Well, there’s the old way and there’s the NEW way to lead a team. I suppose that sounds trite and simplistic, but truly there is a newer way than the old way. Am I confusing you? I hope so.
First, let me make it perfectly clear here – I am not putting anyone down for how they perform as leaders. They learned what they learned and they didn’t learn what they didn’t learn. However, if they take a glance here, they might see that there are other ways to lead a team. The ones that are open to change and growth will take a peek. The others will continue as they are – which may be great already OR realize they might do better with some tweaking.
Second, these are just my opinions. I’ve been a leader in the past, but even more, I’ve worked with many leaders over the years who desired experience in some ways to develop and grow.
After many years, I’ve developed this model and it seems to work.
I want to set a scenario first before I lay out the competencies that I see as important in leadership.
There is a significant difference between managing and being a leader. Managing is becoming an out-dated form of being in organizations. Managing sometimes seems to show a sort of patriarchal system: telling people what to do and not do, how to do it, checking their work over and over, checking hours and coming and going times. When being managed, employees can feel stifled, encroached upon, not trusted.
In comes the new style: Leaders are coaches. Coaches choose to develop their employees into the best they can be, trusting them, giving them opportunities to learn through failure, preparing them for their next step. And, did I say trusting them.
I work mostly with men in corporate settings. Here’s what it says on my website about Contemporary Male Leaders:
“The contemporary male leader brings together all of the positives, the differences, the drivers and motivators that can create a “new” type of manager. In fact, it retires the term manager and describes the new model as a leader, a coach … someone who works with a team, not over a team.”
So, what are those competencies? Here they are in no special order:
1. Authenticity
2. Tenacity
3. Compassion
4. Humility
5. Involvement with others
6. Passion
7. Sense of Humor.
I’ll elaborate briefly and then follow this column with a focus more on each one in the future..
• Authenticity - He is trustworthy; he is who he says he is. He’s the “real” deal.
• Tenacity - He is persistent, whether on his own behalf or in the advocacy of another. He perseveres.
• Compassion - . People know him to be sensitive and caring, both in his personal life and in his work life. Furthermore, he is not afraid to show these feelings.
• Humility – He is humble, willing to share his challenges and progress without arrogance.
• Involvement (with others) – He has a strong need and desire to be connected with others and understands that in a business, as in a family, he is not separate, but deeply and intensely part of the team.
• Passion - He approaches his life with a sense of enthusiasm. People see the strength of his excitement. They also see his “heart.”
• Sense of Humor - He is known for “lightening up” the people he is in contact with, knowing when to appropriately engage humor vs. when to be more serious. He can be counted on to be entertaining and light-hearted.
I hope you will consider some of these new definitions of what takes to be a leader. You might want to take an inventory of how you embrace and show these traits. And, if you are really brave, you will ask others.
This series – to be continued. We will look more extensively into each competency.
Ann Fry, MSW, PCC is a former clinical social worker and for the past 20 years has been a Leadership Coach and a Professional Speaker. She is known as a “Catalyst for Change and ReInvention.” She focuses on coaching mainly contemporary male leaders AND does transition coaching with individuals who are ready to make a bold change. Having moved to Austin, TX in 1985, she then moved to NYC in 2006 for 9 ½ years (knowing no-one) and then, she returned to Austin in 2015 to be closer to her son. She can be found at www.annfry.com