Are You a Versatile Leader

Versatility is one of the buzzwords that is thrown around a lot of times with the word ‘leader.’ But when it comes down to practicing versatility, only a handful of professionals can conform to it. Yes, the traditional textbook definition says that versatility is the ability to adapt to varying situations and tasks. But this is easier said than done. In this article, we will throw some light on various aspects and values that can help leaders and managers cultivate versatility.

Being versatile can be crucial in overcoming varying circumstances in any business's journey. This characteristic can help leaders steer a company through a time of crisis. It also enables them to understand changing market behaviors and onboard team members to meet customer demands.

The idea of versatility applies to all areas of a company where a team lead or manager is involved. Areas such as hiring, reskilling, workload allocation, meeting deadlines, reviewing teams and projects, restructuring teams, and appraisals entail thorough team lead involvement. But, how does one make sure to deliver the best in such scenarios? We believe that the list of following qualities might help.

Empathy

To be empathetic is to understand another person's feelings and thought processes. To develop this quality, a leader must welcome change and the differing opinions of her/his team members. A leader should carefully listen to the queries and the suggestions of the team members. They should be a problem-solver and to become one – they have to be empathetic.

An example of being empathetic can be the current pandemic situation where leaders can bestow the team member with additional freedom so that there's less latency in delivery. This latency can be the result of lower-level team members asking for constant approvals as a routine when things were normal.

This quality can also help team members have confidence in the leaders and feel that they care for them. A leader with concern for their team member will always be more popular within teams.

Motivator

To become a motivator, a leader must focus on what drives their team. To find this, a leader must interact with the members periodically and can also assign the HR team to determine employee aspiration, career pathways needs, and individual endeavors. Once you have recognized these aspects, you can then move towards thought leadership which involves reaching out to your team in innovative ways.

To start with, writing blogs on various work culture-related topics, making videos on similar aspects and writing motivational emails every once in a while can be a step in the right direction. Such content is also quite important during the current time and may address the insecurities of many employees.

An Eye for Opportunity

Although business leaders usually have an affinity to work on multiple verticals at any given time, they should recognize new opportunities when it comes. It is especially applicable in the ongoing situation. The most innovative company, which is still able to deliver in these trying times, has a higher chance of outlasting many more future challenges.

A great leader can bring customized solutions for problems even when it means going against the flow. A lot of this has to do with optimism and being realistic at the same time in the face of adversity. Difficult times make the best leaders, and this time comes as no exception. Leaders should use this to hone their skills and explore new possibilities in keeping the team together while maintaining quality workflow.

Calculated Decision Maker

There's always some level of risk involved in any business and leaders need to measure it to make a calculated decision. An ideal leader will always consider the pros and cons of any small and big decision. A measured decision-maker will know when to take a certain call and when to not.

The biggest perk of this practice is that you don't have to trust instincts or feelings but you use pure math to prove and disprove your assumptions and theories. You are better informed and can use the key performance indices to create individual solutions to problems.

To become better decision-makers, leaders need to be research-oriented, which can enable them to anticipate mistakes earlier and also be able to implement projects smoothly. They must keep track of progress and goals by setting up checkpoints and evaluation streams.

Adaptive and Swift

Surfing the waves is fun and leaders need to learn from this. Adapting to changing situations gives a company an edge over its rivals and leaders have a huge role to play in it. As it's rightly said, "a racecar is only as good as the person driving it."

Learning from mistakes and making amendments defines a great leader. One should always be ready to change course to accommodate new challenges. But, being just adaptive won't cut it. The swiftness at which a leader implements this change also is as important. Furthermore, leaders should make sure that their team is also motivated to follow suit.

John F. Kennedy once said, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other," and it aptly fits into this context. To be a versatile leader one must be ready to learn every day as they progress on their journey.

Do you think these points are enough to achieve versatility? Write to us your thoughts on a versatile leader. Cheers.

September 29, 2020