Wrap Up – Your Leadership Style

This week we conclude the Leadership style quiz which focuses on “Lead From The Inside Out”. The first part was about self-discovery and was called “Lead Yourself“, and the 2nd part was about “Lead Others“

Writer/author John Addison from Success Magazine published this quiz which is broken down into 3 parts: 1) Lead Yourself 2) Lead Others 3) Lead From The Inside Out

As we stated before, First Lead Yourself, Then Lead Others is a topic PeopleTek has been sharing for years, and one of the reasons we found the quiz especially interesting. To be a highly effective leader you must first increase your “self” awareness levels, which positions you to better understand and relate to the styles of others, making you a more effective leader.

This brings us to Lead From The Inside Out. Mr. Addison stresses that leaders must have focus, and they must also practice and hone their leadership skills daily in order to be the type of leader they desire to be. This takes courage and commitment.

Quiz – Part 3 – Lead From the Inside Out

How do you earn your position?

A. I usually work alongside people so they will look to me as a leader later.
B. I have regular meetings to help people understand what’s expected of them, and I try to keep a positive attitude.
C. I do my best to lead by example, but my title is a big part of why people follow me.
D. I find that people follow me mainly because they like me and know I’m on their side.

How well do you focus on things within your control?

A. I focus on the next step in any process, and I show my team how to do this by example.
B. I focus on both the big picture and the process, but sometimes I become too worried.
C. I have no problem focusing on what I can control, but I have trouble getting others to do the same.
D. I communicate daily with people so they know exactly what I expect of them and can focus on their next step.

How do you deal with fear in yourself and others?

A. I believe hard work is the antidote to fear because if you keep moving, the fear can’t catch you.
B. I try to be available for my team members when they need to discuss their fears or concerns.
C. I don’t allow fear to stand in the way of my goals, and I tell my team to do the same.
D. I discuss my fears with my team members so they can relate to me as a human being.

Mr. Addison explains that there are 4 leadership styles:

A. The Hands-On Leader
B. The Developing Leader
C. The Lone Wolf Leader
D. The Inspirational Leader

If your answers were mostly “A”, you’re likely a Hands On Leader.

If your answers were mostly “B”, you’re likely a Developing Leader, etc.

Here’s an excerpt of Addison’s style definitions:

The Hands-On Leader

  • Humble, hard-working, willing to be a member of the team

The Developing Leader

  • Genuinely concerned for others, a willingness to learn

The Lone Wolf Leader

  • Great delegator, strategist, visionary; may struggle with people skills

The Inspirational Leader

  • A good communicator, make people feel good, create a friendly culture

*Note: The complete style definitions may be found in Success – April 2016.

Your style is likely a blend of the definitions, but does one stand out more so than the others? When you read the definitions, was there one you related to more strongly than the others?

Leadership is situational. It’s important that you as a leader adapt your style to meet the needs of your team and inspire them to help drive individual and organizational growth.

Leadership development never stops – commit to being a continual learner!

Announcements

Leadership Journey I

  • Session 1 – in Phoenix – kicks off May 12
  • Session 1 – virtual – kicks off April 21

Journey II – Moving Beyond The Barriers

  • Session 1 – in Phoenix – kicks off May 12

Enroll Today

Tell Us – How Does Your Workplace Compare?

We want to invite you to take a short survey that looks at some important aspects of your workplace. We are gathering responses from Journey graduates and others so that we may paint a better picture of the workplace today. Here at PeopleTek we are interested in using the data to improve our curriculum and our collective workplace performance!

Please join us in this research. We will provide you with your own individual feedback, which you can use as you continue your individual leadership journey.

Take the Survey

Quiz – Part 2 – Your Leadership Style

Last week we featured part 1 of a quiz that helps with the discovery of your leadership style. It was called “Lead Yourself.” This week the quiz topic is “Lead Others.”

Writer/author John Addison from Success Magazine published this quiz which is broken down into 3 parts: Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead From The Inside Out.

First Lead Yourself, Then Lead Others

This is a topic PeopleTek has been sharing for years, and one of the reasons we found the quiz especially interesting. To be a highly effective leader you must first increase your “self” awareness levels, which positions you to better understand and relate to the styles of others. This brings us to how you Lead Others.

Quiz – Part 2– Lead Others

How do you shine your light on others?

  1. I work every job in our company, so I’m sure to understand what people need and want.
  2. I try to let people know I appreciate their hard work, and I hand out yearly awards.
  3. I give people the autonomy and trust they need to do their jobs without micro-managing, which gives them a sense of ownership and pride.
  4. I spend time daily talking with my team one on one, and I give out a lot of praise around the office.

How do you build new leaders?

  1. As I work on projects with people, I help develop their unique skills and talents.
  2. I talk to people about their goals regularly and help them make a plan of action.
  3. I entrust people with their own teams, so they can learn leadership skills firsthand.
  4. I point out people’s unique strengths and build their self-confidence by giving them challenges I know they can meet.

During a difficult time, how do people know they can count on you?

  1. I don’t go home until everyone goes home.
  2. I ask for help and do the best I can with the resources at hand.
  3. I work on top-level needs and trust that others take care of their responsibilities.
  4. I communicate with everyone regularly, so they know where we stand and how they can help.

Mr. Addison explains that there are 4 leadership styles:

  1. The Hands-On Leader
  2. The Developing Leader
  3. The Lone Wolf Leader
  4. The Inspirational Leader

If your answers were mostly “1”, you’re likely a Hands On Leader.
If your answers were mostly “2”, you’re likely a Developing Leader.
If your answers were mostly “3”, you’re likely a Lone Wolf Leader.
If your answers were mostly “4”, you’re likely an Inspirational Leader.

Here’s an excerpt of Addison’s style definitions:

  1. The Hands-On Leader – Humble, hard-working, willing to be a member of the team
  2. The Developing Leader – Genuinely concerned for others, a willingness to learn
  3. The Lone Wolf Leader – Great delegator, strategist, visionary; may struggle with people skills
  4. The Inspirational Leader – A good communicator, makes people feel good, creates a friendly culture

*Note: The complete style definitions may be found in Success Magazine – April 2016.

How did your style compare to last week’s? Are you an A, B, C, or D leader? As a reminder, we’re likely to use all styles, but we generally have a preference. All styles have strengths, and when over-used, or used when another style could obtain better results, can become a weakness. Stay tuned for part 3 next week!

How Does Your Workplace Compare?

We want to invite you to take a short survey that looks at some important aspects of your workplace. We are gathering responses from Journey graduates and others so that we may paint a better picture of the workplace today. Here at PeopleTek we are interested in using the data to improve our curriculum and our collective workplace performance!

Please join us in this research. We will provide you with your own individual feedback, which you can use as you continue your individual leadership journey.

Take the Survey

Quiz – Part 1 – Your Leadership Style

First Lead Yourself, Then Lead Others

This something we’ve been sharing for years. To be a highly effective leader you need to increase your awareness levels by:

  • Fully understanding your styles, preferences, and behaviors
  • Developing the skills required positioning you to utilize alternative styles that would better fit the situation/person

Writer/author John Addison from Success Magazine published a leadership quiz that is broken into 3 parts: Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead From The Inside Out. Because of the categories, it obviously caught our eye and we wanted to share it.

Part 1 – Lead Yourself

How do your values impact your work?

  1. I’m too busy working to sit around thinking about my values
  2. I try to stick to my values but I find myself backing down occasionally to avoid conflict or get ahead professionally
  3. I’m contradicting my values regularly, but I believe the rewards are worth it
  4. I rarely, if ever, do something I feel contradicts my values. I’d rather risk losing my career than be someone I’m not

What are some of your main strengths?

  1. I’m a team player with a strong work ethic and a willingness to go the extra mile
  2. I’m skilled in my industry, willing to learn and open to new ideas
  3. I’m a driven person with the ability to work alone and solve problems quickly
  4. I’m a friendly person who is creative and compassionate    

What part of your work motivates you?

  1. I get great satisfaction from working shoulder to shoulder with my team and meeting a goal together
  2. My motivation seems to shift depending on what I’m working on and whom I’m working with
  3. I want to fulfill my leadership potential and move up in my field as quickly as possible
  4. I feel it’s my obligation to help others become their best selves and live their best lives

Mr. Addison explains that there are 4 leadership styles:

  1. The Hands-On Leader
  2. The Developing Leader
  3. The Lone Wolf Leader
  4. The Inspirational Leader

If your answers are mostly “1”, you’re likely a Hands On Leader.
If your answers are mostly “2”, you’re likely a Developing Leader.
If your answers are mostly “3”, you’re likely a Lone Wolf Leader.
If your answers are mostly “4”, you’re likely an Inspirational Leader.

Here’s an excerpt of his style definitions:

  1. The Hands-On Leader – Humble, hard-working, willing to be a member of the team
  2. The Developing Leader – Genuinely concerned for others, a willingness to learn
  3. The Lone Wolf Leader – Great delegator, strategist, visionary; may struggle with people skills
  4. The Inspirational Leader – A good communicator, make people feel good, create a friendly culture

*Note: The complete style definitions may be found in Success Magazine – April 2016.

Remember, we’re likely to use all styles, but we generally have a preference. All styles have strengths, and all styles, when over-used, or used when another style could obtain better results, can become a weakness. Stay tuned for part 2 next week!

How Does Your Workplace Compare?

We want to invite you to take a short survey that looks at some important aspects of your workplace. We are gathering responses from Journey graduates and others so that we may paint a better picture of the workplace today. Here at PeopleTek, we are interested in using the data to improve our curriculum and our collective workplace performance!

Please join us in this research. We will provide you with your own individual feedback, which you can use as you continue your individual leadership journey.

Take the Survey

Meaningless Meetings?

How much of your day is spent attending meaningless meetings? What percentage of them would you say were a good use of your, and the other attendees’ time? We won’t go through Robert’s Rules of Order as most of you are familiar with them, but here are a few suggestions:

  • Have an agenda, a clear purpose, and identify desired outcomes
  • Determine if attendees should be limited to your team or if a guest speaker or business partner could help you better meet your objective
  • When possible, provide advance notice for invited attendees (preferably 1-2 months as schedules fill up quickly).
  • Keep a “parking lot” log of issues or items that require follow-up with dates and the “owner” of the task.
  • Don’t hold a meeting if an email or phone call will suffice

When unnecessary meetings are held:

We destroy creativity, initiative, optimism. We extinguish the fire that fuels exceptional work.
–Achim Nowak, author/trainer

Achim Nowak says 80% of all meetings are unnecessary and that they are “spirit killing” and the attendees “bad meeting victims.” He says, often attendees want to speak up about the meeting not being meaningful, but generally fail to do so because they:

  • Don’t want to be the one who always rescues the team
  • Don’t feel safe speaking up
  • Don’t want to be attacked for their opinion
  • Don’t want to create tension in the group
  • Are not the meeting leader
  • Feel it is futile to speak up

It takes courage!

Another meeting idea is to take your leadership team off-site for an afternoon, a day, or even longer as needed. It’s a great way to strategize, encourage creativity, strengthen team relationships, and re-energize your team with reduced distractions and interruptions.

There have been meetings of only a moment which have left impressions for life.
–J. B. Miller

Wouldn’t it be great if all meetings (and conference calls too!) left lasting and favorable impressions?

Announcements

Leadership Journey I

  • Session 1 – in Phoenix – kicks off April 14
  • Session 1 – virtual – kicks off April 21

Journey II – Moving Beyond The Barriers

  • Session 1 – in Phoenix – kicks off April 14

Enroll Today

How Does Your Workplace Compare?

We want to invite you to take a short survey that looks at some important aspects of your workplace. We are gathering responses from Journey graduates and others so that we may paint a better picture of the workplace today. Here at PeopleTek we are interested in using the data to improve our curriculum and our collective workplace performance!

Please join us in this research. We will provide you with your own individual feedback, which you can use as you continue your individual leadership journey. Click “Take the Survey” below to get started!

Take the Survey

Inspire and Build Your Team

Feeling that you belong, that you are listened to, and that you add value enables individuals to thrive and teams and organizations to succeed.

Pat Summit, a highly successful female basketball coach, an author, and a former motivational speaker provided the following tips about leadership. (Extracted from Reaching For The Summit; SUCCESS. In Business. In Life. Summer 2006)

“A sense of ownership is the most powerful weapon a team or organization can have.”
– Pat Summit

  1. Coaches/leaders require 2 major skills.
    • The ability to convey practical information in a clear and concise way that enables others to learn quickly.
    • The knack of motivating your team to put in the necessary effort to achieve success.
  1. For successful motivation, you need to transmit your passion, enthusiasm, and attitude. “It’s the ability to see in other people more than they see in themselves, and to bring it out of them.”
  1. Learn about the backgrounds and families of your team members. Discover what precisely makes them tick. This will help you understand what motivates them, and fosters an openness that may pinpoint reasons for under performance.
  1. Be approachable and demonstrate empathy. This is needed in order for your team to better listen, learn and develop. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
  1. Transfer responsibility. Personal responsibility and accountability increase enthusiasm, drive, and lead to more effective performance.  Act as a guide and mentor your team but remember you can’t do the job for them.
  1. Surround yourself with bright, talented people with creative minds that will challenge you.   Listen closely to their ideas and methods; they’re likely to provide options you have not explored yourself.
  1. Evaluate yourself before you evaluate others. It’s possible you as a manager failed; be honest about what you could have done better.

How many of these seven tips do you practice consistently? Which two would you and your team benefit from if they became a daily activity?

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