Lighthouse News

As an authority figure, strong leadership skills are your key to success and understanding various leadership styles and their outcomes give us the power to choose how we will lead. In my leadership development program, we study the science behind 10 different leadership theories and one question inevitably gets asked each time.

What Leadership Style Is Most Effective? 

Over decades of studying, practicing and implementing the theory of various types of leadership, I’ve found golden nuggets in each. However, above all I’ve found this one truth to be most valuable: Authentic leadership is always most effective.

 Finding My Own Authentic Style

I once had an employee in a satellite office who regularly had to drive through windy mountain passes. When the company decided to replace all vehicles with new 2-wheel drive only, she no longer felt safe making that trip during the winter months. I went to bat for her trying to get an exception, but the answer still came back no. I decided to do some extra work and was able to find a company vehicle that had 4-wheel drive just sitting idle! It was perfect so I made the 5 hour drive out to bring it to her.

When I showed up, the first look in her eye was envy! When I told her the car was for her, she got tears in her eyes. She couldn’t believe I went to extra efforts to get her a 4-wheel drive, and then drove 5 hrs to get it to her. That moment felt pretty great, but the real magic happened after.  This employee transformed! She went from being a typical employee to highly committed and engaged, and incredibly loyal to me. We still enjoy keeping in touch today, 13 years later.

This along with other early wins in my career helped me understand that leading others using concepts from transformational leadership theory, situational leadership theory, and servant leadership theory is my authentic style. I get a zing of joy in my heart and mind when someone I’ve lead or coached has obtained that job promotion they seek or have been recognized for excellence in some way that I assisted.

How can you develop your authentic leadership style? 

1. Complete a 360° degree personality assessment.

• A 360° assessment requests anonymous feedback from those in your work and personal life.
• The questions asked are designed to shine a light on your strengths, limitations and blind spots.
• All the best organizations use these in their leadership development programs, government and private alike, as they are extremely effective.

Typically only available through pricey paid services, I’ve recently created one I’d like to offer you for free! To get access to your FREE 360° assessment,  email me and I’ll send you the information!

2. Take a Comprehensive Leadership Assessment

• I offer one of my favorite assessments on lighthouse-leader.com called “Leadership Potential.” 
• You’ll be shown your strengths and limitations on 15 different leadership competencies such as motivating, coaching, delegation and more.

This paid assessment will give you extensive research on each of your top attributes and can launch you into defining a more focused and comprehensive leadership style for yourself.

3. Hire a coach

• For those ready to place their personal development as a priority.
• Coaching refines your limitations, challenges you in ways you didn’t know you needed and opens up opportunities previously unavailable to you.

If you’d like to book a free 15-minute call with me to discuss your career goals, please reach out! No pressure, I’d love to hear from you.

“Authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart, and feet – thinking, saying, feeling, and doing the same thing – consistently. This builds trust, and followers love leaders they can trust.”

-Lance Secretan

Have a great week my friends,

Doug

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