Being fully-equipped to meet the needs and demands of today’s leadership environment means that we respond with intentionality; which in part, includes learning how to tune into the underlying mechanisms that make us tick. Fortunately, there are personality instruments and questionnaires that help us to discover our base leadership type; and when engaged with an open mind, how these assessments can advance new knowledge towards a greater understanding of the frameworks which underpin effective or weak leadership performance. As one who has participated in many of these assessments, they are not intended to box you into a category without a key to escape, but merely act as a method to identify with our natural tendencies in order to teach us how to recognize emotional triggers, inherent motivations and familiarity with our strengths and weaknesses.
This learning activity confirmed many self-conceptions as revealed in other models, but surprised me in terms of the external perceptions of others. The Leadership Trait Questionnaire (LTQ) revealed that I can be less friendly or empathetic than I believed. Some commentary revealed that when caught up in task, those other characteristics overpower some of the subtler, (and important) soft skills. Leaders use either directive or supportive behaviours when influencing others; therefore, in the current context of these analyses, I would describe my leadership style from a standpoint of influencing others as “high directive-high supportive” (Northouse, 2016, p. 94) because I like to weave the importance and value of achieving goals within a conversation that also encourages and solicits input from followers. Again, I could be wrong in terms of my prowess to self-regulate, but more importantly, a possible false sense of self-awareness. In discussion with some staff members, it was revealed to me that I appear to often align closer to a low-directive-high supportive leadership style; therefore, I have more work to do as it relates to my understanding a self-style.
Ultimately, my desire is to develop a core leadership style that is centered foremost in humility, honesty and integrity so that it becomes foundational, enabling other styles and approaches to safely mimic or graph off of culminating in a consistent, central component of character.
Matt
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: theory and practice (Seventh ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.