INTHEBLACK December 2025 / January 2026 - Magazine - Page 49
“There’s not one best approach,” Felps says.
“There are different approaches for different problems.”
Adaptive leadership, for example, is ideal for solving
what are known as “wicked problems” — those
complex issues where there is no clear path forward.
“In these situations, there might be conflicts
between different parties,” Felps says. “When you’re
in that kind of situation, classic command-and-control
directive leadership or transformational leadership
won’t work. There is a different set of tools you need
for that context.”
Different settings require different leadership models.
Coaching — where a leader may support
employees through creating learning plans,
providing regular feedback or focusing on career
development — is most beneficial for teams requiring
upskilling. “It is about helping to raise people’s
abilities,” Felps says.
In times of turmoil, authoritative leadership comes
to the fore.
“In a crisis, you can’t deliberate too much because
time is of the essence,” he continues. “You need
someone who can make a wise decision, explain it
and then move forward.”
Not all models will fit a leader’s character or values.
“There are situations where you have to stretch out
of your comfort zone,” Felps acknowledges. In these
circumstances, authenticity is crucial.
“People like it if their leaders are authentic.
Therefore, the more it’s possible to channel your true
self while you’re leading, the better.”
DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Leadership courses can provide emerging leaders
with the skills and knowledge necessary to create
a flexible leadership style.
Felps also recommends a “learn-by-doing”
approach, where a leader learns not just from
experience, but also from reflecting on it
afterwards. He says one way to achieve this is
to conduct regular small-scale experiments
in everyday life, by identifying a problem or an
area of individual leadership that needs developing
and testing different strategies to find a solution
or improve results.
Potential experiments might include offering
more positive feedback to employees or using
storytelling to communicate ideas rather than relying
on charts or graphs, Felps suggests.
“Pick something new, give it a go and then reflect
on the experience.” ●
COMMON LEADERSHIP STYLES
Transformational leadership inspires and
motivates followers to achieve change or
growth. Capable, innovative and bold,
these leaders create a collective vision
to achieve exceptional results.
Servant leadership is a people-first philosophy
that drives performance through promoting
employee development and wellbeing.
Servant leaders create high levels of trust
through empathy and active listening.
Adaptive leadership employs a collaborative
approach to solving complex problems. These
leaders are adaptable and flexible with high
levels of resilience and emotional intelligence.
Democratic leadership is a consultative style
suited to organisations with flat hierarchies
and high levels of employee expertise that
leaders can call on to make decisions.
A coaching approach to leadership focuses
on developing the skills and knowledge
of employees. A coach provides team members
with feedback, support and guidance to achieve
organisational goals.
Authoritative leadership is a top-down
approach that provides employees with clear
direction. Confident, decisive and emotionally
intelligent, these leaders possess a strong vision
and equip employees to succeed, offering
support when necessary.
Authoritarian leaders exert complete control
over their teams with little opportunity for
consultation.
Laissez-faire leadership is an approach where
employees are given minimal guidance. In this
situation, they require a high level of competency
to operate independently with little direction.
UPSKILL
with CPA Australia’s Crisis
Management online course
READ
an article about what great
leaders do differently
THE ART OF MODERN LEADERSHIP intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 49
