Six Leadership Styles, Emotional Intelligence and Stepping Into The Light

Background

The impacts of Covid 19 on how, where and when work is done are likely to be varied and challenging

This piece sets out to both inform, support and challenge people in Leadership, Management and Supervisory roles. Its history is  based on the findings of research and its practical applications by Daniel Goldman, Cary Cherniss and Reuven Bar-On. It has informed my professional practice (and beyond!) for the best part of twenty years.

Some years ago Cary Cherniss asked employers to list their greatest concerns their organisations face. Here's what they came up with.

1. People need to cope with massive, rapid change
2. People need to be more creative in order to drive innovation
3. People need to manage huge amounts of information
4. The organisation needs to increase customer loyalty
5. People need to be more motivated and committed
6. People need to work together better
7. The organisation needs to make better use for the the special talents available in a diverse workforce
8. The organisation needs to identify potential leaders in its ranks and prepare them to move up
9. The organisation needs to identify and recruit top talent
10. The organisation needs to make good decisions about new markets, products and strategic alliances
11. The organisation needs to prepare people for overseas assignments

Here are a few that occur to me as we adapt the above to meet today's challenges

• What are our values, how do we communicate and live them?
• How do we access, talk about and share Knowledge & Wisdom within and between organisations and partnerships?
• Can we describe what we have learned?
• How do we tell our stories about the "What is possible" in a manner that inspires others so that they want to be part of the narrative?
• Let's use "We" instead of "People"
• Let's use "Our" instead of "The" (organisation)
• Some of the above have a much sharper focus as we come to grips with our rapidly changing, challenging and uncertain futures and leaders need to think about which ones matter most right now and then act.

We are suggesting that the Post Covid Adjustment period is an ideal time for those tasked with engaging with the organisation and delivery of very different ways of working to consider how incorporating some principles related to Emotional Intelligence may help us on our journey.

We Need to Talk About The What and How 

To incorporate a blended approach to Emotionally Intelligent Leadership into our change/development processes. 

This introductory clip sets out our initial thinking and refers to an existing body of work that might inform our practice

We Have Prepared 6 Clips

Where we guide you through the elements of Leadership Styles and drawing your attention to the implications for Emotionally Intelligent Leadership to have an impact on outcomes.

In clip 1 of 6 (5:50) we talk about Visionary Leadership and how it is used to secure a Change In Direction-something that we feel is very much a "live issue" for individuals, teams and organisations.

In clip 2 of 6 (6:48) we draw attention to Affiliative Leadership a style that is particularly effective in healing rifts in teams or to motivate them in challenging times.

In clip 3 of 6 (8:57) We set out to illustrate how a Democratic Leadership Style could provide a mechanism to achieve the very necessary "buy in" required from those involved in and affected by change. We feel that this will be of particular importance in the coming months.

In clip 4 of 6 (6:08) We draw attention to the potential that resides in a Coaching Leadership Style  one that seeks to develop strengths and improve performance

The above four styles are positive and nurturing, seeking to develop and encourage others. However, we have to recognise that there are occasions where we are seeking rapid movement from place A to place B. This might mean that we are required to address resistance

In clip 5 of 6 (8:28) We consider the elements of a Coercive Leadership Style within which we require high levels of prompt compliance-this is "turn around leadership" or where there may be a history of poor performance

In clip 6 of 6 (8:46) We draw your attention to Pace Setting Leadership Here the assumption is that we have a highly skilled and motivated team in place, one that is required to bring about rapid high performance and reliability change 

On The Journey

It is suggested that successful leadership will integrate four or more of the above.

We want to open up conversations that look at how we set out on our journey with a level of awareness of how an integrated approach to Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, Management and Supervision may contribute to the well being and success of organisations, partnerships and the individuals who work within them.

A Coaching Story

Q:What have broken trust, listening, a car-park and a horizon got in common?

A:They all featured in a piece of coaching delivered to a client and all played their part in enabling the person to move forward.

My client had been let down by people he had trusted. Their "friendship" was in fact the systematic exploitation of a vulnerable person. Their behaviour had destroyed his trust in others and his confidence in himself. He had to all intents and purposes, evolved into a barely employable recluse

It was important to design with him an approach that stood a chance of working for him

We agreed on this

"Words have meaning and power beyond the obvious and we need to develop good communication."

We also agreed

"The actions that had led up to the situation were talked out and that going over them time after time was not going to help-we needed to describe a positive and achievable future"

So, our sessions focused on the achievable and how we might reach inwards to discover the strengths that would make the journey possible.

The following link takes you to a brief clip where I describe how we approached the challenge. It's a great example of what we do here and how prepared we are to reach out to establish some common ground within which we can nurture the beginnings of progress.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RngBWVLzkU4

Building Trust Piece By Piece!

How much complexity is the result of a collapse of trust and how confused and over wrought do things get because people don't trust each other?

We deliver facilitated approaches to sometimes complex situations and amongst the familiar themes the Collapse of Trust holds a significant position. 

There's a continuum of emergent dysfunction shown below and I wouldn't want to comment about its relevance to our personal lives!

It does however occupy a significant and interesting space in the working environment.

We know and understand from our practice that work and productivity become blocked and stymied by the absence of trust, beginning at the lower left side of the continuum, with multiple stop-off points that are context specific. They are the often "invisible predictors" of failure through absence of harmony that end with a collapse of workable emotional capital at the upper-right end of the continuum.

We achieve very little on our own and reliable, performing teams are ones that help each other. Lego is a successful company and its CEO has communicated a simple message along the lines of

"You won't be blamed for failure, you will be blamed for failing to ask for help or to give help when it was needed"

Now, I don't know about you but it's unlikely that I'll ask people who I don't trust to help me-I wouldn't want to be vulnerable to their next actions. But, if I feel that way I have to accept that people who don't trust me are unlikely to ask me for help. This situation is lose/lose and stuck.When we are either helped or helpers we give an opportunity to re-frame trust and in so doing open a very different relationship with our colleagues.

We are introducing the concept of trust building in a transparent and open manner into much of our mediation and facilitation work. We are pragmatic and understand that sometimes 

"Fixed enough has to be enough"

We remain clear in our belief that it remains difficult to reach and maintain the above point where there is no trust. So, wherever the end point, trust is an essential component of the energy and motivation that takes us there.

Here's a self check list-change it around a little and you can come up with an idea about how much/little you trust a colleague

1. How much/often do my actions align with my words?
2.  Do I do what I say I will do? Am I reliable?
3. Am I up to the task/job/role? Do my competences and interactions support my intentions and the expectations of others?
4. Do I care? Do I have the interests of others in mind as well as my own and how do they know?

Feel free to get in get in touch to explore how we might help you develop higher levels of trust in your workplace and free-up some powerful co-operation!

You can contact us on jpd@dy3solutions.mygbiz.com. 

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