Workshops
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Track 12: Understanding Leadership Styles in the Workplace
What is Your Leadership Style?
The Driver: Production is everything in the workplace
• Desires: Control of decisions and efficient production.
• Strengths as a Leader: Natural feeling of being in control, belief in their ability to achieve, and clear vision for the future—Drivers lead towards a goal.
• Feels Respected When: There is compliance with their direction, each employee “pulls their weight,” and there is progress.
• Reactions to Stress: Tighten control, work harder, push others more, and struggle to be patient with those that are “incompetent.”
• Could Improve If: They didn’t expect others to produce as they did, showed personal interest in their staff, and scheduled time to listen.
• Common Bad Day: When no production is measured, there is insubordination from staff, or there is a lot of whining and complaining in the ranks.
The Planner: Structure is everything in the workplace
• Desires: Following procedures, ongoing improvement on every level, and quality work.
• Strengths as a Leader: Organizes well, produces timely and quality work, cares for staff, and has a high standard and work ethic—Leads with a plan.
• Feels Respected When: Projects are done in a timely and orderly fashion and company policy is taken seriously.
• Reactions to Stress: Over-personalizes workplace problems, withdraws, feels taken advantage of.
• Could Improve If: They didn’t expect the staff to be perfectionists, balanced work with leisure, and saw everyone functioning as a team.
• Common Bad Day: When plans or schedules are interrupted, there is inappropriate criticism from staff, or they feel little was accomplished that day.
The Stabilizer: Stability is everything in the workplace
• Desires: Everybody to enjoy their job, reduced conflict among the staff, and a pleasant work environment.
• Strengths as a Leader: Bring stability to the organization; fair, balanced, and solution oriented. Lead by example.
• Feels Respected When: They are listened to carefully, presentations and projects are methodically planned, and when they are given time to process information.
• Reactions to Stress: Hope problematic issues will go away on their own, tell people what they want to hear to avoid confrontation, procrastinate on things they don’t want to deal with.
• Could Improve If: They became more decisive in resolving problems, communicated their intentions or perspective more frequently and placed strong staff around them to deal with personnel problems.
• Common Bad Day: When there is ongoing conflict at work, work becomes unpredictable, or they feel forced to resolve issues without following protocol.
The Motivator: People are everything in the workplace
• Desires: Enjoying their work environment, strives for creativity and success and invests in good professional friendships.
• Strengths as a Leader: Motivates others to want to be there, offers frequent encouragement to staff, and excels in fresh ideas—Leads with encouragement.
• Feels Respected When: They feel that their staff enjoys working with them, their ideas are listened to and not ignored and when there is a sense of loyalty to each other and to the organization.
• Reactions to Stress: Is impatient with negativity of any sort, forgets to communicate their plans with staff, and minimizes severe issues.
• Could Improve If: They weren’t so flippant when there is a problem, were more accountable to support staff, talked less, and listened more.
• Common Bad Day: When they do not feel appreciated, a key employee resigns, or someone at work obviously dislikes or misunderstands them.