Chameleon Leadership and Traits to Serve on a Global Scale

Abstract

Global business equates for billions and billions in revenue. Yet, global business brings a diverse complexity with the nature of its operations. In order for businesses to operate on a global scale, leaders must have the ability and wherewithal to understand environments of this magnitude. Chameleon leaders embody traits that give them the knowledge and style to serve on a global scale. Chameleon leaders are adaptive and blend into diverse work environments while creating a conducive environment that promotes equity and inclusion, to promote successful and impactful leadership. Chameleons do not change their core, but they do have the mechanisms to alter their dimensions to blend in and to survive in unfamiliar environments. Chameleon leaders maneuver in a similar fashion by blending into new or different environments while maintaining the core values and traits that accompany their leadership style. Most organizations operate domestically and globally, so it is crucial to fabricate leaders who can lead and thrive in global surroundings. Chameleon leaders can emerge when businesses ensure that leaders lead with seven key core competencies.

1. Introduction

What is leadership and its relevance to organizations?: Leadership has been a trending topic for decades. Leadership is discussed in elementary school, middle school, high school, university, and industry. There is no sector or no area of life where leaders are not needed [1]. Leaders are essential to the evolution of life and the progression of organizational development. Yet, leadership is required from a broad perspective and an inclusive viewpoint [2]. When an individual leads their followers or others, it is crucial to welcome disparate outlooks rather than their invested tunnel vision. A global stance is all-encompassing and involve an interconnected slant. Some might argue that this angle encourages empathy, inciting leaders to raise their level of awareness and to walk in other people shoes or to embrace their perspectives.

This form of leadership creates a dichotomy that enables leaders to vacillate between following and leading in a given environment. In other words, it provides leaders with the ability to engage in decentralized management rather than centralized management approach. Decentralized management transfer decision-making power from upper-level management to middle and lower-level management [3]. This empowers employees to make decisions in a more efficient and effective fashion while centralized management limits power to upper-level management. When leaders lead from a global perspective, leaders tend to welcome diverse opinions and attitudes for the overall good of a collective goal or team. This global paradigm shift demand leaders who are willing to embrace and to adopt other culture norms to produce buy-in from different people.

2. Chameleon leadership impact in today’s organizations

What is a chameleon? This is the question that should drive anyone who chooses to read this chapter. This rudimentary question sets a foundation for one’s understanding of chameleon leadership and for some advantageous principles derived from a chameleon. A chameleon is a reptile that has the ability to change its skin, and these changes can enable this creature to adapt and to blend into different environments. Some would argue that many people act as Chameleons, by the way they change their clothes, attitudes, and/or behaviors to placate cultures and subcultures to survive, psychologically and/or materialistic matters [4]. Chameleon leadership started as a conceptual idea, and this concept focused on leaders’ abilities to adjust their attitudes and behaviors to lead unique environments. This conceptual idea was published in 2011, but since then, there have been several authors/researchers who defined chameleon leaders in a disparate fashion.

One author depicts chameleon leaders as deceptive individuals who employs chicanery and deceptive practices to appear effective and efficient as leaders. For example, this particular author surmises that these leaders create chaos and crisis, and then, use their leadership skills to solve those self-created issues. I have an issue with this author’s synopsis because I do not perceive those cute little reptiles as deceptive and capable of promoting chaos. On the contrary to deceptive manners, chameleons are quiet and provides a hint of stillness and calmness to an environment [5, 6]. From my experience, calm leaders tend to observe, listen, and think prior to making complicated decisions. Who would not want a leader who possess those attributes? Chameleon leaders will be viewed as adaptable and welcoming to unpredictable situations; they will embody a fearlessness approach towards change. These individuals view change as a necessary corollary to organizational progression and personal development.

Today’s businesses have faced constant change, from a pandemic, politics, and economy, to name a few. These issues have impacted local and global economies, requiring today’s leaders to be strategically reactive and proactive, to ensure that their organizations survive and thrive in the modern era of doing business. Chameleon leadership offers individuals an opportunity to mirror different cultures, behaviors, attitudes, and communication patterns while leading from an authentic presence. The idea is for one to develop a fearlessness approach towards change and to envision change as a necessity to future success. Ultimately, this notion incites the individual to adapt and to adopt the change appropriate for their interactions. This paradigm shift is similar to situational leadership, but chameleon leadership focuses on altering one’s traits and leadership tactics rather than their leadership style. More specifically, situational leadership encourages leaders to choose the right style for the right people.

For example, a general in the air force might tend to utilize an autocratic leadership to tell younger airmen with minimal experience how to comport themselves in war situations. However, this same general might change his/her leadership style to a democratic leadership style when he is working with other generals to formulate an invasive strategy in a war zone area. Chameleon leaders do not shift their leadership styles, instead, they tend to embody traits that creates commonality in their known or unknown environments. Chameleon leaders are vastly different from Machiavellian leaders and transformational leaders. Machiavellian [7] leaders apply personal power to lie, manipulate, and coercion to persuade others to serve their set objective, meaning the “ends justify the means”. Transformational leaders focus on bringing the best out of individuals and building them to be leaders. Transformational leaders encourage and inspire their followers to align their attitudes and actions to create meaningful change [8].

Chameleon leaders welcome change and blend in to chaos and crisis situations while they continue to use their strengths to guide their followers. Yet, chameleon leaders are not trying to manipulate others, and they are not focusing on changing followers’ behaviors. Chameleon leadership is about the leader and the leaders’ attitudes and actions.

2.1 Method of chameleon leadership

Chameleon leadership is conceptual idea that became a phenomenon. In 2011, Williams et al. [9] coin chameleon leadership as a fearlessness approach to change management situations. There were 20 various managers from North Carolina who shared their lived youth sport and management experiences. The researchers used a phenomenological study to explore managers’ experiences and interpretations showed patterns of managers having a proclivity to welcome challenges in complex organizations and in diverse working groups [10]. Participants were selected through a purposeful sampling due to the nature of the study. Managers were sought who played youth sports and who held a management position in North Carolina, for 3–5 years.

A snowball technique was employed from a personal contact being interviewed; the personal contact provided names of other potential participants who displayed required attributes for this qualitative study. Denzin and Lincoln [11] created this systematic process to ensure purposive sampling remain effective and efficient for acquiring participants. Researches utilized semi-structured face-to-face interviews during two separate interview sessions to reach saturation. Participants were assigned a code to protect their identities, and interviews were tape-recorded while the researcher took personal notes of verbal and nonverbal behavioral cues. Interviews were analyzed, interpreted, and coded for themes and patterns using Nvivo.

2.2 Global traits that are tied to successful leadership

Effective leadership traits are not just paramount to leading small organizations, but they are traits employed to successfully lead companies on a global scale [12]. These traits are the underpinnings of all impactful leadership styles. Depending upon the research study, there can be as many as 15 different traits. Yet, for this chapter, there are 10 that should be integrated in every leadership style. Leadership traits are principles that guide leaders’ attitudes and behaviors towards decision-making and relationship-building. These principles can help to ensure leaders remain authentic, effective, and efficient when managing processes and inspiring colleagues in their respective organizations and/or environments. Global leaders have the same productive traits, but they think from an intentional DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) outlook.

Colleges and universities design curriculum that provide students with core competencies needed to succeed and to make a positive impact in hospitality and tourism businesses [13, 14]. NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) uses data to determine the core competencies for a productive and career readiness workforce. Those seven core competencies are global traits recommended for future leaders. The following are the core competencies: self-managing, communication, critical thinking, equity & inclusion, professionalism, teamwork, and technology [15]. However, these traits cannot come alive and thrive until individuals learn how to self-manage themselves and to comport themselves in an authentic fashion.

2.3 Self-managing

Self-managing is a crucial trait of chameleon leadership. This trait ensures a leader governs their own actions, attitudes, and behaviors. Meaning, self-managing is anchored in accountability. The notion associated with this trait surmises that an individual must first manage self before they can manage or guide others. Chameleon leaders blend into environments while maintaining their authenticity and handling stress, to create a balance, personally and professionally. Many students tend to enter colleges and many entry-level employees tend to enter work environments assuming that they are not leaders. Most people assume leaders are created when someone in higher authority anoints them with some official title [16, 17]. This misconception surmises that leaders are tethered to someone with authoritative power rather than influential power. What is the difference between the two powers and how do they relate to self-managing in chameleon leadership? Authoritative power is bestowed to an individual to execute decisions while influential power is one’s ability to persuade others to align to their collective goal or idea.

Chameleon leaders are adept at managing challenges and utilizing empathy when they deal with employees who might struggle during high-pressure situations. Exceptional leaders do not rely on authoritative power to adapt to difficult tasks, situations, and interactions; yet, influential power provides individuals with the wherewithal to inspire followers to buy-in and to align to their set objectives. Self-managing should be perceived as “self-mastery,” which means leaders maintain self-control and sustain discipline in their actions. However, chameleon leaders do not enable this self-managing trait to restrict their pliable nature to pivot in diverse environments. Effective leaders know that leadership begins and ends as a personal journey, so it is pivotal for leaders to engage in self-managing to become the best version of themselves. Once leaders understand one’s self, they must transmute that maturity into effectual communication, to inspire their followers.

2.4 Communication

Communication furnishes leaders with a medium to deliver information vital to their organization [18]. This information can be essential to demonstrating a leader’s competency level, assisting in proffering one of the four traits that researchers suggested followers saw in their leaders. Those four traits were honesty, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent. These traits are essential to exchange information, ideas, facts, and outlooks with individuals inside and outside of their milieus. Communication seems simple when we breakdown the process. Communication requires a sender and a receiver; the sender encodes their message by choosing verbal and nonverbal cues. The receiver decodes the message and interpret it for understanding and for feedback. Leaders must be able to communicate with active listening skills, persuasive rhetoric, and influencing nonverbal and verbal tactics [19, 20].

Chameleon leaders have the ability to organize their thoughts and to couch conversations that match unique settings. Chameleon leaders frame discourse to welcome diversity of thought and learning styles, employing varied communication styles and cultural differences. One of the most important aspects of chameleon leaders is to ask questions to gather specific information, to ensure information aligns with set objectives to present contextual outcomes that might benefit the greater good of the team. Chameleon leaders use their honesty, vision, persuasion, and intellect to lead during crisis and chaotic situations. Chameleon leaders need critical thinking to deliver their messages with clarity and to inform followers how to perform assigned tasks.

2.5 Critical thinking

Critical thinking has been a constant trait for leading globally. Critical thinking has also been a buzz word for resumes and for universities, to appeal to and to attract the best and brightest scholars. Critical thinking is more than an attractive word; critical thinking is a skill associated with action and proactive behaviors. Leaders are expected to diagnosis problems and/or situations and to respond according to the situational context and information be presented. This effort requires a basic understanding of self and an ability to communicate in all types of settings. Chameleon leaders blend in and take a fearlessness approach due to their ability to judge and to read situations based on limited data and to react appropriately. In global environments, there are many variables that might influence the overall situational context. Chameleon leaders operate with logical and rational reasoning by gathering and analyzing all information being presented prior to making a sound decision.

Chameleon leaders remain poised while combing through information, to ensure followers maintain a level of calmness. This is extremely important in global leadership because nonverbal cues that indicate stress or panic can present more challenges in global environments. The language barrier and compounding stress cues can create a level of distrust and ultimately an uninspired work environment. Critical thinking could enhance one’s ability to welcome and to embrace followers or employees from diverse backgrounds. Critical thinking challenges leaders to be open-minded and to view challenges as opportunities while understanding the holistic makeup of people and situations [21]. Chameleon leaders utilize critical thinking on a daily basis to assess familiar and unfamiliar situations without losing motivation and without diminishing their confidence. This trait enhances their ability to circumvent some situations and to broach some situations head-on.

2.6 Equity and inclusion

What is equity and inclusion? Prior to answering this question, diversity needs to be discussed. Diversity is the state of including or involving people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, races, genders, or etc. Simply put, it is seeing the beauty of different people and welcoming them to the same space. Does this approach ensure equity and inclusion? The answer is “no,” and it is now appropriate to discuss equity and inclusion and what it takes to ensure equity and inclusion happens in organizations or shared spaces. Everything begins with the individual, the leader, so a chameleon leader must utilize their awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skill ensure equity for all members. Chameleon leaders should actively engage in anti-racist practices by designing systems and policies that eliminate racism and promote different local and global cultures [22, 23]. Equity focuses on providing resources to match an individuals’ needs and is based on others’ resources or opportunities rather than providing individuals with the same resources (equality).

Inclusion involves giving equal access to opportunities and resources for people who tend to be excluded and/or marginalized in specific spaces. As chameleon leaders, equity and inclusion must serve as the undergird of their decision-making [24]. This collective outlook serves as effectual tactics for productive global leadership. When everyone feels valued and vested in an organization, they develop an unconditional love and a desire to see the organization progress [25, 26, 27]. This universal investment and attitude is the key to ensure leaders can serve and thrive in global environments. Chameleon leaders have the ability to weave in this equity and inclusion perspective to establish and sustain success in all settings.

2.7 Professionalism

Chameleon leaders should model behavior that is indicative of an inclusive work environment. An environment that practices civility, collegiality, and equity. All work environments have policies and procedures that builds should build a culture that promotes integrity and individual accountability. This culture should encourage and act with individual and collective integrity and accountability, to maintain extreme accountability and positive personal brand. Professionalism requires leaders to know effective work habits and actions in the interest of the workplace. Chameleon leaders stay present and arrive prepared to raise their level of awareness, to demonstrate accountability. Employees mirror productive behavior when leaders reinforce those behaviors with positive rewards. Chameleon leaders learn to prioritize tasks according to the level of organizational goals and/or importance.

Chameleon leaders do not merely complete goals, they exceed goals and expectations. These leaders embody discipline and stay consistent while paying attention to detail and showing high level of commitment towards doing a great job. Chameleon leaders strive for excellence and inspire followers to strive for a high-level of excellence. Professionalism extends beyond one’s appearance and ability to speak appropriately in their work environment. Chameleon leaders exhibit influential power and motivate followers to align their attitudes and actions to the work culture. Productive work habits play a significant role to conducive equity and inclusion. Professionalism incites a collective team approach, and chameleon leaders are the consummate team players. Global leadership relies on collaborative and successful teamwork [28, 29].

2.8 Teamwork

Global leadership requires all hands-on deck. It is a team effort that ensures organizations expand their reach, domestically and globally. Teamwork focuses on collaborative relationships that strive to achieve common goals while including disparate outlooks in an equitable environment. Chameleon leaders focus on serving and supporting team members by placing them in positions that highlight and placate their strengths. This can only happen when chameleon leaders are willing to listen intently and to give grace throughout the process. Followers or employees feel more relaxed, and they are more willing to elaborate on challenges or issues that might impede the organization’s mission. Chameleon leaders should ask questions without interrupting and defending their position. When conflict arise, and it will arise; chameleon leaders mitigate conflict by respecting diverse personalities and by meeting unclearness with transparency. Chameleon leaders demonstrate to team members how to hold themselves accountable in the confines of their team and how to focus on team responsibilities and deliverables.

Chameleon leaders set members up for success by aligning their talents and strengths with comparable tasks, to complement the efforts of other team members. Chameleon leaders compromise to placate the needs of employees or situations, to exhibit a pliable frame of reference regarding workplace challenges. This behavior empowers and encourages followers to maneuver in the same fashion. Chameleon leaders make sure to involve key stakeholders prior to making a decision, to create buy-in and to show a willingness to collaborate with others to achieve a common goal. Chameleon leaders are responsible for generating optimism and positivity in their work environment, to build strong and positive working relationships [30, 31]. Chameleon leaders can exhibit this attitude in face-to-face interactions, group settings, and email messages. Technology plays a vital role in setting the tone for leadership in today’s culture and work environments.

2.9 Technology

Technology is a tool utilized for enhancing our business practices and for accomplishing our collective goals. Technology should enhance collaboration, equity, and efficacy in work environments. Yet, technology can serve as a distraction and a hinderance when it is not properly introduced or people are not trained to handle new technologies. Chameleon leaders are responsible for integrating new technologies into work environments by being well-versed on its capabilities and by providing training sessions, to demonstrate its abilities and to address in concerns from team members. Chameleon leaders ensure team members learn how to navigate change and learn how to incorporate new technologies into their day-to-day business practices. It is important for leaders to remain open to learning new technologies because it might inspire team members to follow suit. Chameleon leaders must maintain patience as followers learn to adapt to unfamiliar new technologies. Chameleon leaders have to show that this new technology serves the greater good of the team and works towards established objectives and strategic goals.

Chameleon leaders need to distinguish between technology trends and organizational needs. This can serve as a guide for transparent communication and team collaboration. Chameleon leaders blend into environments and make them function according to industry needs and standards. However, they carry out these functions while inspiring team members to adapt and to adopt new changes that provides their organization with a vantage point over competition. Chameleon leaders view technology as a tool that proffers support to the mission and vision of the team.

3. Conclusion

Leadership is an essential skill set needed to ensure organizations build for a global scale. There requires an exceptional leader to lead teams to think more broadly and to function on a global scale. Chameleon leaders take the time to learn their strengths and weaknesses and to employ this information to guide team members towards collective goals. Various industries have created a task force in 2017 to decide what traits were needed to be career ready for undergraduate students. Chameleon leaders embody all traits mentioned by NACE. Chameleon leaders develop self-awareness to self-manage, communicate with transparency, think critically, lead with equity and inclusion, manage with professionalism, collaborative teamwork, and integrative technology. Chameleon leaders utilize these traits to welcome and to embrace diverse perspectives and cultures. Chameleon leaders should have the ability to adapt to conflict and crisis situations while using traits that prepare them to lead on a global scale.

In the future, there will be situations that require leaders to blend into unfamiliar environments and situations while be able to positively impact their work place. The way to ensure leaders remain productive; leaders must be willing to blend in and to employ productive traits for a global market.

Acknowledgments

I am grateful for the University of Tennessee for providing me with leadership responsibilities and opportunities to enhance my leadership outlook. Also, I appreciate the computer and space to create this intellectual property.

Notes/thanks/other declarations

Thank you to my lovely wife (Latoya Williams) for providing me with the time and space to work and to create this book chapter. She has been the greatest support to my career.