Which kind of leader are you?
As you may know by now, I have worked as a consultant for much of my professional life. Over the past 4 years, however, I have been moving more and more towards training and coaching Business Leaders, IT Managers and Project Leaders. My work as a consultant has taken me to several major firms and New York City agencies giving me a front row seat to a lot of different leadership styles and the quality of the results each of those styles achieved. I observed leaders that personified the kind of leader I never hope to be and quite frankly hope that none of you are nor aspire to be – uninterested, detached and controlling. There were times when all the focus was on policy and not the people and the results that mattered.
During my consulting years, I also witnessed a very different kind of leadership – inclusive, open and relational. The people who practice this type of leadership approach every interaction, not as a business transaction, but as another touch in their relationship with a team member, a peer or superior in the hierarchy. They are what we call transformational leaders. I admire those individuals and commend them for being such kind of leaders in cultures that at times do not promote that style of leadership. Those leaders, the one that exemplified the kind of leadership that gets the best results, encourage me to further my research and study into leadership and drivers of team engagement, performance, and results. And my hope is that you’ll continue this journey with me because there is a lot to learn.
So again, I pose the question, which kind of leader are you?
If you’re not the kind of leader you hope to be yet, what are you doing to make sure you become that kind of leader?
A lot of people think great leaders are born but I know and believe differently. And so I want to leave you with this quote from Vince Lombardi, which I think is very appropriate.
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”
~ Vince Lombardi
Until next time, hold your image of the kind of leader you wish to become.
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