LEADERSHIP REQUIRES BEHAVIORAL AGILITY.

Circumstances and people change so you need to be adaptable to different situations. That means you need to adjust your listening skills, sense of urgency, and tendency to be directive or passive, depending upon the problem, people and expected outcome. This doesn’t mean you morph into a new person every day like some 21st Century superhero. It is quite the contrary.

Be yourself.

Between your DNA and life events you are who you are and you can’t really control that. But you can control your choices, actions, reactions and behaviors. They need to all be in tune with your situation and circumstances. Push when you need to and pause when you don’t. Be self-aware and very importantly, be a very attentive observer and a very aggressive listener of those around you.

Listen first.

Collect information as often as possible, especially when you need to make a big decision. Reduce your risks of errors in judgment by basing as much of your judgment as possible on facts. Accepting input from those around you is a good way to develop new sources of information. The information is most valuable when it does not match your preconceptions so pay close attention. Agility mean that you can adapt and change whenever you need to. So if the facts change, your opinion should also change.

Focus on the goal.

Think, listen, think but don’t get paralyzed. You do need to decide and act. But maintain a clear understanding of your true North, your goal, and decide and guide your team accordingly. Agility is an essential leadership skill for anyone that is building a new enterprise. To increase your chances of success, be adaptable but be true to yourself, listen and then decide.