Janka Stoker wrote the book 'good leaders don't float'. She is Professor of Leadership and Organisational Change and director of the expertise centre "In the LEAD", which conducts research into leadership.

One size fits all

Situations can be very different. Janka says: "Take the hospital, there has to be someone who says 'you do this and you do that, otherwise she will die'. But if you do that at the university, 'Peter has to do this and you have to do that research quickly', it doesn't work at all. In different situations, different leadership styles may or may not work.

In addition, on the shop floor you have different situations that may arise. And again, you need different leadership styles. Sometimes you need a more coaching role and other times you need someone who can really take charge.

"What you can do then is look at a situation and find the right leader for it," says Janka.

Superheroes

According to Janka, it is an illusion to think that we need people who can do everything. The solution actually lies in a team construction. "We have a management team or people at a certain level. They have different roles and we match those roles to their strong qualities. Some people naturally have more empathy than others. For example, Steve Jobs has someone with empathy next to him, because he has less of it in him".

Curious what else Janka has to say about different situations and leadership types? Listen to the new episode of the Work Professor!

Links

More about Janka

The book: Good leaders do not float

More about the Working Professor

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