How Does Your Personal Leadership Style Impact Your Team?
In the quest to positively influence their senior management teams, we've gathered insights from ten executives, including CEOs and Founders. They share their wisdom from fostering open dialogue and adaptability to actively listening and adapting to team needs. Discover the diverse strategies these leaders employ to enhance their personal leadership styles and their impact on senior management.
- Foster Open Dialogue and Adaptability
- Lead by Example with Open Communication
- Encourage Openness and Set Clear Goals
- Model Desired Behaviors and Provide Insights
- Combine Open Communication with Empowerment
- Emphasize Authenticity and Active Listening
- Refine Leadership Through Self-Awareness
- Delegate Authority and Encourage Autonomy
- Ensure Transparency and Empower Decision-Making
- Listen Actively and Adapt to Team Needs
Foster Open Dialogue and Adaptability
Early in my career, I encountered a challenge where team dynamics were strained by conflicting approaches. Instead of imposing my own methods, I fostered open dialogue and actively listened to various perspectives. This approach effectively diffused tensions and enabled us to leverage each team member's strengths. Just as orchestrating a symphony blends diverse instruments to create harmony, this experience highlighted the importance of adapting my leadership style to foster collaboration and empowerment. This adjustment significantly enhanced team unity and performance, driving us closer to achieving our collective objectives.
Lead by Example with Open Communication
I believe that leading by example is crucial for positively impacting my team. I strive to embody the values and behaviors I expect from others, demonstrating integrity, accountability, and a strong work ethic in all my actions. Open communication is another cornerstone of my leadership style—I encourage frank discussions, actively listen to diverse perspectives, and ensure that every team member feels heard and valued.
I also prioritize empowerment and trust, delegating important responsibilities to my team and providing them with the autonomy to make decisions within their areas of expertise. Regular feedback and recognition are essential, as I make it a point to acknowledge both individual and team achievements. Lastly, I foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation, encouraging calculated risk-taking and viewing mistakes as opportunities for growth and improvement.
Encourage Openness and Set Clear Goals
As the founder of Flycast Media, I focus on leading my senior team in a positive way. I want them to feel they can talk to me openly and share their ideas and worries. I check in with them regularly and keep my door open for any issues they want to discuss. By setting clear goals and giving them helpful feedback, I help my team grow and stay on track with our plans. I lead by example, showing the importance of working together, being honest, and staying dedicated. This encourages my team to do the same.
Model Desired Behaviors and Provide Insights
Managing, developing, and motivating senior people is a challenge, as they can be as skilled as oneself, if not more! They have sharp eyes, too: you cannot fake anything. Authentic collaboration is the only thing that works.
I try to follow the 'Do as I do' principle and model the behaviors I like to see: honesty, courage, skill development, and a good work ethic. I invest a lot of time in showing the leadership team how to deliver tough feedback so that it is well-received, which is also one of the things I focus on. During 1:1s, rather than focusing on their work and issues alone, I try to give my senior team an insight into how I am thinking, the challenges I faced that week, and try my best to implement the suggestions they have.
Combine Open Communication with Empowerment
To positively influence my senior management team with my leadership style, I prioritize open communication, empowerment, and leading by example. I have developed a culture of openness where transparency and honest dialogue are highly valued. This means that I regularly get involved with the team members to listen to their thoughts and concerns, as well as to give them the relevant feedback.
Empowerment is also prominently featured in my approach toward leadership. To this end, I bestow significant responsibilities upon my senior managers and allow them enough freedom for decision-making within their areas of competence. This facilitates confidence-building among them while promoting innovation and accountability.
It is crucial to lead by example. I always endeavor to be an epitome of the values and work ethic that I demand from my team members. Whether it’s maintaining a high standard of integrity, being dedicated and proactive, or showing resilience in the face of challenges, I believe my actions set a tone for the entire team.
Open communication, empowerment, and leading by example, when combined together, create an atmosphere that is a positive one where value is placed on every member of my senior management team, motivating them towards our collective goals. This approach has built a solid, united team committed to driving the company’s success.
Emphasize Authenticity and Active Listening
Well, to positively influence my senior management team, I focus on authenticity. This means being genuine in my interactions and decisions. It's about showing up as myself, not hiding behind a facade of 'expected' leadership behavior. This authenticity fosters trust and encourages a culture of openness.
I also prioritize active listening. By truly hearing my team's ideas and concerns, I demonstrate that their contributions are valued. This not only empowers them but also leads to more innovative solutions, as diverse perspectives are considered and respected.
Lastly, I lead by example. Commitment to my values and company goals is non-negotiable. When the team sees me embodying these principles, it sets a standard and motivates them to mirror that dedication in their own roles.
Refine Leadership Through Self-Awareness
Positively impacting my senior management team through my leadership style is important for ensuring that I lead them in the right direction, and I can inspire them to action to ensure that TrackingMore’s customers are served in the best way possible.
My approach to ensuring this is self-awareness. By introspecting on my strengths and weaknesses as a leader, I can refine my leadership style to positively impact my senior management team. I also routinely collect feedback from them and consider their suggestions on areas where I can improve to become a better leader.
The other approach is to be adaptable and flexible. As an executive, I have to be prepared for different challenges, some of which can be forecasted and others unforeseen. Adapting my leadership style to different challenges ensures that during these moments, I can continue to positively impact my senior management and lead them toward a solution that guarantees the company’s good standing and a good experience for my employees and the customers we serve.
Delegate Authority and Encourage Autonomy
My leadership style encourages my senior management team to decide and act by delegating authority, providing them with support, and enabling resources.
For example, I enacted this decision-tree, which encourages senior managers to propose and execute initiatives within their departments in a micro-way but still includes regular check-ins with upper levels and feedback loops to ensure alignment. This autonomy creates ownership and new ideas, making the team more engaged than ever.
Instead, I am confident in my senior managers' abilities to lead their areas and make courageous and innovative decisions. They are adept at seizing opportunities and navigating challenges, while also ensuring accountability within their units. Importantly, they serve as protectors of the rest of us from potential risks. This approach not only hones their leadership skills but also contributes to the formation of a diverse, collaborative, innovative, and productive executive team.
Ensure Transparency and Empower Decision-Making
Based on experience and past results, I use a few key strategies to ensure that my leadership style positively affects my senior management team. I focus on transparency, empowerment, and continuous learning at Templer & Hirsch and through the Prime Time Business Network.
Transparency is essential. I believe in open conversation, so I tell my team about the good and bad things that happen. This helps everyone understand our goals and builds trust. For example, I updated my senior team on progress and hurdles during a complicated case. This openness made working together easier, and everyone felt they had a stake in the result.
Giving people power is another important part of how I lead. I give my team tasks to do and trust them to make decisions in their areas of expertise. This makes them feel better about themselves and helps them solve problems more effectively. In a story from our company, a senior associate was put in charge of a very important case. With my help and their effort, we secured a significant settlement that showed how much they had grown and how strong our team was.
It is important to keep learning. I tell my team that workshops, seminars, and courses are great ways to improve their professional skills. Because we are committed to growth, the number of certifications our top management holds has increased by 20%. This gives our clients access to the most up-to-date legal strategies.
I also lead by example. By keeping up with changes in my field and working on my professional development, I set an example for the team. This method not only makes us all more knowledgeable, but it also demonstrates how committed I am to excellence.
Through openness, empowering people to make decisions, and focusing on ongoing learning, I ensure that my leadership positively affects our senior management team, leading to success for both individuals and the business.
Listen Actively and Adapt to Team Needs
Understanding and adapting to the diverse needs of my senior management team is paramount. I remember a pivotal moment when we were facing a critical project deadline. I noticed that our engineering lead, despite his usual confidence, seemed unusually stressed. Instead of pushing forward with the initial timeline, I called a meeting to address any concerns. It turned out that a slight shift in our approach and a brief extension eased the tension and led to a remarkable outcome. By actively listening and being flexible, I reinforce a leadership style that values collaboration and empathy.
