What Does Leadership Look Like Today

Michelle Braden, CEO of MSBCoach

In the past leadership was about command and control… remember “Atlas Shrugged”?

Today leadership looks much different. It begins with knowing yourself as a person as well as a leader (these two things should go hand in hand and be the same). An effective leader is aware that they have to understand themselves before they can understand others. Today’s leader takes self-awareness and learns to value and respect their own strengths as well as their weaknesses. Once a leader goes through this process for themselves, they can transfer this learning to others. In order for today’s leader to be effective, they have to value and respect people that are different from them. They appreciate what is learned from others and the gift it brings to the organization.

The “old school” of leadership may have been “control and command” but the truth is the only time the “control and command” style of leadership is effective is when we are in crisis. For example, the building is burning down and we need a leader to say, “Go this way and let’s get out and be safe”. Crisis leadership is sometimes necessary and is not the time for sharing ideas and collaborating on what to do next; however, this is not a style to use on a regular basis. People have always been able to think for themselves, even in the days when the “control and command” style of leadership was the only style valued. We “dumb down” our people if we are telling them everything to do… how to do it… solving all of their problems for them. We need to allow them to critically think, make mistakes, correct their mistakes, grow and move forward. It is the leader’s responsibility to make a safe and confident culture where sharing, learning and growth take place. This is what today’s leader does whether they are leading a Fortune 500 company or a small family business.

What have you found that works in your leadership? I would love to hear from you.

Michelle Braden is the CEO of MSBCoach, an ICF certified business. Michelle is an ICF certified coach and received her Advanced Human Behavior Certification and Wellness Coaching certification from the Leadership Institute of America. She is an advanced certified associate of Emergenetics, Int. and advanced trainer for DiSC. She has written two leadership training manuals for The Church of God International and is a freelance writer for Thought Leaders Blog, Lead Change Blog, Leadership Courseware Blog, The Business Networker, and Forward/Adelante magazine. She also serves as adjunct faculty at PVCC.

Comments

[Jonena Relth]

Thanks Michelle. Excellent post, as always. One thing I'd add to your comment, "In order for today’s leader to be effective, they have to value and respect people that are different from them."

For organizations to grow and excel, leaders must stop hiring people like themselves who they feel "comfortable" with and start employing people who possess skills and abilities that their existing employees, including the leaders, don't have. We all have products or services to offer customers, but the truth remains that an organization is only as great as the collective talent of its people.

[Michelle Braden]

Thank you Jonena for this thoughtful addition to the blog. You are right the attraction to hire someone like ourselves comes from the comfort we feel with people who are just like us (the book Social Atom address this topic). I think leaders also have to focus on "hiring up". What I mean by this is to hire people who are smarter than they are... have strengths and talents they don't have. When the team shines, the leader shines.

[Jonena Relth]

I agree Michelle. I know for certain that my company was successful because I hired up. It's scary sometimes to have people working for you that are smarter and know more about a subject than you do, but if you keep meeting your customer's needs as your primary goal, it's easy to see the logic in this staffing practice.