Develop leadership skills adapted to current organizational challenges

Leadership no longer boils down to a hierarchical position or the ability to inspire.

It's not just a question of "inspiring" or "setting an example". Today, being a leader means orchestrating the conditions that enable each individual to give his or her best, in a context that is often shifting, under stress, or in the midst of transformation.

It's a skilful blend of strategic vision, active listening, influence, managerial courage and the ability to help your team grow. Above all, it's a posture that needs to be continuously adjusted according to the situation, the people involved and the issues at stake: decision-making, arbitration, refocusing, supporting an employee in difficulty, managing a cross-functional project...

Leaders who make a difference are those who fully assume their role, without losing their uniqueness.

Those who dare to say, to decide, to listen, to reframe, to delegate. Those who set a clear framework, even in the face of uncertainty. And who take their team with them, without trying to control everything.

Leadership fundamentals

Before talking about tools or postures, we need to know what we mean by "leadership".

It's not charisma or control. It's an active posture.

A leader is someone who :

• Sets a clear course, assumes responsibility for decisions and implements them over time
• Listen to weak signals, reformulate, adjust posture
• Supports initiative rather than micro-managing
• Creates a framework that is both reassuring and demanding

Here's a concrete example: in an overloaded team, a leader doesn't just "motivate". He starts by setting clear priorities, then listens to alerts, adjusts the workload, and makes everyone's efforts visible to the rest of the organization.

The 4 key postures to work on:

• Giving meaning, even when direction is imposed from above
• Create a clear, reassuring framework, without stifling initiative
• Constructive confrontation, without dodging tensions
• Encourage autonomy, even if it takes longer at first

Read: Develop your leadership skills: 5 concrete levers to activate

And it's not a one-size-fits-all posture: to inspire and mobilize, you also need to be aligned with yourself, able to listen, feel and relate appropriately. This is where emotional intelligence becomes a key lever.

Adjusting your leadership style to the context

Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all suit. It's a posture that needs to be adjusted according to the maturity of the team, the level of autonomy of each individual, and the nature of the issues at stake.

And this is precisely where the complexity lies: knowing when to hold a directive framework, when to step aside, when to co-construct.

3 leadership styles to mobilize at different times :

• Situational leadership

Adapt your level of direction and support according to the employee's maturity. Example: An autonomous but stressed junior? Support without over-controlling. A senior who's having a hard time? Return to the framework.

• Service leadership

Serving the team to remove obstacles, clarify processes and facilitate collective action. Example: In project meetings, the leader does not impose solutions, but facilitates exchanges, refocuses decisions and helps to unblock sticking points.

• Strategic leadership

Step out of the operational realm to convey a vision, arbitrate when things are unclear, and give meaning to complex decisions. Example: In a period of change, this type of posture reassures and gives a clear direction, even in the absence of a definitive answer.

And in a hybrid or multi-business context, it becomes essential toadopt a participative leadership style : fostering collective intelligence, co-constructing decisions, empowering teams to take responsibility for key issues.

Gaining influence to make things happen

Having a good idea isn't enough. You have to know how to move it forward in the organization.

An effective leader doesn't wait for others to validate his point of view: he creates the conditions for his ideas to resonate, even outside his direct perimeter.

It's not a question of authority or power. It's about being able to mobilize the right relays, to make your messages clear, to speak up at key moments. Not to manipulate, but to advance your projects and engage your contacts.

3 concrete ways to strengthen your internal influence :

• Work on your messages Too often, leaders formulate their ideas in a vague or incomplete way, which hinders buy-in. Structuring your message, making your intentions clear and anchoring your arguments in the reality on the ground makes all the difference.
  
  

• Mobilizing the right contacts Influence doesn't happen alone. Identifying key stakeholders, involving the right people at the right time, and building internal coalitions can get messages across far more effectively than pushing alone.
  
  

• Assuming your position: being influential also means knowing how to say no, arbitrate and reframe - without avoiding tension. This means moving away from the role of "good student" to that of "strategic partner", capable of defending a clear line.

Discover: NUMA resource kit for structuring your speech and communicating with impact. 

Developing leadership in others

A leader who concentrates power ends up holding back his team. Conversely, a good leader distributes autonomy, creates the conditions for development, and encourages responsibility.

Three levers for spreading leadership:

• Clear delegation and empowerment
  
  
• Provide regular, useful feedback
  
  
• Organizing development conversations

This is also where inclusive leadership comes in: creating an environment where everyone, whatever their personality, experience or background, can express themselves, progress and contribute. It's not a question of intention, but of framework, posture and concrete action on a daily basis.

Women leaders: supporting trajectories, moving the lines

Becoming a leader doesn't always mean you've got the codes. This is even truer for women, who sometimes find themselves navigating between paradoxical injunctions, implicit biases and unclear expectations, particularly in environments that are still highly standardized.

• Being "legitimate" but not always listened to.
• Being "competent" but too discreet.
• Be "ambitious" without being perceived as aggressive.

The subject is not a matter of quotas, but of posture, empowerment and trust.

At NUMA, we support a large number of women leaders - both those with potential and those already in the job market - in programs designed specifically for them, with an approach that is both demanding and caring.

Objective: to anchor their leadership in their uniqueness, and remove the concrete obstacles they encounter in the field.

Customized support, designed with committed companies:

In 2023, Air France and NUMA launched a Women Leaders program for employees recently appointed or about to be appointed to management positions. The program was conceived as one of the pillars of the company's career development strategy, in line with its sixth agreement on professional equality.

At Bel, parity is not an abstract concept: it is already well established at middle management level. But as in many organizations, a glass ceiling remains when it comes to management positions. How can we support women in this transition? How can we help them to feel fully legitimate in taking this step, in an environment still marked by certain implicit norms?

At Euronext, diversity is a strategic priority. And not just on paper: the issue of female leadership is part of a global ESG plan, structured and supported directly by top management. They have chosen to roll out the Women Leaders course to around twenty female employees. The aim is to help women assert their positions, develop their assertiveness, and dare to position themselves in positions of responsibility.

And to find out more, discover the replay and associated summary of the webinar: 8 secrets for a women's leadership program that engages and transforms.

Supporting leaders over the long term 

Leadership development is not a one-off workshop or annual seminar. A leader's skills are built up over time, through action, stepping back and confronting reality. That's why the most mature organizations no longer speak of "leadership training", but of continuous development paths.

Because what is expected of a leader today - embodying a vision, steering performance, listening, reframing, delegating, influencing - cannot be learned in the classroom, but in the field. And they need to be equipped, supported and given the right reference points to progress in their posture.

The ingredients of effective support :

• Short, real-world formats: rather than theoretical modules, focus on practical workshops, centered on concrete cases from managers' day-to-day lives.

• Peer learning communities: Create spaces where leaders can exchange practices, share doubts, challenge each other and progress together.

• Hybrid systems: Mixing methods to reinforce anchoring: training, individual or group coaching, open-access resources, internal challenges, post-training anchoring.

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