Who are you as a leader?
My personal leadership style has evolved over the years. As a young man in a leadership role, I never wanted to make those tough decisions that might upset a coworker. Additionally, I made decisions without respect for any repercussions and was overaggressive to the point of carelessness. But after a while, having had a taste of failure, I evolved into a more seasoned business leader who sought consultation from those who had the experience I lacked. And I found that the more insights I gained from said leaders, the more conservative, patient and powerful my approach became.
As a coach, developing leadership is the most common theme that I address with my clients. All businesses have someone or multiple people who are giving direction to a group or the entire business. It’s an important role that can determine the successes or failures of the operation as a whole.
Being deliberate is the cornerstone of my latest leadership style. I always ask my clients who are looking to improve their leadership style to identify the leaders in their life who have had the most influence in their lives. Further, I ask what it is about those leaders that made a meaningful impact on them.
My biggest influencers were always charismatic, social, networking machines. They made me see my blind spots by asking questions about things I knew nothing about and had never even thought about! The leaders that shaped my own leadership were always pushing me to think, think, think! Their actions were bold but calculated, their decisions were ethical and their strong moral fiber was a driving factor in all aspects of their lives.
I find that the same qualities I respected in them to be the ones that I have adopted myself, as a leader and a coach.