How I learnt there are different leadership styles and how adapting the right style can make a real difference
Caption:
Back in my first job, as a Director of Operations…
I was asked by my boss: “What kind of transport do you use to manage your team? A Jet?…A helicopter?…Or a 4 wheel ride?”
I was a bit puzzled, so he started letting me know his own leadership style:
“When you ride in a car it’s great! You are close to your team, one of the gang, you are trusted and regarded! You can’t, however, direct them well as you can only see the next intersection…What’s more: you are so involved in day to day routines, that the leadership team hardly sees you…”
“In a jet your vision is wider! You can have a feel for strategy, you can see every little detail of an organizations and be able to connect your team and department to everything else. However, you loose sight of what is going on with the customer experience that, after all, is in your team’s hands in the cars down below…”
“Now, let’s think of an helicopter ride!
A helicopter is that type of transport that allows you to go up, predict all traffic jams, enjoy some panoramic views and mingle with peers and leaders.
It enables you, still, to be close to your teams, even land and lay a hand here and there when needed!”
I decided very early what my leadership still would be.
Now it’s your turn: What kind of transport do you use to manage your team?
If you are wondering how I landed a first job as a Director of Operations, check this article where I explained the secret!
Disclaimer: Apologies if some interpretations may offend a reader. I do rely on literal translation at times since English is a second language. My intention with this article is to spread awareness. I welcome your feedback to ensure I will not be constantly making the same errors in translation.
nI also write about my own life ,professional experience and learning curve. I am a continuous improvement learner so I welcome you to share extra information and spread awareness with me if you have other ways of analyzing the same issues or you have value-added information to the readers of this article. Thank you for reading.nn