Leadership (whether you see yourself as a manager, coach, or mentor) demands understanding of your team’s different backgrounds, generational perspectives, cultures, and work styles to ensure they are supported. We typically call this the Golden Rule – treat others the way you want to be treated.  I believe we need to shift to the Platinum Rule – treat others the way they want to be treated.  This article will outline a framework to allow managers to become the leaders their team needs and provide insights on helpful behavioral tools.   

ADAPT

The way to create high-performing teams is to ADAPT:  

• Adjust to Individuals’ Needs   

• Drive Change  

• Acknowledge Diversity    

• Promote Inclusion   

• Tailor Your Approach  

While this is clearly a forced acronym, I find it useful as a trigger word to remind me to flex to the right leadership style based on the situation.  I would not give guidance to an intern with the same level of detail as my senior engineer/developer.  Another style change example is when working on daily tasks, I tend to empower team members, but during a crisis like a data breach, I get much more directive and make sure everyone is following the plan and moving at a pace that reflects the urgency of the emergency.  Whether you intend to drive transformation or build a cohesive team, the ADAPT framework can help.   

Adjusting to Individual Needs is critical. While you want to treat everyone fairly, it is important to adapt your style based on their social cues and emotional intelligence.   This goes back to the Platinum Rule: “Treat others as they wish to be treated,” highlighting the shift from a self-centric to an other-centric leadership approach.  Be careful, as this focus on the individual can be counterproductive if the team feels you are not consistent.  

Driving Change or dealing with transformation is almost universal for managers today.  In cybersecurity, it is a challenge to keep up with the changes in skills and expertise our teams need.   We need to build a culture open to transformation and positive feedback.  When change can threaten their power or even their job, it becomes harder and that is where you need to be able to find out what influences them.  

First, I would recommend developing techniques for creating an environment where feedback is valued and used constructively.  This can include encouraging experimentation and learning from failures to drive innovation.  I will call out a couple of great books to get ideas from: The first is ‘No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention’ by Erin Meyer and Reed Hastings, for building a culture of feedback.  The second is ‘That’s Not How We Do It Here!’ by John Kotter, for a fun read about start-up versus large corporate cultures and change management.  

Acknowledge Diversity can help you understand the different factors to consider when trying to understand what kind of leadership will be most effective. Some examples are:  

• Cognitive style (learning/problem solving/decision making) 

• Socio-economic background  

• Tenure at the company  

• Education level  

• Cultural / Religion / Politics  

• Age / Generational Perspective  

Any of these can cause friction and should both be considered when managing interactions (both interpersonal and across the team) and when determining how to make sure what you are saying is what they are hearing.  The communication loop includes validation through feedback.  

Promoting Inclusion is all about fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment.  So, this is not about who is at the table (diversity) but more about how they are treated at the table (inclusion).  Do team members feel psychologically safe to share their ideas?  My personal example is that I say what I am thinking and if there is someone at the table who wants to think through their response, then provide a well-thought-out point of view I can drown them out.  If you have team members who are not engaging during meetings, you need to understand how to make sure you are getting their full value.  That doesn’t mean calling on them, which would not make them feel safe, but working with them after the meeting on how they can become more engaged.   

Tailor Your Approach means you need to develop a Leadership Toolkit.  There are several techniques, and every day someone publishes a new book on “how to be a XXX leader,” but the reality is you need to have a set of techniques that you use based on the needs of the situation. Going back to my first example, when dealing with an intern, I might be more of a micromanager as they need a lot of guidance, but using that style with my senior engineer would make them look for another job.  That said, your people will figure out if you care, which will make them more understanding of when you make mistakes.  

One challenge is for everyone to have a common understanding of how to talk about the best way to interact based on others’ preferences.  I have found it useful for everyone to take a “personality test” so that you can talk about communication preferences vs talking about the person.  While I don’t think anyone should completely change their style, this kind of tool provides the ability to avoid implying one party is doing something wrong.  I am not sure any specific technique below is best, and there are strong beliefs about some of them. I offer them more as a sample of frameworks, and you can determine which is best for your team and company culture.  

As promised, here are some tools that can be useful:   

• CliftonStrengths: Focuses on identifying and leveraging individual strengths to enhance team performance 

• Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI): Assesses individual approaches to conflict, aiding in effective conflict resolution strategies   

• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Identifies personality preferences to improve communication and team collaboration.  

• DiSC Assessment: Evaluates behavioral traits to enhance workplace productivity and teamwork  

• ISO 30415:2021: International Standard for Diversity and Inclusion: for compliance  

Next time you are trying to connect with someone to make sure the mission is clear, I hope that when ADAPT pops in your head, you can step back and focus on how to make sure they are hearing what you want to accomplish and you are understanding their feedback.   Bottom line – consider adding the Platinum Rule to your management toolkit.