Focusing on people
Decentring is about knowing yourself and how you affect others. How you lead, manage and communicate with employees will obviously affect their response, behaviour and their performance. We are all different; one approach may make perfect sense to you, but for another person it can seem impossible. Assessing your leadership style is a useful start and there is a host of different techniques and tools available. Is there one correct leadership style? It really does depend on the situation. Above all, it should be a balancedleadership approach. Free leadership online assessments available include:
These are fairly basic tools, but they will provide you with a useful overview of your leadership style.
In a past article in this series, €Growing Impact and Influence€ (P3 August 2014), we explored the style compass, which is a useful tool to identifying your style and those you work with. When you appreciate how you behave and how you affect others then you have a greater chance of knowing how to positively influence them. Leadership involves getting others to do things.
That may sound simple, but many managers lack the ability to clearly communicate and sell their vision and ideas. If you were tasked with encouraging your team to adopt a new health service you need to sell the features, benefits, hopes and dreams.
Features are the tangible characteristics of an idea, benefits convert the features into something that people will want. The features of a health service will remain the same, but the benefits of that service will differ depending on the end user. You must relay the benefits that are relevant to that individual.
Start with what the other person needs and wants, not with the idea. How do you sell hopes and dreams? In this example, the manager requests that the dispensary technician undertakes some project management training because the service requires proper planning and scheduling to be successful.
The dispensary technician is reluctant. The manager recognises that the dispensary technician has hopes for a future management role and sells the course as part of that journey. The technician attends the programme. It really is common sense. Understand the other person and deliver.
Appreciating how to manage your boss is critical to any leadership journey. Most line managers will forgive the mistakes of emerging managers, but disloyalty is an unforgivable sin. Talking negatively about your manager, openly opposing unpopular decisions or working to your own agenda are signs of disloyalty.
Line managers expect emerging leaders to demonstrate flexibility, self-confidence, adaptability, reliability and ambition. They expect you to be proactive, not reactive. Appreciating your manager's behavioural style is essential to successful communication.
Does your line manager like specific detail or the big picture? Deliver your information accordingly. Understanding a line manager's expectations is critical.
This may involve sitting down and working through these, and often you may have to take that first step. For many, you need to work it out for yourself. Think about what your manager needs to achieve this year. What could they delegate and you offer to take away?