Whether we like it or not, we are all leaders in one way or another. You may be a formal, titled leader or you may be an informal leader to your team, your project group, or your peers…but make no mistake, at some point you have been a leader. Once you accept that it leads you to the question of the post “what kind of leader am I?”
Interestingly, I talk to people regularly who have read book X or follow author Y but yet they have not taken time to build a true philosophy of their own. It’s not surprising as so many of us think leadership is about personality and situation. I happen to think that we can all build our own leadership style that takes the best of what we experience, learn, read, and desire and makes it a comprehensive philosophy that is unique to us.
There are many facets to your unique philosophy: your purpose, your values, your vision for you, your multiple “hows”, your leadership tactics, and so on. It takes time to assess what you are and as importantly what you aspire to be. For me, the fun in the journey is defining each facet over time and seeing how they fit together – finding areas that are incongruous and evaluating what to do with that information. The challenge is always present to live up to your aspirations when they conflict with your instincts/nature.
For us in the middle of organizations, we also have to consider the leadership paradigm of the organization. That includes not only the proverbial words written on the walls, but also the leadership styles valued in the organization. If you’ve ever been through a big organization CEO change, you’ve likely seen that shift from one leadership style being the dominant experience to something different (slightly or wildly). The leadership style/culture could be a perfect fit or it could require some thinking: do I want to change to fit the organization or do I want to find an organization that fits me? There isn’t a right or wrong answer and the choice often isn’t even binary. Sometimes it as simple as the focus your message.
The process of developing and living your leadership philosophy isn’t meant to be done overnight and will change over time as you change as a person. That’s actually a feature, not a flaw. We all learn, grow, and adapt as we experience more (both good and bad) in our careers and in our lives. Parts of your philosophy likely won’t change (your purpose and your values) but other parts absolutely will evolve (your vision for your career, your “how” you accomplish that vision, and your tactics for leading a team). They key: actually have a philosophy and make the changes in your style be intentional and aligned with the Leader you want to be.
View from the Middle 