Over the years I have greatly increased my leadership skills. And, over this same time frame I’ve been better able to adapt my style to the many styles I often deal with. After so many years you begin to learn about yourself, and about how you interact with others and how they perceive you. The Insights Profile has reaffirmed my leader style and helped reinforce areas where improvement is needed.
Since I have been in many varying leadership situations I’ve learned to switch styles. At times, and unfortunately so, I can use a coercive style, but I don’t often employ this style. As necessary, I will use an authoritative approach but try to avoid this as with the coercive approach. In all of my positions I’ve tried to be a developer of others, a coach and mentor.
For me there are six key leadership rules or principles to be employed and regardless of leadership style:
1. Take time out to reflect on your daily actions and behaviors. Reflection helps to put things in perspective, and heightens the learning process.
2. Trade minds with people you want to influence. Try to get into their head to better understand them.
3. Think progress, push for progress, and also believe in progress. Change is not only inevitable but it is desired.
4. When making decisions, make them as quickly as possible. As one CEO often told me: “There’s not a decision that you make that can’t be quickly changed.” He was absolutely right.
5. Learn from everyone around you. Don’t repeat your mistakes or the mistakes of others.
6. Apply continuous active learning. Make sure your Barnes & Noble member card is renewed and used often. Get the latest books published in management, leadership, ethics, and business processes. Subscribe to the HBR and as many trade publications as possible.
The above six practices will help a leader to identify his or her style and adapt it as necessary.
