust your leadership style.
- Be willing to change: Embrace and be open to change. Accept that being flexible in your leadership style will result in a better work environment and output.
- Understand your team members: Knowing and understanding your team’s personality types, and how each team member works and responds to their leadership style will guide you.
- Seek out different perspectives: Actively seek out conversations with team members to hear their viewpoints.
Tips for Implementing Change in Leadership Style
Making changes in your approach can be intimidating. You need to ensure change is smooth and isn’t a massive disruption to the current workflow.
Here are some tips for implementing change in leadership style:
- Set expectations: Tell your team about the changes you are implementing and why.
- Communicate: Ensure your team is aware of the change and its implications. Ask for feedback and involvement from the team to make the change as smooth as possible.
- Plan and update regularly: Plan and schedule changes in advance. Update employees of any changes regularly.
- Ask for feedback: After making a change, ask for feedback to receive input and suggestions from the team.
As a leader, you will need to alternate between various leadership styles to address the varying situations and needs of your team. Finding the balance between being flexible and remaining authentic can be challenging but is worth it in the end. Being flexible in your leadership approach allows you to make better-informed decisions, strengthen your team dynamic, and lead your team to achieve its potential.
Discovering your leadership style and being able to adjust it according to the situation is a useful skill that every leader should develop, and that's why we invite you to join our community of peers. Together, we can empower each other to unlock our true leadership potential.