By Oluwole Dada
The most effective line managers have learnt a fundamental truth: there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leading people. A good gardener understands that each of his plants such as roses and orchids require different approaches for them to flourish. He understands that treating the rose in the same manner as the orchid will lead to one being destroyed. Similarly, exceptional leaders recognize that each team member brings unique qualities requiring tailored guidance. Human beings are different and peculiar. Therefore, to optimize their potential, you must understand the idiosyncrasies of each. Understanding individual differences represents both the greatest challenge and the greatest opportunity in leadership. It requires emotional intelligence, genuine curiosity, and the flexibility of the leader to adapt approaches rather than expecting team members to adapt to a leader’s preferred style.
Ron Johnson was CEO of J.C Penney for 17 months and he tried a uniform style of leadership, but the outcome was catastrophic. The company lost $985 million, saw its stock plummet by 50%, and watched as both customers and demoralized employees fled the organization. Johnson left Apple with an impressive track record of retail innovation. However, he made a critical error of assuming the same leadership approach that worked at Apple will work at J.C. Penney despite different corporate culture and workforce. Johnson’s failure wasn’t a lack of vision but an inability to adapt his leadership to the peculiarities of his new team.
Unlike Johnson, Alan Mulally had a different approach when he arrived Ford Motor Company as CEO in 2006. Ford was losing billions and heading towards bankruptcy, but Mulally spent his initial months observing and learning about the individual strengths and working styles of his leadership team. He observed the presence of both introverts and extroverts in his team. For this reason, he made his communication style to accommodate both types. He realized that some leaders responded well to public recognition while others preferred private acknowledgement. Mulally said, “I learned to adjust my style to bring out the best in different team members, some needed detailed guidance, others thrived with autonomy. My job wasn’t to make them all the same, but to help each one excel in their own way.” Mulally’s leadership resulted in one of the most remarkable turnarounds in automotive history.
Another outstanding CEO who demonstrated how to balance personalized leadership with necessary organizational consistency is Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo. Nooyi was known for writing personal notes to employees’ parents, thanking them for raising wonderful children who contributed to PepsiCo’s success. That must have been so touching to the employees. Simultaneously, she maintained clear performance standards that applied consistently across the organization. “Standards should be uniform, how we help people meet those standards should be highly individualized,” Nooyi explained. Under her leadership, PepsiCo successfully navigated the challenging shift toward healthier products while delivering shareholder returns of 149% during her 12-year tenure, a proof that understanding individual differences enhances rather than undermines organizational performance
Team management or leadership is hard work, and you must be ready to work it out if you want to have a lasting impact on the people you lead. Even twins are not the same and they will never see things the same way and that is why they can’t be managed in the same manner. Every team will have all kinds of people: the gentle, the humble, the proud, the extrovert, the introvert, the thinker, the executioner, the lousy, the timid, the bold and any type of personality you may want to think of. You have a responsibility to understand these identities and shape them into a positive version or improve on the existing identity. That is leadership!
Apart from improved performance metrics, leaders who understand and respect individual differences earn genuine loyalty from their team members. When Howard Schultz returned to Starbucks as CEO in 2008 during a period of declining performance, he reconnected with store managers individually, learning about their specific challenges and aspirations. One store manager was surprised how Howard remembered details about his specific store and a personal conversation they had years earlier. This personalized connection helped Schultz rally the organization through difficult changes, including the temporary closing of all U.S. stores for retraining. The loyalty he had built through individual understanding translated into organizational resilience during crisis.
Leaders who master an individualized approach to leadership create not just high-performing teams but vibrant communities where diverse talents combine to achieve what no homogeneous group could accomplish. This approach may be the ultimate competitive advantage for any leader in today’s volatile and complex business environment.
Oluwole Dada is the General Manager at SecureID Limited, Africa’s largest smart card manufacturing plant in Lagos, Nigeria.
