My style:
That said, my talk is about understanding my Leadership style. The topic came with a self-assessment that I took, and I'm not quite surprised with the result. I'm a Democratic Leader. As I've always led myself to believe - but the test also makes me realize a truism as well... I don't play well with rules. In fact, if a certain rule makes my actions move slower - or it is something that I perceive to be a barrier rather than help (red tape if you will), then I've got a mind to bend it, subvert it, ignore it... simply not follow it for the sake of expedience.
Now this doesn't mean I'm a rule breaker - it simply means that rule had better have a very valid reason to be there - otherwise, to hell with it. I'm more liable to ignore the rule - then realize a consequence for not facing the rule later. Only then would I a) learn a lesson for the rule being there, and b) even possibly blame someone for not explaining the rule quite clearly to begin with. Yes, I'm the type of person who grabs the gadget from the boxm and intuitively see how it works before reading the manual. That's also because I've seen many manuals that are poorly designed, or written, or illustrated.
Anyway, back to my leadership journey. I'm definitely not a dictator - though I've learned that in some cases, one has to take control of the situation, or step aside and let the more knowledgable person take charge. That isn't abdicating, it's temporarily delegating, should said need arise. I'm not egotistical to think that makes me an inutile leader - just a flexible one. Besides, in doing that, I believe I serve the need of the many - not just a few.
I won't mind getting rich - but not out of the sufferings of others. Not in questionable ways either. Guess that's the reason I'm not rich yet. But hey, I get to sleep soundly at night. So yeah... a democratic leader with a conscience. But you see, the aforementioned allowing someone to take charge because they're the expert... that doesn't mean abandoning them. It means supporting them. I delegate responsibility - I have to likewise delegate authority.
My younger, more technical years:
I was not always that way, though... in my much younger years, I went through a phase where technical expertise was important - and quality had to be taken seriously, for only in doing so could I prove competence, and prepare for a lead position. i also believed in supporting others - sharing lessons learned to the team. But I did not tolerate laziness to study, do the research, or ask.
One instance, I sat in someone who had to do a demo - and I think I might have heard from others that this person was intimidated by me - as he know I was an 'expert' on the topic. Needless to say, I found a way to attend - and watched him self destruct. I didn't challenge him - but my being there was enough to intimidate him. Was that my fault? Nope. Better he make that mistake in front of us - than in front of a client. I even asked him if he wanted to start over again... but was I proud he failed? Maybe. I will share this story - but I need to make clear that I was a technical person - proud of my capabilities.
But a far cry from being perceived as a supportive leader. In those days, my leadership style may be described as somewhat autocratic - maybe democratic. If leadership is a perceptions game - and it is for many, then I was perceived as strict, non-supportive. Maybe even wanting a bit of the spotlight - the hero... the star. In the leadership game, I was a possible rabble rouser - convinced I should lead.
My First team - the I/ACT days:
My next challenge as a leader? This came when I took over a team that, for all intents and purposes was rudderless, a group of individuals - talented individuals at that... and ones with highly different personalities. I came up with a purpose, and identity and a vision for the team - I even allowed for some 'friendly' competition with another team. We cross-trained technical skills, and because my team learned from each other - the camaraderie likewise got stronger.
From a group of individuals, we became a highly supportive team... which was unfortunate for the other team, because from the stars of the company, they became the favorite target of ridicule. I did not participate in such, but seeing as how that behavior helped put pride into my team - I did not stop it either. So what were the lessons of success here? I was a democratic leader... I gave my team a purpose, an identity, and pride in work - I was the cheerleader, and supporter. I might have enve dismissed the other team whenever we discussed how we were doing, when compared to them. i would always remind my team that ours was the harder, more challenging tasks.
PsiWar:
My team believed me... and unfortunately, so did the other team. In psywar - if you believe your opponent's propaganda, you are not setting the groundwork for warfare, you aren't preparing to win... and because of that, you will definitely lose. Sun Tzu has a saying for this... know your enemy - you win half the battles, know yourself and your enemy, and you will have a multitude of victories. I ended up becoming the supervisor for both teams - as we absorbed the remnants of the others. I can tell you now - trust was hard to come by with the other team... after all, I was perceived as the 'enemy', and no matter how many olive branches I shared, majority of the members of that other team eventually resigned.
A better style:
Was I the perfect leader? No... there were times I had to struggle understanding others' unwillingness to tackle assignments... what their motivations were - why I could not convince them to take the task - but my manager could convince them as well. In hindsight, I could see that despite our early successes, I still din not have the needed Emotional Bank Account with others. For others, yes... I was liked, but not by all... This was a combination of lessons from two books.THe Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and the Situational Leadership.. Thes served me well as a Manager in two different companies, and likewise helped me when I was asked to lead Division B in very challenging times. The fact that I had a very good team of highly competent Area Governors, plus one - an Area Governor at Large; and the rest of my Division team made the experience highly enjoyable.
Fujitsu days:
In ny new work, I ensured my transitioning into the new team was seamless - talking to everyone and asking their expectations. We then were tasked to build the company's training division from from an ad-hoc exercise, into a highly professional division. We were responsible for having close to 200+ new recruits simultaneously going through the company's 2-3 month bootcamp, with highly stringent requirements. We needed to instill quality into the program, and ensure that integrity was exercised.
Just as I was proud of my old organization's team, this team was equally exemplary. We had an identity, a clear purpose. We knew the big picture, and had a vision. My new team was highly inspired, and we even shared some interests... everyone was a fan of Star Trek - so it was easy for me to instill a Federation-like sense of pride for the tasks, and work. I did learn one lesson here though... I used to think that 'no news is good news', only to realize that I had to give feedback to others - just to reassure them that they were on the right track. The sense of recognition - which further builds motivation.
Beyond Fujitsu, as I was teaching at Accenture, I learned to hone my Coaching skills. Having done that, I am now fully equipped to handle any quadrant in the Situational Leadership model. From Quadrant 1's autocratic style, to Quadrant 2's democratic style, to Quadrant 3's Coaching style, and Quadrant 4's Delegating and trusting. I can now say I am a flexible leader... though I still am intolerant with red tape situations.
I will review what I placed here - this will be the basis for my talk on Saturday. I just need to further refine the message - make the handles clear... make sure the lessons are clear. For herein lies the journey to my becoming a better leader. The lessons I learned, I hope to impart to you all (the audience, that is).
That said, I can expect several revisions or updates to this entry - that is, when I think of other things to add - but as it is, the contents here will have ot be trimmed, to fit a talk for 5-7 minutes.
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