Given the crucial importance for effective leadership of a wide repertoire of leadership styles, one immediate lesson applies to hiring, promotions, and succession planning. Simply put, when it comes to filling a leadership position, it pays to find someone who has the flexible repertoire of four or more styles that marks the most outstanding leader. Failing that, ask whether the person you’re considering for a given leadership slot at least has mastered the specific style or styles that are most obviously salient to your business reality.
