Effective leaders can't stick to one leadership style. Drawing on Geert Hofstede's research on cultural diversity and Bruce Lee's philosophy of adapting techniques from many sources, the speaker argues that rigidity and "we've always done it that way" thinking block growth. Leaders must blend different approaches based on what works for each situation.
How many black belts does it take to screw in a light bulb? 100. One to actually perform the operation and 99 others to tell you how they would have done it better. Apply that joke in a leadership context with leadership experts and you'll need to multiply by 1,000. Today's leader cannot be limited by one leadership style. First of all, no one style works in every application. And even in a small organization, you're likely leading a group of people that have a very diverse background culturally, generationally, or with a wide range of different experiences. Geert Hofstede, the founder of the Institute for Research on Intercultural Cooperation, has studied the leadership styles in countries all over the world. If anyone has the qualifications to identify a unified theory of leadership, it's probably him. But he writes, "I am not offering a solution. I only protest against a naive universalism that knows only one recipe for development." No, there is no unified theory in leadership. Today's leader has to be open-minded, well-informed, and ready to adapt various leadership styles, theories, and techniques to the task and to the people you serve. You know, the best martial artists are thieves. Leaders should be thieves too, at least when it comes to stealing and adapting styles and techniques. The best martial artists don't rely on one style or technique. We steal and we adapt the various techniques to make us more efficient and effective fighters. In primary freedom, one utilizes all ways and is bound by none, and likewise uses any techniques or means which serves one's end. Lee's advice works just as well for leaders. It means adapting your methodology to suit the circumstances and conditions and challenges that you face at the time. Now, the fastest way to find the technique that won't work is to be inflexible or dogmatic, to limit yourself to one particular style or technique. In the dojo or in business, these limitations are often the unintended consequence of tradition. I found this gem on LinkedIn: "What is the greatest barrier to growth and progress? The words 'we've always done it that way.'" Tradition is important. But tradition should inform, not limit, our response to current conditions and circumstances. Learn from past traditions and styles, but be open to advancing those styles, adapting them to new times, needs, and opportunities. Be willing to discard anything that doesn't work anymore. You honor tradition by preserving the best of it, not by hanging yourself with it.
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