What is your unique leadership style? I’ve written about the importance of being a flexible leader in The Best Leaders Flex Their Style. To further build on that discussion it’s important to know how your unique style helps you influence others. There are four distinct leadership styles that I based on the HBDI, Herman Brain Dominance Instrument, an assessment that provides companies with insight into different thinking styles. Whether you have the opportunity to take an assessment or not, I hope you will think about your unique style. Which leader is most like you?
Analytical leader takes information and makes decisions based on facts in a very logical and analytical manner. It’s important for this leader to have a good grasp of the available data and information before making a vital decision. This prevents missteps and helps the organization avoid jumping into a situation that could prove costly to the bottom line.
Planful leader takes a practical approach to decision making. They work off of a plan and focus on getting things done in an organized and timely fashion. This leader attempts to mitigate the business risk to ensure projects are implemented successfully. Planful leaders help organizations identify best practices and lay the tracks for critical processes before unnecessarily pulling the trigger.
Interpersonal leader builds consensus to arrive at win-win decisions. They are empathetic leaders who care about the needs of the team and place importance on building personal relationships. Interpersonal leaders tend to be intuitive about the impact decisions have on others and look for ways to ensure everyone is on the same page to minimize conflict.
Visionary leader sees the big picture and takes a strategic approach to decision making. This leader is willing to take risks and challenge convention more so than their counterparts. They apply out-of-the box thinking to solve business problems. Visionary leaders constantly challenge their employees to avoid stagnation and to look for new ideas and approaches to remain competitive.
While we employ more than one leadership style, we leverage these different strategies at different times and with different people and in different situations. The flexible leader knows how to match their style to the situation and balance all four of these styles to be effective. Regardless of what process, tool or assessment you use for self-awareness, it’s essential to think through how you can leverage your strengths to engage and empower those around you. How well balanced are you in these approaches and where do you struggle?
In a follow-up, I will delve into the flip side of these approaches and explore instances where these leadership styles may be less effective.
Sage Alliance, a Leadership Performance Company, provides coaching, teambuilding and assessments, workshops and speaking on topics including; leadership development, empowering teams, communications, lasting impressions, personal branding and building a coaching culture for executives and high-potentials – for both team and individual leaders.
Contact us today to discover how your organization can get the most through improved productivity, efficiency and direct impact to your bottom line, while leaders gain powerful insight, crystallize opportunities for growth and fine tune their strengths, enabling them to make the greatest impact. You can contact Shelley Hammell directly at shammell@thesagealliance.com.