Leadership Style.
You will be familiar with this term and it is similar to leadership brand however there are additional components that make up the brand of a leader that I will cover off on next. There are many leadership styles out there in the market place. You may have heard of the main three, which are Autocratic, Democratic, and Free Reign Leadership. (refer to our articles for more details. Click on the hyperlink for each style and the overview here)
How do you want people to experience you as a leader? Are you directive, a control freak? Are you engaging, considerate and a good listener? Are you a good decision maker or a poor one? Are you passionate? Do you provide great direction? Are you a good communicator? What is the style of leadership that is required for the people you are leading? This can also depend on the experience and the level of trust you have built with them.
The one and only way you can assess your leadership style and how effective it is is to take responsibility for your leadership. Take a really good look in the mirror and look into the eyes of the person who is staring back at you. What is your truth? How are people experiencing you? You may like to seek some feedback from people or conduct a leadership survey to get the truth. Perception may not be consistent with projection and this is where many leaders can fall down. They think they are being a certain way however their reality, which is how people are experiencing them, is quite the opposite.
Generally leaders will fit into a particular leadership category or be a mix of many. Understand and be conscious of your style and what works best for your business and the people you are leading. There will be times that you need to mix it up or change your style depending on a situation however having a consistent approach to your leadership will allow you to get much better results.