Leadership: Authenticity or Flexibility?

Leaders are bombarded with a multitude of opinions on what they should be focusing on to hone their leadership skills and be effective. Listening, shaping, adding meaning, delivering a motivating and insightful strategic vision, team building....... the list goes on. On top of this, whatever you do, be authentic while you do it! Authenticity brings value in ensuring that your leadership comes from a place of being genuine and real. However, authenticity can also be used as a defence against flexibility and change. Talking about leadership here - the focus is unashamedly on the process of leadership that happens between a leader and a team member. In this situation what matters most are the needs of the team member. When it comes to the task of achieving outcomes in partnership with others we can come back to an 'oldie but a goodie', situational leadership.

I trained in SLii workshop delivery 15 years ago and remember being slightly disparaging about it at first, referring to it as 'management by numbers'. This implied that it perhaps oversimplified what is a complex set of factors, not least the relationship between the leader and their team members. As I embarked upon the delivery of the workshop, the way the delegates within Arm engaged with it and my task of unpicking these challenges and making sense of the value of the approach, led me to a place of healthy respect for Situational Leadership and the simplicity it brings in a world of competing expectations.

Fast forward to last month and I was going through the 'Train the Trainers' workshop to renew my eligibility to deliver this workshop. Why? Because with all the mechanics that may obscure the complexity of leadership, it brings clarity, and that is in short supply in these times. The power of sharing the framework with your team members also brings transparency and a connection that feels right - ensuring it is not done to people but with them.

So what did this walk back over familiar ground show me?

• I saw SLii through the lens of servant leadership - 'it's not about you' but about doing what is needed for your team members to get what they need and be at their best.

• I have challenges with feeling I am being 'told what to do' and have, in the past, struggled with S1 style of leadership where behaviour is more directing than supporting - it reminded me again that direction is support when you need it! When I tried it, it felt good because I made it my own.

• Continuing that theme, each leadership style can work for you - applying your stamp to them is important. Yes, you will naturally gravitate to one or two, so really think through what the person needs from you - your comfort or natural style and the notion of authenticity is not a good rationale for being inflexible and not giving them what they need.

• Leadership is about relationships and what happens between you as the leader and your 'followers'. Nurture the relationships.

• Every style requires three skills - setting goals, staying connected and giving feedback.

• This was the first time I had practised delivering skills training virtually as opposed to face-to-face and it was another string to add to my proverbial bow - always.
  

If Situational Leadership sounds interesting, please get in touch for a conversation - no strings attached! sonia@cognisenseconsulting.co.uk