Less Than 10% of Leaders Are Versatile. What Does That Mean?

The state of Leadership

Let’s face it: the state of leadership is not as strong as it could be. 

Fewer than 10% of leaders consistently display the range of behaviors needed to be effective across different situations. But that does not mean the other 90% are completely incompetent. It means they are not sufficiently versatile.

Many leaders struggle to adapt their behaviour to the situation at hand. They may lack complementary behaviours, the ability to balance decisiveness with inclusion, strategic direction with operational discipline, or support with constructive challenge.

Most of these leaders are probably doing what they genuinely believe is best. Often, they rely on the behaviours that have worked for them in the past and that they feel most comfortable using.

But when we rely exclusively on our strengths, we tend to overuse them. When strengths are overused, they become weaknesses. We risk turning into caricatures of ourselves. Eventually, we fail in situations that require a different response because we keep repeating the behaviors we believe made us successful.

If fewer than 10% of leaders are truly versatile, what about the other 90%?

What about the other 90%?

Many are trying. Some may not be—and may simply assume that this is as good as leadership gets.

A small proportion of leaders are genuinely toxic. Estimates vary, but they remain a minority. The much larger challenge is ineffective leadership: leaders who overdo certain behaviors, underdo others, or withdraw altogether.

Hogan describes the last group as “absentee leaders.” They may hold leadership positions, but they are not meaningfully present when their people need direction, decisions, feedback, or support.

We need to address this, not by labeling 90% of leaders as hopelessly incompetent, but by helping them recognize where their behavior is out of balance and develop a broader repertoire.

The Leadership Versatility Index

The Leadership Versatility Index (LVI, Kaiser Leadership Systems) can support that work. We use this tool to organize 360-degree feedback, sparingly and under the right conditions. Feedback alone is not the answer. Its value depends on timing, context, and a leader’s willingness to act on what it reveals.

The real issue is not whether leaders have strengths. Almost all of them do.

The question is whether they can use those strengths in the right measure at the right moment. And whether they can respond differently when the situation demands it. Then, a leader becomes effective.