Lousy leaders expect others to adapt to them. They’re rigid and bossy.
If you expect others to adapt to you, get over yourself. Failure to adapt to others frustrates everyone, including yourself.
- Leadership is relationships.
- All relationships include adapting.
- Successful leaders adapt to others before others adapt to them.
Shocking truth:
If you aren’t the boss, you might think, “If I could just be the boss, I’d have my way.” Nothing is further from the truth.
Leaders don’t have authority so they can have their own way.
“As a leader, it is your job to make your team successful, not the other way around.” — Chris LoCurto
Adapting to others:
Chris LoCurto, teacher of the Entreleadership Performance Series, loves teaching personality styles. DISC helped him know himself. Just as importantly, DISC helped him adapt to others by learning their communication styles.
First step:
Chris said, “DISC helps leaders understand how they give and receive information. If you get that ‘deer in the headlights look’ after giving instructions, you have a problem. We give information the way we listen.”
In order to effectively adapt, align with yourself; find your starting place. Are you fact or feeling driven, for example? If you act first and research later, you drive thoughtful people crazy.
See yourself then see others.
Second step:
“Learn how people receive information.”
It might surprise you, but some people think about the feelings of others. If you’ve said, “But, what did I say?” in response to hurting someone’s feelings, you gave information the way you receive it.
Chris explained that he and his team took the DISC assessment. He’d interact with a team member and then read their profile. In about seven cycles he learned how to, “lean in their direction.”
Get over yourself by adapting your communication styles.
***
Visit Chris’ website: chrislocurto.com
Have you seen bosses who didn’t adapt? What happened?
In what ways are you adapting to others?
