At March’s Innovation Day, we welcomed Professor Victor Newman, Industrial Fellow at University of Greenwich.
We often attempt to place ourselves in a “leadership box”, where in reality, leadership should be “without walls”. The leader’s role should be considered flexible and free-ranging. Nevertheless, we frequently associate leaders with a predominant style. When we turn toward the question “which style is most effective?”, the overwhelming response is unsurprisingly “it depends”.
“It’s worked for me before, so why shouldn’t it work again?” In theory, this seems like a logical theory of a leader to adopt. However, as we know, success is not a linear process. Leaders will frequently rely on previously successful behaviours despite ever changing contextual and environmental demands. This is an approach we employ automatically and often unconsciously, and thus demonstrates how we often fail to pay enough attention to what we are doing when attempting to achieve positive results.
So, what should we do about it?
Be flexible. Smart-adaptive leadership is a continual process, one which not only requires flexibility in your predominant leadership style but also the style of leadership you employ when working with individual members of your team. For some, a highly directive style will be well received, for others, for others a more supportive style may be crucial in helping develop the levels of autonomy, competence and self-esteem required to successfully complete the task at hand.
Attitude alone isn’t enough to ensure your employees are engaged. Every organisation wants individuals who have a great attitude or who are real go-getters but sometimes attitude only gets you so far. You need to ensure that a strong work ethic is supported with effective leadership behaviours which help facilitate knowledge and skill acquisition.
Focus not only on style but also on substance. Knowing when to employ a directing, supportive, coaching or delegating style of leadership amongst the various members of your team is a great skill to possess. However, ensuring you are demonstrating the key behaviours associated with your predominant style is even better. Rather than the focus being on the content of your team’s working practices, focus on enhancing your “psychological toolbox” to enable you to employ strategies which will bolster confidence and motivation.
Remember to develop a “stay-in-the-room discipline”. It’s perhaps unsurprising to hear that the best processes are those which are clear, transparent and, often, visual. By adopting a “stay-in-the-room discipline” we can help develop a clear and iterative process which puts our employees at the centre of the decision-making process.
Resist the micromanagement trap! Remember an effective leader doesn’t have to rely on micromanagement, instead they work on the continual development of a working culture in which employees feel they know their roles and more importantly are trusted in their ability to get the job done.
These are just some key highlights taken from March’s Innovation Day. Each month, clients of the Innovation Programmes receive a full ACT report, capturing the guest expert’s research, the implications and next steps for leaders to apply back in their team and organisation.
Next month, clients will explore how Gamification strategies can be effectively introduced to get the most out of their teams. For more information, please view the Innovation Day page.
Sources: Newman, V. (2019) ‘Smart-Adaptive Leadership’, KnowledgeBrief Innovation Day Presentation, 13 March.