Smart Leaders Embrace Flexibility

Muhammad Waqas Anjum

Principal Engineer
ICCC, PAEC
 A brief outline

What is smart leadership and flexibility ?

Why smart leaders embrace flexibility ?
How to be a flexible leader ?
Identify your own natural style
 Smart leadership and flexibility
• Leadership is an art of
getting someone else to do
something you want done Synergistic

because he wants to do it.

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Technology-
Motivational
powered

• Flexibility: The ability to SMART

change your leadership
style to fit the need of the
followers. Achievement-
Rapid
oriented
 Why smart leaders embrace flexibility
4 reasons to flex

Motivation

Excitement

Growth

Part of history
How to be a flexible leader

Flexible Leadership (Hersey and Blanchard)

 Skills associated with this
style are:
• Being decisive
• Communicating clearly
• Goal setting
Actions associated • Assertiveness
with this style are: The directing style
tends to be useful:
• Provides instructions
• Sets specific goals and • With brand new staff
objectives • In a new situation
• Checks work frequently • When quick, decisive
• Reinforces tasks with action is required
demonstrations or • When cascading down
written guidelines factual information from
Directing senior managers

Style
 Skills associated with this style
are:
• Influencing
• Giving feedback
• Motivating people
• Being decisive
The Coaching style tends
Actions associated with to be useful:
this style are:
• To develop individuals
• Sells decisions to staff • When motivation is low
• Praises good work • When there is no single
• Provides feedback correct way to do
• Helps staff to find/see something
appropriate solutions to
problems
Coaching
Style
 Skills associated with this style
are:
• Influencing
• Facilitation skills
• Problem solving
Actions associated with • Listening The supporting style
this style are: tends to be useful:
• Involves people in • With experienced staff
decision-making • In potentially sensitive
• Encourages contributions situations
and suggestions from the • When there is time to
whole team consider various options
• Keeps people informed of • When someone has lost
what is happening confidence
• Listens to the team • When managing individual
Supporting issues
Style
 Skills associated with this style
are:
• Delegation
• Coaching
• Listening
• Motivating people
The delegating style
Actions associated with tends to be useful:
this style are:
• With experienced and
• Delegates responsibility motivated staff
for certain tasks • In routine situations,
• Empowers people or where clear
• Allows risk taking and guidelines have been
innovation agreed
• Expects people to correct • When there is time to
their own errors consider various
Delegating options
• When risk associated
Style with a project is low
 EVERYONE HAS PEAK PERFORMANCE
POTENTIAL. YOU JUST NEED TO KNOW
WHERE THEY’RE COMING FROM AND MEET
THEM THERE.”
(Blanchard)