What Does Flexible Leadership Look Like in Action?

The difference between a good leader and a great leader is that a great leader maintains a strong ability to swiftly and effectively adapt their approach. People are dynamic—they need different levels of support and direction depending on their experience and confidence in performing specific tasks. A one-size-fits-all approach simply won’t work. Leaders have to remain flexible to be able to meet team members where they’re at and use a leadership style that gives their team the highest probability of success.

When flexibility becomes second nature, leaders can adapt quickly whenever something new comes their way. They can anticipate the impact of new challenges and respond appropriately.

Situations can change in a heartbeat, and when they do (not if, but when), flexible leaders hold a powerful advantage that allows them to keep their teams steady, stable and confident, even through the most unsettling disruptions.

What Is Flexible Leadership?

At The Center for Leadership Studies (CLS), we define flexible leadership as the act of reacting and adapting your leadership approach to meet your team members’ needs in a given moment. Flexible leadership can be an immensely valuable skill to master, especially during times of significant change. Flexible leaders remain prepared to:

• Provide new direction: Change can be overwhelming for anyone. Leaders have to be aware enough to recognize when someone is hitting a wall and adapt on the fly to ensure team members stay motivated to continue learning.
• Problem-solve with others: As a leader, it’s up to you to guide your team members to autonomy. When they hit a bump in the road, your flexibility will be key in helping them overcome it.
• Delegate effectively: Some of your team members may be prepared to take on more responsibility, so it’s best not to have assignments set in stone. As team members develop experience and confidence for tasks, it becomes your role to give them the space to perform. Remaining flexible and delegating the right tasks at the right time can let your team know that you recognize their growth and progress, and are willing to adjust to give them the support and independence they need to perform at their best.

Why Do Leaders Need to Be Flexible?

Everything a leader does is with the purpose of improving their business and the people behind the scenes. Being a flexible leader brings the following benefits for teams and organizations as a whole:

• Helps teams navigate change: When change hits, like the adoption of new technology, each team member’s Performance Readiness^® also changes. Performance Readiness^® describes a person’s ability and willingness to perform a specific task. Flexible leaders can quickly respond to evolving Performance Readiness^® and provide the right level of support and direction each employee needs to navigate change effectively.
• Accelerates time to autonomy: By providing individualized direction and support, flexible leaders help them develop the skills and confidence needed to perform tasks autonomously. They collaborate with team members to identify skill gaps and set realistic goals to address them. This, in turn, helps employees achieve autonomy for specific tasks faster than a one-size-fits-all approach.
• Boosts engagement and performance: Flexible leaders take time to listen to employee needs and aspirations and adjust their approach accordingly. In doing so, they create a supportive and transparent environment—one where employees feel heard and understood. Team members are more likely to be engaged and care about their performance when they have a positive and supportive relationship with leaders.

Effective Flexible Leadership In Action—How Can You Get Started?

Leadership looks different for everyone. There are countless ways to incorporate adaptability into your leadership style, and these are some of the best ways to get started.

Adopt a Framework

Using a proven framework, like the Situational Leadership^® Model, ensures same-page status, guaranteeing everyone understands what they need to do and when, helping your brand drive results.

Strengthen Your Relationships

A leader’s relationships are key to their ability to influence others and navigate change. Maintaining solid relationships can ensure people are willing to work with you, hear what you need and do their part to help you out. When you have people on your side, you can pivot faster and help them do the same, leading to efficient results.

Implement Different Leadership Styles

There are dozens of ways to “be a good leader,” and what’s an effective approach for one person may not work for another. Leaders should move out of their comfort zone to give their team the support and direction they need.

Focus on understanding what each individual requires for a task, even if it doesn’t align with your most comfortable style. Learning to consider your team members’ unique performance needs for a given task so you can choose the most impactful leadership style is a great step toward becoming a more flexible leader.

Become a More Flexible Leader With CLS

Everyone, from the newest hire to the longest-standing employee, can be a leader, especially with high-quality leadership training from The Center for Leadership Studies. Today’s leaders have to understand how important flexibility is to organizational success and put it into practice.

That’s what we teach in our Situational Leadership^® courses. When new changes are on the horizon, we teach leaders how to stay aware, create an agile approach and drive performance, even in unfamiliar environments.

Learn more about our leadership courses when you connect with us today.

Ready to start your course? Sign up now and become the leader you were meant to be.