The world of leadership is full of unseen forces shaping how you lead and how your team performs. One of the most powerful but often overlooked dynamics is what is known as The Support/Challenge Matrix, and it highlights your preference to naturally support or challenge those you lead.
Every leader leans naturally toward either high support (encouragement, empowerment, and guidance) or high challenge (accountability, high expectations, and tough conversations). Problems can arise when you are unaware of your tendency—whether you naturally support or challenge, leading to unintended consequences that can stifle growth, lower engagement, or create toxic environments.
Case Study: Unaware of The Matrix
Emma was the kind of leader everyone loved. She was high on support, low on challenge—always there to listen, always encouraging, and always willing to step in when someone was struggling. Her team felt safe to approach her but, over time, they also realised Emma was treating each team member differently she definitely had favourites. The team started to mistrust Emma’s leadership.
Decisions took too long, underperformance was tolerated, and innovation slowed. Without realising it, Emma had created a culture of entitlement rather than a culture of empowerment.
On the other side of the spectrum, there was James. He was naturally a high challenge, low support leader. Liked to get stuff done. His team knew what was expected of them, and James was clear on accountability. However, his lack of relational connection and tendency to blame made his leadership difficult to anticipate his team started to hide the truth. Over time, employees disengaged, morale dropped, and high performers left for more supportive environments.
Both Emma and James had fallen foul of The Matrix, unaware of how their leadership tendencies on support and challenge were negatively shaping their team’s culture. Does any of this resonate?
Learning to be a Liberating: 5 Steps
If you want to master The Matrix and create a high support, high challenge environment that liberates those you lead, here’s how:
- Identify Your Natural Tendency
Are you more naturally inclined to support or challenge? Reflect on past experiences—do you find it easier to encourage people or hold them accountable? Self-awareness is the first step to transformation. How do you react to conflict?
- Seek Honest Feedback
Ask your team or trusted colleagues: Do I provide too much support is that support helpful or divisive? What about too much challenge, are you concerned about how I will react to what you bring me? A blind spot in leadership can only be revealed through external input.
- Intentionally Lean into the Missing Side
If you are high support, low challenge, practice setting clear expectations and holding people accountable. Realise that team morale suffers when you try and please everyone. You end up pleasing no-one.
If you are high challenge, low support, work on building relationships with no agenda, develop your listening skills, and show you care.
- Use the 70/30 Rule
Aim to work most of the time – 70% as a rule of thumb in what are your natural tendencies. (where you naturally lead best) and keep those things that you can be skilled at but drain you to 30%. You can do 50/50 but not it is not sustainable (where you actively work on your weaker leadership tendency). This means you will operate out of the overflow of your energy.
- Take the 5 Voices Leadership Assessment
One of the best ways to gain clarity on your leadership style is through a tool like the 5 Voices Assessment. This will help you understand how you naturally operate (your onboard preferences) and give you practical strategies to balance support and challenge.
Are You Ready to Master The Matrix?
The most effective leaders are those who “liberate” those they lead by balancing support and challenge effectively. The good news? You don’t have to figure it out alone. Take the complimentary 5 Voices Assessment today and discover how you can lead with greater clarity, impact, and balance.
Click here to take your free assessment and unlock your leadership potential.
