Two Examples on How Authentic and Adaptable Leadership is Critical to Success

After years of research on leadership, one thing has become clear. There is not one leadership style that is definitively “the best.” The best style depends on the leader themselves.

One client of mine based his leadership style on an authoritarian mentality he learned from a previous manager. It didn’t work well for him because it wasn’t him. When he successfully shifted to a style that embraced his belief in empowering others, he thrived, and a number of his people became high performers.

On the flip side, a leader’s authentic style may not work in every situation. In this case, leaders need to be adaptable.

Another client of mine was known for being very calm under pressure. This served him well until something went wrong with a customer and his team lacked a sense of urgency for fixing it. In this case, he set aside his calm demeanor to be emphatic about fixing the customer’s problem. The team got the point!

Getting clarity on your authentic leadership and knowing when to adapt is imperative to leading engaged talent.