Key Idea

While recognizing the characteristics and skills that leaders have is useful, it is equally important to understand what they do.

Any organization, team, or group is directly impacted by the way its leaders motivate direct reports, gather and use information, make decisions, address change initiatives, and handle crises.

Many managers mistakenly assume that leadership style is a function of personality rather than strategic choice. Therefore, they believe that people have only one leadership style — the one that best suits their temperament.

However, savvy leaders recognize that no single style is appropriate. Rather, they recognize that leadership is contextual, and choose, from a suite of styles, the one that best addresses the demands of a specific situation.