We're going to have to learn to lean on the different styles depending on the
season that our team is in because your team will have seasons where they need
one thing from you more than another.
Hey there,
welcome to Mak TV where we believe that that transformation from manager to
leader is such a crucial one because it's leaders that change lives and they are
the ones that have a profound effect on today's working environment.
So today's episode is the third in a three part series that is dedicated to you,
first time managers out there.
So in the last two episodes we went a little bit deep into some of the things
that you do to hit the ground running as confidently and as smoothly as
possible. If you missed those not to worry,
I will link them for you right here as well as in the description box below.
So today is all about leadership style and how you can find your natural style
and adapt it to your current situation and team. So let's dive in.
So just before we jump in,
I just want to clearly define what leadership style really is.
So leadership style would be, you know,
a set of behaviors that you use to interact with your team. So it would be,
for example, how you motivate your team, how you give directions,
how you empower them and set goals, et cetera, et cetera.
So let's just talk about some of the common leadership styles that there are out
there. So the first one would be the visionary leader.
So to me a visionary leader is the person that literally gets up every day and
is like, okay, we're going this way.
And that person is the one that's like driving the entire team or all their
people towards that direction. So that individual,
that visionary leader is all about mainly the why as opposed to the how.
So they are not really too worried about how they're going to get there as long
as they get there,
which means that they are the ones that are open to experiment. They're open to,
you know, different ways, as long as we get to that direction.
The second leadership style is the coach. So think sports coach,
when you think of this style of leadership.
So this is the person that is literally always thinking about how they can help
you become a better version of yourself.
So they want you to improve on your weaknesses and dominate at your strengths.
So the third leadership style is autocratic and this is all about authority.
Now I've learned quite a bit about the military lately.
And so even though this isn't always the case,
they do say that like a military commander would really fit the bill of an
autocratic type of leadership style.
So if you want to think or visualize what autocratic really means that they can
military commander. So this type of style is all about authority,
results and efficiency.
So this type of leader is often making a ton of decisions on their own and they
just expect that their teammates would do what they're asked to do.
And so it's a little bit of lead by fear.
The fourth type of leadership style is a democratic.
So democratic is all about getting all the input of the team.
So you would often find a democratic type of leader leaning on their team for
direction. A fifth style is the bureaucratic.
So the bureaucratic is all about the rules, the procedures, the policies.
So do you remember as a little kid maybe being with a friend and you trying to
convince them to do something that was just outside the lines and they looked at
you and said um no we're not supposed to do that,
if we do that we're going to get in trouble so we better go this way.
That would be the bureaucratic.
So they're the type of leader that would expect their team to always stick to
what's written no matter what circumstance they're in,
they expect that the person do exactly what they're supposed to do based on the
rules, policies and procedures. The last style is the pacesetter.
So this style is usually worried about the results and the performance.
So they drive their team mates pretty hard to achieve certain results that are
expected of them. Now I am missing a couple of the leadership styles,
but these ones that I've picked kind of encompass the rest that I'm missing.
So the question on the table now is what is your leadership style?
Now the truth is it's going to be hard to figure out where you lean because of
the fact that you've never done this before or you've never had to think about
it before.
And I think that we do have kind of a mishmash of everything within us,
but we do tend to naturally lean to one side or the next,
or one style or the next. And so it's,
and I do think it's important to figure out which style you lean to so that you
can, you know,
capitalize on your strengths and know exactly where you need to be careful.
So here's the first thing I want you to do when determining what your leadership
style is. I first want you to think about what your values are.
Now your values are definitely going to affect how you consciously and
subconsciously lead your team because it's your values.
So what you believe and what you value in yourself and others,
that is what you're built up basically.
The second thing you have to do is to think about your personality traits.
Because your leadership style is really born from your natural tendencies.
So you really want to think about what your friends or your colleagues have to
say about you.
Now I know for some people thinking about your personality traits might be a
little bit hard or you know,
asking a friend or a colleague might be hard for you.
So you could use these two tools that I'm going to suggest one is called the
disc test. So D I S C test,
and also the second is based off of the Myers Briggs,
which is called 16 personalities.
Two great free tools that you can use to really dive into what your personality
traits are. So I'm going to link the both of them in the description box below.
Now the next thing you gotta do is think about your weaknesses.
Now I know in the first video I really wanted us to dive into your strengths
because I think it's important when starting any role to think about your
strengths first over your weaknesses,
because it's very easy to point out everything you're not good at and especially
when you're feeling under confident.
That's why I really wanted to dive into your strengths. But in this case,
you know, when it comes to finding your leadership style,
I do think it's important to consider your weaknesses because those weaknesses
will cause issues or will be your like natural reset when you're in kind of a
tough situation. So think about your weaknesses. If you want to,
you can always go back to your SWOT and re analyze that.
It will help you to kind of like gauge what kind of leadership style you would
have.
The last thing I want you to do is to consider whose leadership style has had a
profound influence on you. So these would be the people who you know,
really influenced the way you think, uh,
the decisions you make and the beliefs that you have. So this can be a mentor,
a fellow colleague, or maybe even your parents.
As long as you consider their style.
And reflect on how it influenced you for the better or for the worse.
I know for example, on my list,
I have leaders who have influenced me in a really good way and,
and I strive to imitate them because they're humble, they're hungry,
they're kind and they're generous. And these,
and so of course these are people that I want to imitate in my own leadership
with my own team.
And then there are people that I don't want anything to do with.
So people that have influenced me and have helped me to see that I want to be
nothing like them.
And these are the people that are uncaring and distant and you know,
leaders that just don't even know the names of their people. So in both ways,
you want to know the good and the bad and see kind of what is attractive to you
and what are the things that you want nothing to do with.
Now I know that this can be a little bit hard, so I've created for you dumb,
dumb, dumb,
a worksheet that will help you work through all of this to help you find your
natural leadership style.
So it will have some prompt questions for you and it will have all the different
leadership styles in it so that you can see kind of where you land and which one
resonates with you or which one that you're closer to. Um,
so I do suggest that you download it and use it because I think it's really
important that you do know your own leadership style.
It will help you be a far more effective leader.
It will also help you to flex in meeting the needs of your team,
your department and your company,
which is something that you will find yourself in the middle of on a consistent
basis. Now before we go on,
I will say that there is no such thing as a perfect leadership style. I mean,
yes there are the ones that will have people running for the door that they want
nothing to do with. But you know,
at the same time we're going to have to learn to lean on the different styles
depending on the season that our team is in.
Because your team will have seasons where they need one thing from you more than
another. So let me give you an example of what I mean.
So let's say that your team is in a season where they need a pacesetter.
So it's all about the results and you know,
driving as much performance as possible.
Usually this happens like at the end of the year, but it's different for every,
for every company. But let's say your season,
your team is in that season and they need more of the pace setter and let's say
your natural leadership style is more on the visionary side of things,
then you're going to have to figure out a way to tap into that pacesetter style
or enlist someone on the team who has more of that style to help you,
you know,
push the team in the direction that they need to be pushed in for that season.
So again,
a solid reason why you should know your own leadership style so that you can
learn to dance with the different styles as it is necessary for your team and
for the department and company.
So I'm interested to see where your self reflection takes you on this journey.
So please do leave me a comment below and let me know what you found or what you
think your leadership style is.
And if you're not really comfortable sharing this in a public forum and that's
okay. You can just send me an email,
maybe send me a screenshot of your worksheet and I'd love to see what you came
up with.
It has been freaking fantastic to be able to have these real conversations with
you. I love, love, love, love,
being able to help you on this journey and you know,
I do know just how stressful and overwhelming it can be,
but the other thing I know is that if you keep plugging along and getting back
up when you fall, you will make it through this.
So do hit on the subscribe and notification bell so that you don't miss out on
any of the tips that I share here only on Tuesday.
I want to thank you so much for watching.
I really do appreciate that you are here with me today.
I hope you have a fantastic rest of the week.
Don't forget to keep smiling and I'll see you in the next one.