Flexing Leadership Muscle
So here’s the key. You might think you’re a Supporter or a Collaborator. If so, you’ve fallen into the trap of sticking rigidly to one style. Studies prove the best leaders are those who are adaptive. One study, published in the Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, found adaptive leadership fosters productivity in small business and improves employees’ skills.
Being an adaptive leader means weaving in and out of leadership styles depending on the situation, the employee, the client, and other factors. Sometimes you’ll need to coach; at other times you’ll need to be autocratic. At times you’ll need to chill out; at others you’ll need to inspire. As the former president of France, Charles de Gaulle, once said: “You have to be fast on your feet and adaptive or else a strategy is useless.”
