Changing Leadership Style Mid-Flight, Is It A Good Idea?

I spoke with Louis Carter, CEO Executive Coach, Organizational Psychologist, and CEO of Best Practice Institute to learn more about if leaders should change their styles during specific situations.

As Louis told me, “leadership styles change based on situations and the best leaders are the most agile leaders.”

All successful businesses have one thing in common and it is effective leadership skills. This is not just a feel-good statement, in fact, a recent study revealed that as many as 30% of a company’s bottom-line profitability depends on leadership styles.

With diversity in work culture at hand, leadership styles continually need to change to meet the requirements of the current market. No matter whether you own a small business or run a multinational company, your business needs a modified and better leadership style.

“Most leaders should change leadership styles to fit situations. And, in most organizations, I have worked with, and in life, things change. Change is the only constant we have in organizations." - Louis Carter

Now the question arrives, “how to do it?” Great leaders have thought about it and adapted different leadership styles as per their organizations’ needs. Here is how you can bring a better task-oriented leadership style to your business:

Why Should You Change?

Business is different

For the very first time in history, four generations are working shoulder to shoulder. A great leader is one who finds practical and efficient ways to get all four generations connected and lead each other successfully. It’s easier said than done though, however, one should remember that effective work synchronization can do wonders for profitability.

Do more with less

Leaders need to inspire their team members to work smarter and harder. One of the cheapest and effective ways to boost productivity is by motivating and unifying them. When you have happy, motivated employees who believe in the same thing – your business will grow faster.

Things are changing fast

Technological advancements have changed business dynamics. Now there are multiple factors working in tandem which can potentially cast an influence on business – for good and bad. It is not possible for a single leader to perform all leadership tasks. To keep up with technological advancement, a team of dedicated leaders is required who are well aware of the changing trends but also explore today’s technologies and use it for commercial benefit. It is essential to surround yourself with teams who believe in the ‘make it happen’ mantra.

People want feedback

Entry level employees are especially more open to receiving feedback. Whether good or bad, entry level employees want to know how they are doing, what they need to improve, and how they can benefit the company and themselves. Communication is the key here. Be open, be frank, and demolish barriers. Bring the team to achieve a common goal and in doing don’t maintain an artificial distance.

What to Change and How to Do It?

Great leaders are the ones who bring effective change whenever required, no matter how difficult the transition is. They need to be flexible enough to fulfill the ever-changing technological requirements as well as business needs. Following are some crucial areas to focus your leadership development that Louis Carter identified:

Work as a team

Being a leader does not mean that you must have knowledge of everything. It’s better to be a master of one than be the jack of all trades. So the question here is, what to do in this particular situation. The answer is: Encourage your team to bring new ideas in their respective fields to help your organization grow and succeed.

Make sure that your team members are aware of the business’s strategy and corporate goals. Let them know about the challenges and help them outline the expected outcome. There is no need to tell them how to do it, instead, believe in their abilities and let them come up with the best solutions. However, guide them to find the answers such as budget, time frame, and scope.

Be flexible for your employees

Being adaptable needs you to comprehend how proficient your employees are at their jobs, and what support they require from you to be effective.

You better understand what style of leadership is suitable in every situation.

Your aim as a leader is to work for your labor force. Remove roadblocks and be supportive of them. Moreover, cheerlead, coach challenge and mentor them. A fantastic model to opt for is Situational Leadership - it showcases how to determine the willingness and ability of an employee for any situation and the best leadership style to utilize for ideal consequences.