Leader of the Team ‘vs’ Leader of Individuals
Leader of the Team ‘vs’ Leader of Individuals
FACT: Good leadership makes for good business – But what does a good leader look like? Authoritarian, democratic or delegating, there are almost as many leadership theories as there are leaders; the simple truth is that there is no one right way to lead. How to adapt with different approaches for every situation could be the most important leadership skill to learn.
The relationship dynamic between leaders and their team members is one of the most important and well-established drivers for performance. Leadership development often focusses on what type of leader the delegate wishes to be, but this does not take into account that each team member will react and perform differently based on their boss’ way of leading.
The most successful recipe for leadership is one with the ability to flex and adapt to treat employees differently according to their individual needs. Workers who get along with their boss are not only more engaged but are more comfortable to express themselves both with creative ideas and constructive criticism.
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
Leadership is not about being the one in charge, but about taking care of those you are responsible for. In the workplace, we often talk about treating everyone equally but perhaps it would be better to talk about treating everyone fairly according to their needs and fairness does not mean the same thing to everyone. One employee may need one-on-one feedback on a weekly basis for 2 hours, another might only need one hour a fortnight. One employee might be happy to use online training, where another learns best in the classroom.
Leaders can create a winning team when they stop trying to figure out what kind of leader they want to be, and instead focus on what kind of leader their people need them to be in order to deliver their best.
A great leader will identify the employee's individual need for leadership support and then adapt their approach based on their current need. They will communicate and interact with their team members in ways that suit that individual. Above all they will create the culture of openness and psychological safety in the working environment such that their team feel enabled to communicate their needs to the leader.
Being adaptive in leadership requires emotional intelligence and this is the ultimate soft skill. Emotionally intelligent people understand how their emotions impact their thoughts and behaviours to the point that they are able to choose their responses to the people around them.
Once leaders understand they are in control of their reactions, they are able to show greater empathy to the people around them and individualise their leadership according to their needs. Organisations with leaders demonstrating high emotional intelligence see greater engagement, stronger company culture and increased performance and productivity.
Successful leaders are aware of their strengths and know how to develop and make use of them. At the same time, they make sure they have the self-knowledge to keep their weaknesses in check. This is why Alumni’s leadership training focusses on what a leader does best and how they can do it even better.
Alumni
Alumni makes extensive use of 360-degree interviews to enhance the self-awareness of business leaders. Personal interviews with our experienced consultants, as well as the organisation’s managers, colleagues, reports, and other stakeholders are designed to put a leader’s performance and behaviour into words. It delivers valuable insight into the strengths and weaknesses of leadership and is a powerful tool to improve leaders’ professional image and impact within their organisation.
Contact us
Perspectives
Stay interviews to boost retention
Perspectives
Tackling an unpredictable labour market
Perspectives
Getting a second opinion