• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Chart Your Course International

We help businesses transform themselves into exceptional places to work that attract, retain and motivate people to their full potential.

“Creating Great Places to Work”

Call 770-860-9464

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Gregory P. Smith
    • What We Do
    • Photo Gallery
    • Press Center
    • Client List
    • Testimonials | Speaking
    • Client Testimonials | Training
  • Keynotes
    • Watch Videos
    • Topics
    • Client Testimonials
    • For Meeting Planners
    • Request Speaking Engagement
  • Solutions
    • Take a 5-Minute Organizational Health Check
    • Consulting Projects
    • Suggestion Campaign (BIC)
    • Employee Retention
    • Executive Retreats
    • Team Building Workshops
  • Training
    • Custom Training
    • Online Training
    • Leadership Courses
    • DISC Workshops
    • Customer Service Programs
    • Healthcare Customer Service
  • Assessments
    • Why We Are the Best
    • FREE DISC Report
    • Sample DISC Assessments
    • DISC Reports
    • Sales
    • Emotional Intelligence Report
    • Organizational Surveys
  • Certification
    • DISC Certification Virtual – Live
    • DISC Master Certification
    • One-on-One Web Certification
    • Self-Study DISC Certification
    • Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
    • Certified DISC Trainers
    • Live Driving Forces Program
    • Driving Forces Self-Study
    • Client Testimonials
    • Members Only
  • Resources
    • Free DISC Report
    • Navigator Newsletter
    • Evaluate Your Business – Free Health Check
    • Articles
    • Free DISC E-Book
    • Teambuilding Exercises
  • Shop
  • BLOG
  • Login
  • Contact

June 29, 2021 by Greg

The Employer’s Guide to Flexible Leadership in a Turbulent Business Climate

The global pandemic has put pressure on workforces in more ways than ever before. Economic uncertainty leaves companies wearily contemplating downsizing, employees in constant fear of losing job security, and leaders questioning whether their typical methods for managing remote teams still work. These unpredictable circumstances make it imperative for management to adopt flexible leadership.

What Is Flexible Leadership?

Flexible leadership is management’s ability to quickly adapt in a dynamic professional environment based on the needs of their team and the needs of the business. As a leader, this requires an ability to divert from your natural leadership style to fit the demands of a diverse group of team members.

A flexible leader is open to new ideas, inclusive of perspectives different than their own, not defensive, and has healthy relationships with each member of their team by working to understand their specific learning and communication styles to lead them most effectively.

Why Adopt Flexible Leadership Now?

The importance of adopting flexible leadership becomes increasingly evident by the day. Initial stay at home orders forced companies to allow their teams to work from home, but as the pandemic continues, the flexibility of remote work has become a high priority for employees everywhere. In fact, one survey shows that close to 98% of employees would want to work remotely, at least partially, for the rest of their career.

Add to that the fact that employees’ lives are completely different than they were before. Whether they’re taking care of sick relatives, contracting illness themselves, homeschooling a child as a full-time working parent, or working in a less than ideal work-from-home situation, flexibility is vital to the work week.

Remote work has even given employees the opportunity to relocate. Some are looking to move closer to family, others are flocking to more affordable areas, and others are simply moving to the city of their dreams as a result of the flexibility that remote work has granted them. It’s no secret that the pandemic has revealed the dire need for flexibility and support from leadership, so what can leadership do to adopt this mindset?

Ways To Be A Flexible Leader

Leaders should develop their flexible skills on an individual level as well to help effectively lead prosperous teams. Here are some things you can do as a leader to improve your flexibility in today’s business environment:

Develop personal relationships

Growing a personal relationship with your team members will provide the foundation necessary for a healthy, successful professional relationship. Ask your team members how they are doing in and outside of work. Allow them to share personal details about their lives and allow yourself to do the same. Showing your team members that you care about them as a person, and not just an employee, will help build trust, boost their motivation, and increase their overall performance.

Offer personal and professional support

Being there to answer any questions and guide employees in their career paths is a given when it comes to being a leader, but take it a step further. Some employees may be caring for a sick relative, while others may be moving across the country to work for your company. With these cases comes an opportunity to lend a helping hand — contact your HR team to learn about paid family leave benefits, or help relocating employees by learning about relocation assistance or providing an online resource for real estate listings. In transformative or uncertain circumstances, any gesture from a superior can go a long way in motivating a team member, and even supporting their overall health.

Ask for feedback

Feedback is critical to being a flexible leader, as it will help you understand how your team is responding to your leadership. Perhaps your hands-off methods of managing your team have been causing some teammates to fall behind. Or, maybe your daily check-ins have been impeding workflow. Without inquiring regular feedback from your team, you’ll never know how to adjust, or that you need to adjust in the first place. Schedule routine surveys, or conversations that give employees the opportunity to reflect on what does or does not work for them, so that you can become a better leader for them and pivot when necessary.

Communicate

Being clear and direct in your expectations for your team can avoid a lot of conflicts down the road. Be sure to periodically reiterate or adapt those expectations as well to reflect the changing needs of your team and the needs of your business. You can master communication even further by providing recognition and reinforcement to reward and motivate employees. Showing public appreciation, offering incentives, or even rewarding teams with a free, unexpected meal or gift card can go a long way in keeping them engaged and productive while working from home.

 

 

Filed Under: Culture, Generations at Work, Good Places to Work, Human Resource Management, Millennials, Skill shortages, Surveys and Statistics, Workplace culture, Workplace Productivity

Primary Sidebar

Search This Site

DISC Certification & Training

View Training Calender

Have Questions? 800-821-2487 or 770-860-9464

Preview Management Training Courses | Free Previews

Free Online Course Preview

Team Building Exercises

img

Complete 100% Money Back Guarantee

Our Newest and Latest Version!

icebreakersrotary

Best Icebreakers and Teambuilding Exercises Digital E-Book Pdf

Automatic Download of the E-book within seconds after you click on the “Buy Now” button on our store.. You can read it on your computer in PDF format if you like, or print it out on your printer. No shipping charges.

More information 

Icebreakers and Teambuilding ExercisesIcebreakers & Team Building Exercises – E-Book Version

  • Co-Operation
  • Crash in Piranha Valley
  • Golf Ball in the Bag
  • Space Mission to the Moon
  • Torpedo Weapons Loading Exercise
  • Scavenger Hunt
  • Terrorist Toxic Explosive Situation

 

More information

Bright Ideas Facilitator Kit

Order the Kit
Bright Ideas Employee Suggestion Campaign

Footer

IMPORTANT LINKS

  • Free Newsletter
  • Free Resources
  • DISC Certification Training
  • Executive Retreat Facilitators
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Management Training Programs
  • Privacy

RECENT POSTS

  • Getting Your Oil Changed the Ritz-Carlton Way March 21, 2023
  • How To Retain Employees in an Unstable Job Market December 15, 2022
  • 3 Tips for Training Leaders to Work With Remote Teams October 25, 2022
  • Why Hiring is Irrelevant if You Can’t Solve Retention August 24, 2022

LOCATION

Chart Your Course International
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

(770) 860-9464
CONTACT US

Free ebook

Online Training Courses

SPECIAL SAVINGS! GET 50% OFF ALL COURSES (770) 860-9464

©2002-2023 Chart Your Course International Inc