I find that I interact with others by finding common ground and/or shared experiences. This allows people to better relate to what you saying and understand the points you are trying to make. I think that if a person cannot relate to you and thinks you are different from them, then they believe you will not understand them. Its like speaking to someone who does not know your language...its hard to put effort into the conversation when you know they can't understand you.
I think I am a very participative leader that likes to lead by example. I would never have someone do something that I would not do myself. I think this is more in my nature rather than a style that I have learned. I think I am a good communicator and can read people well. This helps as a leader because I can usually spot personality conflicts in the team and address them specifically before the affect the dynamic and/or effectiveness of the entire team.
I usually find that teams respond positively to my leadership style as I like to incorporate ideas from all team members and encourage discussion and debate amongst the team. There are no stupid questions or suggestions (almost none ;-)) I find that I am demanding from my team especially if I know they are slacking. I like to keep people honest but also like to have fun while working in teams. If you can succeed as a team and have fun at the same time then I am happy....life is too short not to have some fun at whatever you are doing.
Brett, your leadership strikes a good balance between professionalism and light heartedness. This I think is a great style to hold especially in difficult situations when dealing with rigid peers or for all you know - your boss.
ReplyDeleteBrett,
ReplyDeleteThe ability to read people well combined with the courage to address conflicts early is extremely important in developing an effective leadership style. The first point, the ability to read people well is a great starting point for the point Carlton made, the ability to put yourself in other people's shoes. It is much easier to do this if you are able to read people well. Once you have a good idea of what makes them tick, it’s a natural progression from there to imagining yourself in their position. The ability to read people well is also very helpful in helping to spot personality conflicts. Spotting conflicts, however, is useless if you don’t have the courage to confront them early on. I agree that an important leadership quality is to not be afraid of conflict. Conflict is not a bad thing if it is addressed early because it gives the team a better understanding of each other, and resolves a lot of problems before they have a chance to form. It’s kind of similar to the lean start-up process. If you can spot small problems and pivot early, you can prevent them from becoming big problems. The same idea applies in a team. If you can spot a conflict and address it early, you can prevent a lot of problems from forming and becoming big issues in the future.
Nice Brett. I like your leadership style. I think you get more friends like that and people appreciate your honesty. Many leaders don't have that intuitive side and tend to close their eyes to situations or comments, which will escalate to become much bigger than should.
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