Use IMPACT Leadership to Flex to Their Needs

A common theme I write about is being the leader that you need to be and not the leader you like to be. Because leadership is NEVER about you!
 
Last week, I wrote about 4 Leadership Assumptions to Avoid. I mentioned IMPACT Leadership as a way to flex your leadership style to what is needed by your team members. Today, I’m going to break down what IMPACT Leadership is all about.
 
Leaders Have to Flex
When I was a new manager, I was introduced to Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership™ which focused on changing your leadership style to match the willingness and the ability of the employee. I really connected with this concept, but the quadrant tool and verbiage were clunky and did not translate well to the newer generation.
 
So, I adapted this approach to my own teachings in the 3 Pillars of Impact and it evolved into IMPACT Leadership.
 
To drive home the importance of a leader flexing to the needs of their team, we start with self-reflection. With which style are you most comfortable operating? Which is your preferred approach. Which has the least amount of stress. 
 
The Four Leadership Styles
All four leadership styles are needed and have value. Each style has a time and place depending upon the team member. Many times, people will try to choose the one they THINK they should be instead of being honest with themselves about how they like to lead.


Regardless of your comfort or preference, it’s not about you. Failure to recognize what is needed by your team member can lead to disengagement, toxicity, and turnover. That’s why we look internally first, to confirm our style, before looking externally at our team.
 
Knowing Your Team
Unlike the Leadership Styles, we use a Readiness Level to assess the team member. They are listed below in order based upon whether they have the necessary skills as well as the confidence or willingness to move forward.
 
While there is a progression to their readiness level, it is not an all-encompassing categorization of the team member, it is associated with specific tasks and responsibilities. So, a person could be at a certain readiness level 90% of the time, but for a specific task they may drop or rise to a different level.
 
Newbie - Lacking the skills, confidence, & willingness
Typically, new to the team and lacks experience. Also, they may be familiar to the team but are gaining new responsibility. Think about a technical expert that gets promoted to a supervisory role because of their success. They have never been a manager and are not sure what to do. They have been an individual contributor and spent most time working alone.
 
Growing - Lacking the skills but is confident & willing
May not know what to do, but they are not afraid. Excited for the opportunity but need some guidance.
 
Crossroads - Has ability but may lack confidence or willingness
I use this to think about people that are being asked to take on an expanded role that may be out of their comfort zone. They may not feel that they have the ability, but you know they do. Also, found in people that are coasting and may be getting too comfortable in their role.
 
Impact Player - Has ability, is confident & eager
Get out of their way! These are the stars that you need to make sure have alignment on the purpose and then make sure they know that they are appreciated.
 
Be the Leader Your Team Needs
This is not one size fits all. Your leadership style needs to be adopted to the person AND the situation.
 
In my very first management role almost 30 years ago, I wanted to be the empowering leader… I had read books! But, when it was a new team that didn’t have experience or confidence in the roles that were being asked of them, they struggled. They didn’t have clarity, nor did they know how to move forward. I failed them as a leader. I was the leader I wanted to be and not the leader they needed to be successful.
 
Awareness is the unsung hero of great leaders. It is absolutely critical that a leader has self-awareness and awareness of those around them. You must understand the needs of your team - when they need temporary “micromanagement” to help learn skills and gain confidence, and when they simply need the encouraging words and validation that they are moving in the right direction.
 
To be the leader your team needs, you need to lead them how they need to be led. Having alignment on why you are using that style is very important to help them with their own self-awareness. Your ability to flex is what will help your team continue to grow Beyond Today.

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