Improve your leadership effectiveness in various situations and with different types of people

Wouldn’t it be great if we could act most effectively to any situation or person? This means adjusting your emotional response and communication style accordingly.

This is what becoming balanced as a leader or person really means. If you as a person are truly balanced then you are showing great personal leadership. Here is how to do it.

What I mean by balanced? I mean balance your qualities by borrowing from another type of person.

Types of People. What is type? Why borrow qualities?

The expression he or she is not my type is quite common and that is true for everyone. It’s because we are all so unique that no two people can be the exact same type or have the same personality. But we can be very similar in our type and this is worth knowing to be come better balanced.

Here is an example. My tendency as a leader and coach with my staff and clients is to be directive and task oriented, even though I enjoy working with and helping people. I tend to focus on task accomplishment and getting things done rather than how people are feeling. This is not always the most effective approach when it comes to building trust and showing understanding and compassion.

My partner is different in that she has tremendous compassion and displays a deep empathy for people so they feel very comfortable with her and easily share their problems. She is a psychologist so this works well for her.

I coach people in the workplace and they are concerned often with achievement, which suits my style well. However, if I focus too much on achievement and the related tasks, this does not always work well with every type of person.

So now when I go into a coaching situation I’d think of my partner and how she would approach the situation and the people. This helps me to recall the importance of listening with empathy and showing I understand not just their problem but the way they feel about.

So, without even knowing about types, you could detect the key qualities of people at work with complementary qualities. What is their key strength, their key quality and in what situations would it be beneficial for you to use that?

Another example is my former partner Fritz who was a planner type and his strength was as the name implies planning. Not only was it planning but it was understanding the truth behind things, so he would spend a lot of time researching, thinking things through and strategizing. I on the other hand tend to like action and don’t have the same patience to strategize and plan as he did.

So, when I’m faced with a situation that requires an in-depth plan and strategy, I think of Fritz and how he would approach the situation. I try and emulate his qualities.

Begin to admire those qualities and think about what situations those qualities could be useful for you.

There are six classic types and each one has specific qualities.  You could learn about that through Fritz’s book, What Type of Person am I? CrazYZoo! KNOW-THYSELF Made Easy.

In his book and our related training programs on leadership and team development, we suggest that people borrow the qualities of another type that is complimentary to their own. This way in situations that calls for an adjustment in style of communication, one can more easily recall the quality or behaviour to borrow from the other type.

Begin to admire those qualities and think about what situations those qualities could be useful for you. Bring forth that quality into a situation where you could use it to be more effective.

While this is easy to say, it is not always easy to do. Our tendency is to default to our most accustomed behaviour and so it is quite challenging to be balanced all the time. It is most difficult when we are stressed and resort to our habitual way of responding.

Becoming balanced as a leader is about using the right style of leadership for the person and situation. Understanding others, appreciating their qualities and being able to borrow those qualities in the moment is what will make you a truly effective balanced leader.