12 May 2017

My main leadership style?

I am not only through Level 1 now and already begun to understand why the Level 1 finishes with a project teaching "how to research". Suggesting we research something more in depth.

By the way, I had to move my Evaluations from one folder to another to go "through".
From "my folder" to the "level 1" folder. I am not sure, but I think that is what did it.

At level 2, I got three tasks one after the other.
Here are my way of expressing them.

a) Understand your Leadership Style
b) Understand your Communication Style
c) Importance of Mentorship --> Me as protégée

The first two Projects help you to discover different "styles" we and others can have and their impact. At the end, it does suggest to do "more research!!" about them.

I did. And yes, it was needed for me at least to understand better.

I found a great book, Leading with style, by Jonathan Sandling explaining very clear 8 different leadership styles. So I added this book to the one Managing Transitions that I read for my first Research project (the last item from level 1). Both books are treasures!
After being disoriented for a while "Is this really my main leadership style?" I went farther in the book and read: the real good leader combines the leader styles and uses the one depending on the Situation! 

Once we understood that, we also understand that we are more complex then theories and that a good leader indeed has to be flexible, asking us, or using unconsciously the style needed in the next situation. 

None of the styles: Autocratic, Laisser faire, Servant, Task oriented or Relationship Oriented, Democratic or Charismatic is the best. It all depends... 

None of the Leadership styles, these or others, are ideal in every situation. 

But understanding them enables us to take flexible, adaptable and diverse actions, Jonathan Sandling writes. In fact, they can be combined in many ways. 
  • A leader (has followers)
  • turns vision into reality and 
  • maximises the effort of others.
  • Inspiring and supporting.

Our preferred style depends on our personality and our past experiences. 

I then remembered a funny / sad story that happened to me seven years ago when I was asking myself "Am I good enough to become my toastmasters club president?" I got two very different answers when I asked those around me, from my club, then a third answer that inspired me to dare, from Pat Johnson then International President. "We learn as we do and get to understand on the way! "

Pat Johnson's keynote reassured me: I can learn as I go! And did. 

Toastmasters is indeed a great laboratory to learn also about leadership. Till I have created my speech that I delivered yesterday, I did not realise how good it is. Thanks to that Pathways task, I understood it even better. And can give a personal story as speech about "my leadership style".

Now on, to the next project. My "communication style"? What is that? 

4 comments:

Coach Carole said...

Julie, what a brilliant way to reflect on your practices as you weave your way through the new Pathways journey in Toastmasters.
Thanks for sharing your insights.

Julie Kertesz - me - moi - jk said...

Thank you Carole. It helps to understand better, both different ways to do then our own past; and we get new stories from them. Almost each project, lets you decide if your speech is informal, evtetajning, instructional any style.

Fabi Cleofa said...

My initial view of the Pathways projects was that it would help members to be more engaged in going through their different assignments and making them to work the assignment thourough. Some members just present a project get it signed off but not really get to either understand or pay close attention to the objectives. By reading your findings and experiencing your journey in Pathways it confirms to me that it will help members to be more engaged and responsible to meet objectives and work actively on their development. Can't wait to start on this journey myself.

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