Stunningly Practical Ways To Find Your Authentic Leadership Style
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We previously looked at 12 prominent leadership styles and six leadership frameworks to lay the foundation for understanding their usefulness and limitations. In today’s edition of Leading Choices we look at ways to find your authentic leadership style and cover part two in the three-part series on leadership styles:
Part 1 — Definition of Leadership Styles and Frameworks and When They Work Best
Part 2 — How to Find Your Personal Leadership Style (and Remain Authentic)
Part 3 — Creating Your Leadership Brand (And Share It In Job Interviews)
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Why Finding Your Leadership Style Matters
If you have been turned down for a leadership role or promotion because you were ”lacking gravitas” or have been told you are “missing important tangibles” without further elaboration, you know something is missing. If your manager or peers are not able to specify what they are missing, they will not provide much guidance for you to change your trajectory. They may not be intimately familiar with different types of leadership styles to have the verbiage to express what they are looking for.
In a previous post, I laid out 12 different types of leadership styles and six different frameworks. These have distinct characteristics, benefits, and challenges. Without understanding your personal leadership style and aligning your communication around it, you will not provide a consistent impression that gives others a clear orientation of who you are as a leader. As an HBR article states in talking about the signals we send with every interaction: “The more consistent we are in our signals, the more distinctive our style becomes.” (Source: hbr.org)
