By Daniel Bobinski
We need teams. A single violinist can be great, but the sound doesn’t compare to an orchestra. Similarly, a ship needs a crew or it’s not getting out of the harbor.
Workplaces need teams, too, but many teams are nowhere near as effective as they could be. The reasons are many. Some teams lack structure. Others suffer from poor communication. Still others are ineffective because of unclear roles and responsibilities. But perhaps the most significant factor that causes teams to falter is a fundamental misunderstanding of the different ways people operate.
Peak performance emerges when people understand not only their own work style, but also how to adapt to the styles of others. After all, teams are made up of individuals, and when individuals can’t connect effectively, the team suffers. As it’s often said, “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”
What’s important to understand is that effective collaboration cannot be forced. To achieve top levels of performance, the right conditions must be created and nurtured, much like a gardener preparing the soil. Gardeners don’t make plants grow; the genetic coding inside each plant does that. But when the right conditions are in place, growth occurs naturally.
The same holds true in professional environments. Good leaders know they cannot force growth, but they can cultivate it. Therefore, the best leaders encourage people to become students of how others naturally operate and communicate.
Dozens of different work styles have been identified over the years, but a common thread running through all of them is how people approach interpersonal effectiveness. We can look at that on a style continuum, with what I call “Style Focused” people on one end and “Style Flexible” people on the other.
Style Focused individuals believe in the power of consistency. They’ve developed approaches that work for them, and they strive to stay true to their natural communication and work styles.
On the other hand, Style Flexible professionals read people and situations, then adjust their communication, their work style, and their approach to create better outcomes. They understand that what works with one person may not work with another, and they’re willing to adapt accordingly.
In every workplace, knowing when and how to adapt often determines professional success.
KNOW THYSELF
Where we think we are on the style continuum may or may not be accurate. For example, when teaching this material to a group of senior executives, most identified themselves as highly flexible. However, when I asked their direct reports, those managers described their executives as quite rigid in their communication style.
This disconnect is common. Many people see themselves as more adaptable than others perceive them to be. That’s why self-awareness is the foundation of emotional intelligence. Self-awareness helps us recognize our natural style.
Following that, social awareness enables us to read the styles of others. Good relationship management dictates that we adapt our approach to build trust. Together, these competencies of self-awareness and relationship management transform individual effort into greater workplace effectiveness.
The following questions can help you see your tendencies. Although they present binary choices, be honest about your instinctive responses. Your first reaction often reveals your true preference.
SELF-ASSESSMENT: STYLE FOCUSED OR STYLE FLEXIBLE?
Choose the response that most closely reflects your natural instinct in each situation:
When you encounter tension in a professional setting, you typically:
a) Adjust your approach accordingly
b) Stay true to your natural communication style
When presenting information to colleagues, you:
a) Adjust the level of detail based on their preferences
b) Present information in the way that feels most natural for you
When someone challenges your recommendations, you:
a) Ask questions to understand their concerns
b) Confidently explain your reasoning and evidence
You’re working with someone whose preferred communication method is different from yours. You:
a) Adapt to accommodate their method
b) Continue using your own
When collaborating with people whose work styles differ greatly from yours, you:
a) Adjust your approach to complement theirs
b) Focus on your strengths and natural style
In a disagreement with a client, you:
a) Seek first to understand their point of view
b) Seek first to explain your point of view
When influencing someone’s decision, you:
a) Tailor your approach to what motivates them
b) Use the influence strategies that work best for you
When your usual communication isn’t connecting, you:
a) Mirror their style
b) Stay authentic and trust connection will develop
When feedback suggests your goal needs adjustment, you:
a) Modify the goal to fit the situation
b) Stay committed to your original goal
When joining a new team, you:
a) Observe group dynamics and blend your style
b) Rely on your natural strengths that made you successful
If you chose mostly “a” responses, you lean toward being Style Flexible. You adapt your approach based on people and situations.
If you chose mostly “b” responses, you lean toward being Style Focused. You believe in leveraging your proven strengths and building relationships through consistency.
Here’s what decades of emotional intelligence research shows: people who develop style flexibility consistently achieve higher performance ratings and advance more rapidly. The ability to read situations and adapt accordingly not only improves professional outcomes but also strengthens relationships. This is true among colleagues as well as in cross-disciplinary teams.
In health care environments, this adaptability is more than a workplace advantage; it also helps patients. Physicians, nurses, and technicians who flex their style can foster smoother handoffs, reduce miscommunication, and create climates in which patients feel heard. When small errors can carry high costs, adjusting communication helps create safer, more reliable care.
The good news is that flexibility can be developed. By studying how others perceive and process information, you can make conscious choices to adjust situationally. In doing so, you create conditions in which collaboration, trust, and high levels of performance can flourish.
Bottom line, developing the ability to consciously choose your approach based on the situation is a significant part of the pathway to top performance.
Daniel Bobinski, is a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. For more than 30 years he’s been working with teams and individuals (1:1 coaching) to help them achieve excellence. He was also teaching Emotional Intelligence since before it was a thing. Reach him by email at DanielBobinski@protonmail.com or 208-649-6400.
