Help Wanted: Adaptive Leadership

I’ve learned that as a leader, you can’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. Those you are leading have different personalities, different motivations, different skill sets. Therefore, a leader must become adaptive. They must be able to recognize and appeal to those differences to effectively affect those around them.

I don’t think this is news to many. In fact, I’m sure everyone has heard this at some point. So, here’s where I need your input: How adaptive does one get? There obviously needs to be a foundation to your leadership style, but how do you tailor that style to those different followers? As leaders, do you hold onto “core” competencies, and then adapt from there? And, the real kicker: How do you adapt your style to different members of the same team, without being seen as “playing favorites?” Essentially, how do you ensure that you are treating everyone the same, while adapting how you motivate to the various personalities?