Often when we think of ‘leadership journey,’ many will think of what ‘career’ direction am I heading in? Which position will give me the most impact? Which direction and position will increase how much I earn? Well, I’m not referring to the ‘what’ of the leadership journey, I am referring to the ‘who.’

When you understand the leadership journey you are embarking on in terms of ‘who you are becoming’ or intend and aspire to become, the ‘what you do’ becomes much clearer. Throughout my experience in business, the workplace and the corporate world, I’ve met many leaders, managers, key stakeholders, executives and business owners and there are several key things I’ve noticed.

There are many different leadership styles or archetypes if you will, that are a direct reflection of who the leader is on a personal level (beyond their job title) and within their character, which was formed over many years, going back to childhood. Some of these common leadership styles can be observed as the following:

• Mallet Leadership – Talks at and down to people. People and tasks are like nails that have to be hit. Often more extraverted. Leads boldly from the front. More comfortable in their anger and control.
• Megaphone Leadership – Talks at and with people. Employee and customer relationships are priority. Often more extraverted. Leads from the front and middle. More comfortable in expressing control/ allowance or appease.
• Mop and bucket Leadership – Talks with and up to people. Being comfortable or keeping employees comfortable and cleaning up the mess is priority. Often more introverted. Leads from the middle and the back. More comfortable in either controlling with minimal expression or allowing without confrontation.
• Microscope Leadership – Talks at and with people. People and tasks are like test subjects and data points carefully analysed. Often more introverted. Leads from the back. More comfortable in controlling with minimal expression.

I trust the above paints a picture of an interesting set of different leadership styles for you to reflect on and see how they fit in with your own personal experiences. Which style or combination of styles do you relate to? Remember, the above list are sweeping generalisations, there are in fact hundred’s of different flavours and nuances of leadership styles. What makes all of this interesting though, which ties in with the context of this blog, is understanding the ‘leadership journey.’

Are you a leader that is comfortable in one of the above particular leadership styles? Have you noticed a shift in your leadership style over the past year or maybe five or 10 years? Do you find yourself ‘set in your ways’ as a leader and feel like you have been facing the same inter-personal challenges and issues with work colleagues? It’s like no matter who the person is, the same set of challenges seems to creep back in? Do you frequently question if it is you or them? Or both? If you are wanting to excel and grow in your career as a leader, you’ve got to consider this entire conversation.

I’ve met many business owners, leaders and managers that I observe to be very set in their ways and then I met many others that are courageously and vulnerably embracing a steep learning curve in their leadership journey. More importantly, I’ve observed many leaders that are embarking on the journey to address their own leadership gaps, but how they do it is very questionable. Some leaders genuinely grow and evolve, and other leaders simply change, but think they are growing and evolving. And I get it, it’s all experimenting and trying out new approaches, but I’ve come to notice a few key distinctions. Some leaders strive for greater levels of growth, impact and influence from a place that is entrenched in ego – ‘all about me,’ embedded in doubt, fear, guilt and shame. I call this, dabbling in one’s dark side… which is in-authentic and unsustainable.

On the other hand, I see many leaders that strive for new levels of growth, impact and influence from a place that is beyond ego – ‘all about we,’ embedded in trust, compassion, inspiration and love. I call this ‘taking the high road’ which is authentic, expansive and sustainable. How does all this sit with you? I’m curious… does this make sense to you? Can you relate to anything in particular? Has anything hit home for you? Has this perhaps sparked some greater questions within you?

I’ll finish this piece with one last thing to consider and then the rest of the conversation can take place in your mind or perhaps even with me if you want to connect and dive deeper into your individual journey. Regardless of the leadership journey you are currently on, it’s important that you identify your own leadership style, patterns, default behaviours and due consequences, and your leadership gaps. Once you’ve built robust awareness in relation to your leadership journey and your gaps, you can begin to craft an effective, authentic and sustainable way to not only increase your own sense of personal and professional progress, but also your business’ performance and bottom-line.