What Is the Mindset of a Responsive and Modern Leader?

In a changing world, leaders have a choice. We can either respond to changes or carry on as if nothing is happening.

You probably already know which option I'm about to suggest - Becoming a responsive, modern leader who deals with constantly shifting corporate reality. However, doing this will take practice.

Which Club Are You Going To Choose?

The mindset of a responsive leader is almost identical to the mindset of a golfer. Golfers set out with a bag full of options to handle everything the course is likely to throw at them. We even take clubs to handle what we hope will be unlikely scenarios, such as landing in sand traps.

A golfer sets out with the expectation of using any or all of those clubs. Just using a single driver and getting a hole-in-one every time is a great vision to have, but you definitely want to prepare for frequent deviations from that scenario.

A responsive leader understands that different situations will require different leadership skills. If the go-to approach doesn't yield immediate success, other options are always available.

Developing Your Drive and Your Short Game

Just hammering away at every shot with a driver is similar to always choosing the leadership approach with which you are most comfortable. To succeed, you need to develop multiple aspects of your practice.

If you are a more experienced leader, you might be used to a rigid, hierarchical structure. Younger leaders might have more experience with flat organizations and creative leadership.

Responsive leaders, regardless of their age, are people who have learned when to take a collaborative approach and when to refer to structured decision-making and prescribed best practices. They learned this by rethinking some of their tendencies and by developing new leadership skills.

How To Develop the Mindset of a Responsive Leader

If all you've ever done is practice at the driving range, how do you develop the mindset of someone who's good at the short game? Part of it is a relaxed, focused state of mind — but most of it is practice.

Developing a responsive mindset means practicing responsive leadership. Look at what's happening and decide if a different approach is necessary. Here are some situations that might present opportunities for practice:

·         People are having trouble making decisions: You might see improvement after reinforcing your organizational vision through some top-down direction.

·         Workers seem disengaged: People could need more freedom in order to own the organization's success.

·         Team members are constantly coming to you with great ideas: You might be able to free up more of your time by distributing leadership responsibilities across the team.

·         Your innovative teams are generating impractical or irrelevant products: You might need to increase the skill diversity of your creative groups to include project management, or else restructure to a more hierarchical format.

Adding Responsiveness to Your Leadership Bag

As a responsive leader, you will be able to react to — and often even predict — changes in the needs of your organization. It will take dedicated listening and practice, but you can guide your team through this ever-shifting course.

Are you ready to adopt a certain mindset in order to become a responsive and modern leader who confidently deals with shifting corporate reality?