“Fluent leadership” across gaps in age, gender, power, and culture is a great idea in theory, but how do you actually do it? How do you learn to “flex” in ways that genuinely improve your effectiveness and relationships with people who think and act differently from you?The basic principles are very simple––intuitive, even: know yourself and work to understand others. Why start with self-knowledge? Because most miscommunication begins with the unconscious assumptions we make about other people and the way we expect things to go. If you’re a forceful, direct personality, you may assume that quiet or indirect people are being insincere or hiding something, when in fact they may just be a bit introverted, or acculturated to a more diplomatic style. If you have a formal, traditional leadership style you may misread a younger person’s casual approach as insubordination, rather than a hallmark of her generation.Flex Individuals: Managers who can switch between leadership styles to...