My Leadership Style

November 2018

My leadership style

Greetings

When I think about my leadership style I have to think back to how it has changed and developed.  My early leadership style was very efficient and direct. I slowly began to learn this style did not work for everyone.  I think I am now beginning to adjust my leadership style to the needs of the group and the job.

I seem to have grown up in a very unusual family.  We were very straightforward.  We each said what we thought and we discussed our ideas.  Most of the time, we had reasonable discussions.  However with 5 girls in the house we also yelled and screamed our ideas at times but we were clear about what we thought.  So I expected other people also did the same.  People disagreeing with you did not hurt your feelings.  They just had different ideas.

Leadership training was part of some of the clubs I was involved in as a child.  4-H is a club for kids in farming areas that works on developing all kinds of skills.  We used Robertson’s rules of order in 4-H.  Robertson’s rules are a specific way to run meetings in a democratic way with motions and seconders and such.  By the time I was 17 I had been, treasurer, vice-president, club reporter and president of the Roland Stitch and Smile 4-H club. The adult supervisors were very hands off and we ran our fundraising and events under mostly our own direction. 

In university we did many group projects.  We had a limited amount of time and a lot to get done.  I did not value the touchy feely, how should we get started, well maybe we could, I was wondering what if, members of the group.  I often wondered why I became the unofficial leader of every group I was in.  I thought: We had a task to do, just say what you think, disagree if you want to, discuss it, decide and move on.  I may have been a bulldozer but my groups got their stuff done and usually got it done well.  As a group leader I felt I was able to get the ideas of the group, get to a decision, divide up the work and get going.

As a young teacher I began to learn about leadership styles.  I then began to find out about leaders who were more goal orientated and those who were more people oriented.  I realized that as a leader I was totally goal oriented.  What was the job of the group?  Let’s get at it!  I also began to learn that I was not getting the best participation and ideas out of all of the members of my group.  I found out that not everyone is willing or able to state their ideas without some encouragement and that many people will not disagree with what someone else has said even if that is not how they are thinking. 

I learned about assertiveness.  In assertiveness training you are expected to learn to state what you need or think in clear direct ways.  In assertiveness training I learned to be less assertive, which was not the point.  But I learned that my direct approach could cause others to be reluctant to participate.  I actually learned that it is often considered culturally appropriate for women to veil their ideas with prefaces like:  I think, or I was wondering if or if no one minds…  Assertiveness training was good for me.  I learned a lot about not being assertive and how that works. I started to value touchy feely group members.

I took a leadership course through my school division and learned much more about formal leadership.  I realized during one activity, that another participant in a task group and I, were gently vying to become the leader of the group.  I suddenly realized I did not need to be the leader of the group.  She could do it.  In fact she was welcome to it, since then I often watch, if someone else wants to be the leader of the group; I can bow out and let them.  No more, accidently becoming the leader of every group I was in.

According to the quizzes I did on line and on the TM website my current leadership style is democratic.   I like that.  Democratic leadership relies on group decision-making. A democratic leader is comfortable allowing others to occasionally take the lead. This leader motivates by providing opportunity for participation. This leader uses collaboration and communication to receive input from team members.  It has taken me years to get to a leadership style I like and believe in.

I noticed however my scores in all of the categories of leadership were very close.  This means my personal leadership style does not lead very strongly in any one direction.  I hope this means my leadership style is moving toward situational.  That is that I am learning to use the style of leadership that is appropriate to the situation and the people in the situation. 

Since I was a teenager, through my career until now my leadership style has been changing.  I am feeling good about where I am now with a combination approach.  I can’t wait to see how my leadership style continues to develop and change.  Toast Master’s is definitely part of that journey.