Your Signature Leadership Style
When it comes to developing your ideal leadership style, it’s essential to consider how your personal values, strengths, and goals can shape the way you lead others. Thankfully, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. We are all unique and are most effective as leaders when we tailor our style to align with who we are and how we want to be remembered.
Over my 25+ years of leadership experience, I’ve spent a lot of time and energy developing my own leadership style and cultivating my presence. I started with clarifying my own values, better understanding my strengths (and my areas for growth!) and defining my leadership goals and legacy.
Below are the 3 ways you can begin to cultivate an authentic leadership style that reflects your values, strengths, and objectives.
- Identify Core Values
A terrific way to start developing your signature style is by identifying your core values. These values serve as the foundation for how you make decisions, communicate with others, and handle challenging situations. For example: if one of your core values is Integrity, then you may choose to lead with transparency and honesty in all your interactions.
With many of my leadership and executive coaching clients, I encourage them to clarify their core values at the beginning of our coaching relationship as these values will then serve as guideposts as we work towards their goals and develop their leadership style and presence. I often refer to Dr. Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead work to facilitate these conversations.
- Leverage Strengths
In addition to your core values, leveraging your strengths can also play a significant role in shaping your leadership style. By understanding what you excel at, you can use these strengths to your advantage when guiding and motivating your team. For instance, if you possess excellent communication skills, you may choose to focus on fostering open dialogue and collaboration within your team.
In support of my clients’ desires to elevate their leadership, I espouse a strength-based approach to coaching. I help my clients better appreciate and leverage their strengths through a few different assessment tools, including 360 assessments. With a deeper self-awareness of their strengths, they are able to maximize their natural gifts to truly shine as leaders. (Not to say that we shouldn’t focus on other areas for growth– we can and should, but I’m a firm believer in a strengths-based approach.)
- Define Goals
Setting clear goals for yourself and your team is another critical component of developing your ideal leadership style. By having a clear vision of what you want to achieve, you can effectively lead your team towards success. Additionally, regularly revisiting and reassessing your goals can help you stay on track and make necessary adjustments along the way.
At the risk of tooting my own horn, this is where I think professional coaches can add the greatest value to leaders. I can help you envisage what you’d like to achieve, set goals for yourself and your team, and work towards your vision and goals with your signature leadership style.
In conclusion, developing your ideal leadership style is a continuous journey that involves aligning your values, strengths, and goals with how you lead others. By taking the time to reflect on what matters most to you as a leader and leveraging your unique strengths, you can cultivate a style that is authentic and impactful. Remember, leadership is not about conforming to a specific mold but rather about embracing who you are and leading with purpose.
Ps: Interested in developing your own Leadership Style and amping up your Presence? From June to August, I’m offering a special package which includes a strengths assessment, Values exercise, and 3 x 60-minute coaching sessions to expedite your growth and maximize your leadership effectiveness. Contact me for more details on how to get started!
