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In previous eras, economies were simple. This meant two things: workers were highly independent and the work they completed was very straightforward. Companies needed speed and repetition from their workers and nothing created that better than the threat of consequence if a worker's productivity suffered.
As economies shifted, the needs of organizations changed. Repetitive tasks were automated and the work done by people became less straightforward. Independence was replaced with interdependence. Work grew to be more complex and interactions between workers more frequent as ideas became the currency of evolving economies.
And this is where fear began to fail as a leadership tool. With the ability to innovate being what separates success from failure, companies need their employees to take more interpersonal risks, to openly challenge assumptions without fear of reprisal.
Fear chews up the cognitive resources required to collaborate, give & receive feedback, and be creative.
To this day, leaders continue to push employees to 'hit their deliverables' but are left with people too afraid to offer suggestions for improvement and too defensive to come together as a team.
As the world around us grow more complex, fear will continue to have its effectiveness eroded. Those leaders who cling to it out of familiarity or convenience will quickly find themselves obsolete.
You need a new model. One that offers the same convenience and effectiveness fear once did, without destroying your peoples' engagement in the process.
As a leader, you are only ever engaged in two types of behaviour: Direction (telling people what to do and how to do it) and Support (meeting their emotional needs as they do it). Your Leadership Style is determined by your preferences in these two behaviours.
The Director is primarily focused on goal achievement. They give very specific and detailed instructions on what is required and the manner in which tasks are to be completed. They believe that productivity leads to happiness.
Supporters are patient and place a heavy emphasis on the emotional needs of their followers. As a result, goal-orientation tends to be much lower with them. They believe that productivity is derived from happiness.
The Delegator offers very little support or direction. They place their followers in charge of achieving goals, and give them full autonomy to do so.
The Coach is driven by goal achievement and meeting the needs of their followers in equal measure. They seek input from their team but like to retain final decision-making authority.
While every leader has a preferred style, servant leadership dictates the leader alter their style to meet the needs of their follower so that the follower can in turn meet the needs of the organization. This can become complicated when you realize that the needs of each follower will change based on their level of Mastery to meet the organization's needs versus their Motivation to do so.
Here the follower lacks both the Mastery to meet the needs of the organization as well as the Motivation to leave their comfort zone and do things they're unfamiliar with. They require the full Direction and Support associated with a Coach.
Here the follower is someone who continually needs their course reset. They have the Mastery to meet the needs of the organization but lack the Motivation to do it in a way that is fully aligned with bigger picture objectives, requiring continuous Support.
Here the follower lacks the Mastery to be effective on their own, but have the self-drive and Motivation to improve. They often thrive 'learning at the side of a master' and therefore do best with Directors.
Here followers embody both Mastery and Motivation. They have a need to put their mark on their projects and tasks and therefore work best with a Delegator leader who is both willing and capable to step aside and let them run.
Regardless of your natural style, the goal of all leaders should be to become Delegators.
Delegators are the only leaders with the bandwidth to pop their head up and see what's coming down the pike. The path to delegation is to build Ownership in each of your followers.
Every ounce of Mastery you build in a follower is an ounce of Direction you no longer need to give. Every ounce of Motivation is an ounce of Support you no longer need to give.
We give you the Support and Direction you need to grow your Mastery and Motivation as a leader.
And here's how we do it:
Using our proprietary Values Alignment process we help you uncover the true needs of the organization.
We leverage our WorkplaceEQ System to determine both the conscious and unconscious Mastery and Motivation of each follower to meet those needs.
The output of steps 1 & 2 provide you with an inventory of the precise Support and precise Direction you need to give each of your followers so your organization's needs are met.
Of course you will have your own level of Mastery and Motivation as a leader to meet your follower's changing needs. We become your Coach, providing you with the precise Support and precise Direction you require.
Book your no-obligation, 30 minute Coaching Call today. You will get insight into your Behavioural Profile as a leader, an assessment of the current state of your team from an engagement standpoint and recommendations on how to improve.
Again this is 100% free and has no strings attached. We are on a mission to grow emotional intelligence in all workplaces, and this is just one small way for us to continue that mission.