As
we hear the commentary surrounding the leadership of the late Baroness Margaret
Thatcher, it highlights clearly the style which she adopted and consistently
deployed in her reign. Sadly, it divided the nation and her inflexibility led
to her demise – well, it was 11 years!
If there was a discussion occurring about your leadership, what would people say? How would they describe your approach in the different situations which arose in your organisation?
If you haven’t thought about this, take a moment and consider the responses to these three questions:
1.Which style of leadership do I consistently deliver?
2.How effective am I at changing styles as the need arises?
3.What do I do regularly to ensure that my leadership is
effective and helping others?
Taking time to reflect on your own leadership identifies how you behave in certain situations. You have the opportunity to measure and evaluate your choice and ask for feedback or help to strengthen approaches
A key question to ask yourself: Am I being the leader which is needed for the situation and for the people following in my tracks.
In the late 80’s, my nickname was Maggie Thatcher – I was leading a group of Volunteers and our goal was to double our membership. We achieved the goal and it was highlighted that my autocratic style of leadership created the shift and success. I was a novice at the time and whilst I was slightly offended by the title, it led me on a journey to practise other styles – thank heavens!