The Concept of Leadership Philosophy

Leadership Theory

I strongly believe in the concept of situational leadership. This model is based on the fact that every situation is distinct from all others and that leaders should respond specifically to each situation differently based on what is needed. Although all leaders have strengths and weaknesses, they should be able to apply their strengths and use their knowledge of leadership to adjust to each situation based on the merits of the circumstances as opposed to handling every situation in the same manner.

I also believe that leaders have the responsibility to empower others. People at all levels of an organization should be given opportunities to use their strengths and leaders should recognize the strengths in those they work with. Leaders are surrounded by others who all have their own set of strengths. People should be allowed to use those strengths to reach both company and personal goals and should be encouraged and mentors by leaders. Leaders do not have all the answers but should seek answers through the strengths of those around them. True leaders are not afraid to say, "I don't know." They listen to the ideas of others, find answers, and give other people credit where it is deserved.

Leaders are models. Leaders demonstrate the expectations that those they lead are expected to follow. They follow the company rules, guidelines, procedures, and they model company standards and code of ethics. They lead by example.

Leadership Attitude

Leaders should have a positive attitude oriented toward success. It should be apparent through their attitude that they enjoy their work, enjoy the people around them and that they have a true commitment to the organization. If this is not the case, then the leader is likely in the wrong organization.

As a leader, I will keep the atmosphere fun and encouraging through my words and actions. I will make people feel important and worthy. The attitude I will portray is that people are important. I will ask about someone's new puppy, comment on a new shirt, and compliment a job well done.

My personal approach regarding attitude will also recognize that people are human. People have emotions that do come to work with them, at least on occasion. Someone may unexpectedly burst into tears during a meeting due to an issue at home. Someone may be distracted during a client presentation. Someone may be late for work due to a sick child. Leaders recognize and value people for the people they are. Empathy is needed to be a leader. This does not mean excuse rude behavior to a client or other employee, or to over look poor performance, but it does mean to address it with empathy. Demonstrating empathy towards others, models your expectation and also helps employees to understand that leaders have bad days too. This helps create a caring company culture.

Principles

I will lead with honesty. It is recognized that no one enjoys having a difficult conversation, however, as a leader, I will put honesty first. Being dishonest with the intent of making an interaction or task easier, never pays off in the end. It simply creates more challenges to deal with. Part of being honest is doing so in a timely manner as well. If something needs to be addressed, I will have the philosophy of doing so sooner rather than later via a truthful conversation.

I will also lead with transparency. This means that I will not be secretive about my work and about company information that I am allowed to share. I want those that I lead to know that I am part of the team and that I keep the team informed. This is reflected by my behavior as a communicator. I recognize that repetition is necessary, along with sharing information in multiple modalities as everyone takes in information differently. Some prefer to hear it, while others prefer to read it. I will verbally share information as well as write it in memos and emails. As a leader, I do not want my employees to feel as if they are not aware of the information that they need. Having constant communication also reduces employees sharing misinformation, which can lead to unnecessary frustration and anger.

I expect to respond to all situations with careful consideration. I know that I make better decisions and respond in the best way possible when I take the time to process and think about the situation and possible actions to take. Those I supervise will learn that all of my decisions are thought out completely. While I am capable of making quick decisions when necessary, I prefer to not make immediate decisions, but rather take time to think and if necessary, research. This is a skill that I will model and teach to my employees.

Overall, I will approach my leaderships tasks ethically and responsibly. I know that I can always improve myself and my leadership abilities and I will continually work on being the best leader that I can. Again, this will be modeled to my staff so that they too will be encouraged to better themselves through professional and personal development. I will focus on doing what is right for myself, my employees and the company. I also model how to follow as I will be following those that supervise and/or mentor me. I will act as a mentor when necessary, but will keep careful boundaries between friendship, and leadership.