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“True leadership stems from individuality that is honestly and sometimes imperfectly expressed—Leaders should strive for authenticity over perfection”.
(Sheryl Sandberg)
Had a great lunch meeting and chat with one of my Orlando tree branches at the end of May. We were able to catch up before my scheduled guest speaking role on the Intern Pursuit podcast. Always love catching up with my tree branches in-person and jumped at the chance to hear the great things she was doing in Orlando with her small business marketing firm.
We were able to share professional and life updates during this visit and got into the concept of leadership in the workplace. Just general stuff but I’m a big believer in leadership development and the impact ‘good’ leadership can have on the work environment.
Most people have heard numerous leadership styles mentioned: transactional, transformational, authoritative, authentic, etc. I recommend new leaders have a good understanding of multiple leadership styles and then work to find their inner voice within the work environment.
What’s your inner voice? This concept can be used to determine your true leadership style and then put things into place to ensure your work environment and people can grow. I tell anyone who listens I’m a huge believer in the authentic leadership style. Guess what, authentic leadership takes some of the best aspects of other leadership styles and packages them into a concise, four variable approach to leadership. The variables of self-awareness, relational transparency, internalized moral perspective and balanced processing are used by authentic leaders to develop their inner leadership voice. An authentic leader needs to ensure these variables are on display and utilized daily to truly be an authentic leader.
Please note, all leadership styles have variables of some level. Transformational leaders are called ‘quiet leaders’ because they are described as leading by example. Transactional leaders can be viewed as reactive and ‘may’ be more beneficial within large corporation settings.
So, as you can see, there are a lot of leadership styles available to new and experienced leaders.
“It can be done. Leaders make things happen. If one approach doesn’t work, find another”.
(Colin Powell)
The key to finding your leadership inner voice is assessment of your work environment and flexibility. I can say I practice authentic leadership, but this style may not be practical for every direct report. A direct report who is not performing to standards may need daily transactional interactions whereas the rest of the staff thrive with the authentic leadership environment created. Knowing the needs of your staff is something that comes with experience, lots of reading and training. The ability to adapt to changing work situations and needs of direct reports allows a leader to impact the work environment in a positive manner.
It’s okay to take a personal interest in direct reports and things they are interested in. You may be able to adjust work assignments to keep them engaged based on strengths and interests. It’s also okay if you can’t accommodate everything your staff would like to do in the work environment. Example: staff may want to work from home but if that model does not fit the mission then it’s up to the leader to say so. Saying no in this situation is not a personal attack, it’s just the way the organization must operate.
A lot goes into being a leader. Understanding leadership styles, your strengths and weaknesses as well as continual learning will help as you develop your inner leadership voice.
“Outstanding leaders go out of the way to boost the self-esteem of their staff. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish”.
(Sam Walton)
Walk Into the Future 