When I sit and listen to newly appointed leaders, complain about the people under their leadership I often hear that their leadership style is clashing with the employees they are complaining about. Maybe this is because they operate under the “I treat everyone the same” policy. This is probably the scariest thing a good HR Director could ever hear, because what that tells me is that they don’t know how to lead with influence, they just know how to misuse the power they have been given.
The Maxwell Leadership bible talks about the different styles of leadership Jesus used depending on the person he was leading…
He nurtured (Father/Child)
He supported through love and commitment, (Husband/Wife)
He gave direction, (Head/Body)
He offered provisions, (Vine and Branches)
He guided the people with wisdom and influence, (King/Citizen)
He developed and prepared His people, (Potter/Clay)
He disciplined, (Vinedresser/Vineyard)
He reproduced himself in others, (Creator/Creature)
He corrected (Captain/Army)
He cast the vision (Prophet/People)
He protected (Shepherd/Sheep)
He connected people with God (Priest/Worshiper)
As I glance at the list above, I notice there are 12 different styles of leadership mentioned, I have to wonder if that is because he called 12 very different men to be his disciples. Based on this list I believe he lead each of his 12 in the way that they needed to be lead. He adjusted his leadership style to the needs of the person; he did not expect them to adjust to him. He may have changed his style of leadership but he never changed his core values. Some people think that if you adjust your style you change your values and that is very much not true.
Are you adjusting to meet the needs of your staff? If you’re not, you may want to start…
Leading or should I say changing styles, like Jesus, Tammy