Self-leadership, family leadership, work-team leadership, and community leadership are all about people learning to tap into and trust their leadership potential and their leadership style!The workbook companion to Leveraging Your Leadership Style provides practical exercises through which leaders can begin to apply their leadership style (determined through the book’s exclusive behavioral assessment) to their own careers and organizations. Case studies offer users the opportunity to analyze how they would respond to various leadership situations, in light of their leadership style and that of others in the scenario. Through their tried-and-true, seminar-tested techniques, Bossé-Smith and Jackson help users reflect and capitalize on their own individual style of leadership.
Leveraging Your Leadership Style Workbook
By John JacksonAbingdon Press
Copyright © 2008 The United Methodist Publishing House
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-0-687-65059-0Chapter One
Building Bridges
Leveraging Your Leadership Style is all about positive and proactive influence in the context of healthy relationships. What that means in practical terms is that leaders have to learn to operate using their own leadership style in relationship (and sometimes in tension!) with everyone else on their team. Marcus Buckingham, author of First Break All the Rules, suggests that leaders need to understand several different aspects of those they work with:
Striving Talents, Thinking Talents, and Relating Talents
Striving talents explain the why of a person. They explain why we get out of bed every day, why we are motivated to push and push just that little bit harder.
Thinking talents explain the how of a person. They explain how we think, how we weigh alternatives, how we come to decisions.
Relating talents explain the who of a person. They explain whom we trust, whom we build relationships with, whom we confront and whom we ignore.
As you think about the striving, thinking, and relating talents of each of your team members, you will no doubt begin to reference our four leadership styles: Commander, Coach, Counselor, and Conductor. Each of the leadership styles has a different approach to being on the team and leading the team. For you as team leader or team participant, your challenge is to understand the "why," the "how," and the "who" of people's participation in and leadership of teams. The more you can understand yourself and others as well as the interaction between them, the more you'll leverage your leadership! This workbook will help you put into real-life practice the principles we described in the Leveraging Your Leadership Style book itself.
A Trip down Memory Lane
When I was a kid, my parents never liked owning a home. In fact, they have only ever owned one home. It had a pool and was really nice. But it took a lot of work, and it kept them from the one thing they loved for us to do together ... travel! I can't tell you how many "road trips" we took when I was a kid. In fact, one of the luxuries of my dad's 24-7 job was that we got three to four weeks of vacation every year. So as a kid, I learned to count vacations not in light of days gone from home, but in miles traveled! I complained terribly (mostly about riding in a cramped backseat with my three siblings), but as an adult, those trip memories are some of my greatest childhood treasures.
So I thought we'd take a short road trip together. I've become convinced that every team and every leader are a little bit like drivers and passengers on the road trips of my childhood. In fact, each trip is different based on what the driver is like. Think about the teams you serve on or perhaps the teams you lead. Do any of these road trip descriptions sound familiar to you?
Road Trip!
Road Trips with a Commander: Commanders are about achieving the goal. Finishing the journey is the most important thing. Well, not exactly. Finishing the trip is close to being the only thing! Getting there ahead of schedule, ahead of others and ahead of projected personal calculations are the primary objectives. If you are a passenger with a Commander, do not drink any water. Bathroom stops are highly discouraged! Side trips will only happen for this group if they are a shortcut! A passenger traveling with a Commander driver will finish the journey before anyone else. But, unless this group is full of Commanders, it is probably not the happiest carload of people.
Road Trips with a Coach: Coaches are about the team. Making sure that all the passengers in the vehicle are happy with each other is a key concern. Coaches develop a game plan that will help them complete the journey, but they are also very concerned that the team members are fulfilled on the journey. If you are a passenger with a Coach, be prepared for frequent rest stops to make sure everyone is "on-board." In fact, a side trip might even happen if everyone agrees that it would be fun. Passengers traveling with good Coach drivers will finish the journey—together.
Road Trips with a Counselor: Counselors are about the health of the individual. Counselors want to know that each person is fulfilled, living a life of purpose and meaning and also fulfilling their potential. Taking a road trip with a Counselor? Expect frequent probing, supportive, and penetrating questions about how you are experiencing the journey. Side trips for this group could happen if the driver is convinced that it would be personally enriching to each passenger. You will probably arrive at your destination later than most, but you will have a great deal more understanding of the journey you've traveled.
Road Trips with a Conductor: Conductors are about the strategy and the structure of the trip. Conductors will want to ensure that the trip is well planned, researched, and executed. Mileage markers (and bathroom stops!) will be known in advance and calculated. Conductors will start later than others because of the preparation time involved, but the overall efficiency of the trip should far surpass any other driving type; and if it doesn't, expect pressure! Passengers traveling with Conductors can rightly expect an on-time arrival with the most direct route planned in advance. Don't expect time for side trips on this bus; they don't fit into the efficient schedule the Conductor has planned.
So, have you taken a road trip with one of these drivers? Have you been one of these drivers? I hope you are smiling ... because I'll bet you recognize yourself in these drivers. I know I do (and I'm sure my poor family recognizes me as well)! Self-awareness is a key to leadership.
Let's Hit the Road
Growing and developing your work teams is a little bit like taking a road trip. Sometimes we can get cranky with our fellow passengers under ordinary circumstances; and if your team members have widely different styles, your road trip may feel more like crossing the plains in a covered wagon! You'll have to think through what kind of driver you are and what kind of passengers you have in your car. Spend a moment now and think that one through.
1. What kind of driver are you on a road trip? What is the highest value for you when you are taking a long journey?
___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
2. Pretend you are taking your family of four on a 500-mile road trip in your family car. How would you go about preparing for the trip? What would the trip be like for your passengers? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
3. Think for a moment about your team. Do they think just like you? Or are you often surprised (annoyed?) when they appear to have different values or priorities than you do? See if you can identify what type of driver each member of your primary team would be if they were taking a road trip. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
Making the Trip Together
In our history books, the true heroes and exceptional leaders did not make decisions from an ivory tower. Rather, they were in the trenches, alongside their troops. Consider giving your team this road trip exercise during a staff meeting or corporate retreat. Have everyone think about the above questions and then share what his or her potential road trip was like. Better yet, break the ice by having your team bring in and share a photo of their favorite road trip! Just as my family trips (and subsequent trips as an adult) taught me a great deal about others and myself, this exercise can really shed some light (and laughter) on your team.
I encourage you as a leader to take time for some short road trips for your team—especially your top management or executive staff. The more time you spend together, the stronger the bridge will be between you. Now, that is leveraging your leadership style!
Chapter Two
Create Stronger Relationships
I hope you enjoyed John's road trip analogy in chapter 1! For those who are fast-paced, you may want to skip right to the chapter focusing on your particular leadership style. However, if you are interested in understanding why it is so critical for you and your business to build stronger relationships, we invite you to join us for this chapter. Those who appreciate facts and statistics will definitely want to absorb this information. Research offers many insights into the value of relationships in organizations and what needs to be done in order to grow businesses beyond today.
We already know that leadership is all about relationships. And according to the American Management Association, the future of business depends upon them. With the aging of the population and a new breed of workers, businesses must respond correctly or we all could be in a world of hurt. Down to an interpersonal level, leaders need to pay attention to the changes in the marketplace in order to make necessary adaptations.
Job dissatisfaction is at an all-time high. AMA reports that only 29 percent of workers feel engaged on the job. Workers are no longer staying put and suffering through a poor work environment. Mark Sanborn, author of the best-selling book, The Fred Factor, states that the number one reason why employees leave is a lack of appreciation. Couple that with an upcoming shortage of people able to work (due to the retirement of baby boomers), and we had better pay attention and get more serious about the relationships we have with our employees.
I recently heard a story of a man who called an emergency meeting with his management staff to do something about the company's high turnover. He proposed that new incentives and benefits be introduced to entice employees to stay. A brave executive addressed the president and asked, "Sir, have you ever considered that we might be part of the problem?" You may have heard it said before: "People don't leave jobs; they leave bosses." Ouch! Although it can sting, as leaders we need to acknowledge and accept responsibility. The way we communicate, direct, coach, counsel, and conduct ourselves does impact the entire organization. If things aren't going as we would like, we need to look inward first before blaming processes. Certainly, all systems can be evaluated and possibly improved, but sometimes the problem lies within.
We're Not in Kansas Anymore!
The 2000 Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that by the year 2008 our country would have 5 to 6.2 million more jobs than people able to fill them, and they were right! Businesses are already feeling the crunch, having difficulty recruiting and retaining top talent. As leaders, we have to create stronger relationships and engage employees; money only goes so far as a motivator. Work environment is essential. Judith Glaser, author of Creating WE: Change I-Thinking to We-Thinking & Build a Healthy, Thriving Organization, points out that people want a place to develop and flourish. Employees want to be valued for their contributions and recognized for meeting those audacious goals management can set. In short, they want to be allowed to succeed. As leaders, we must provide that atmosphere. How? By knowing what people want.
Every one of your employees and customers has a unique set of issues and needs for you to consider. Caring enough to know your people will reduce your turnover and increase job satisfaction. By motivating, managing, encouraging and rewarding people based upon their unique preferences, you will save yourself a lot of heartache ... and money.
The president of a company I worked for many years ago impressed me so that I still remember it. He had run the company for twenty-five-plus years. We were at a trade show specific to our industry, and as he walked the floor, he greeted each and every person by his or her first name. This alone was amazing, given that he was greeting hundreds of people, but what really got me was how he remembered what was going on in their lives. He'd ask how their son was doing in college or if they recovered from the surgery they had last year. He truly took an interest in his customers, and had a gift for retaining the details of their lives—a gift that we don't all have. However, we can all get to know the people on our team intimately.
Bobby Bowden, head football coach for the Florida State Seminoles, lists compassion right alongside integrity and courage as key virtues of great leaders. According to Bowden, it is critical to not only be honest with your people and stand up for what you believe in but to have a deep love for those working under you.
I (Lorraine) have worked for numerous nonprofit organizations in my corporate career. Salaries are typically lower and the workload heavier than in other jobs. Yet, as a leader, I was able to build strong teams of employees who were satisfied and engaged. What I couldn't give them in monetary rewards I gave them in encouragement, support, and career enhancement. Never underestimate what training or a seminar can do for an employee. Besides improving their job skills, personnel often feel valued and appreciated. The underlying message they hear is clear: "They wouldn't invest in a deadbeat employee ... I must matter."
Make a Difference
I believe everyone wants to matter and to make a difference, regardless of his or her position. I also think the aging of our country's workforce is going to force everyone to lead better and be more creative with how they motivate, reward, and retain top talent. That's a good thing! Throwing money at problems never really solves them—it just hides them or delays the inevitable. As leaders, we must throw ourselves in, roll up our sleeves, and get relational.
Getting Serious
OK, so maybe you haven't done an exceptional job of building up your team up until now. Then start today. John Maxwell, leadership guru, reminds us that yesterday ended last night. He encourages us not to "overexaggerate yesterday or underestimate today because the one thing we have is today." We can't change our past decisions, but we can learn from them. What is incredible about doing the right things from this point forward is that you will dramatically change tomorrow. The future success of your business will be influenced by what you do today. Think for a moment about these questions:
1. How well do you know your employees? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
2. What could you do to get to know them better and to show your interest in their lives? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
3. Besides money, how could you show your employees that they matter to you? ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Leveraging Your Leadership Style Workbookby John Jackson Copyright © 2008 by The United Methodist Publishing House. Excerpted by permission of Abingdon Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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