Editor’s note: Veteran entrepreneur and investor Donald Thompson writes an exclusive column for WRAL TechWire about leadership, management, equality and diversity. His columns appear on Wednesdays.
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Last year, I wrote about how EQ (emotional intelligence) has taken hold of modern leadership and workplace culture. Clients, employees and community stakeholders expect leaders to be more empathetic and compassionate than ever before. I still believe that empathy alone can look a lot like commiseration. It often centers on pity, not progress, which is why I prefer compassion instead. Empathy means repositioning yourself into other people’s lives. Compassion means caring for them without adopting the emotions they’re already working through.
It’s been nearly a year since I wrote those words, yet I’m aware that our present-day social and professional communities have continued to present an abundance of opportunities to lead with compassion. Executives are still managing difficult decisions that affect both the bottom line and worker retention. It has been a unique — perhaps once in a lifetime — challenge to manage the multiple responsibilities of leadership in such tumultuous, unpredictable times. Frankly, because we each lead differently. Our backgrounds and experiences impact the way we show up in life and in our professional spaces.
If your direct reports and peers were to describe you, what characteristics would they point out? Would they say that you’re thoughtful, a great listener, deliberate, or meticulous? Would they mention attributes that you agree with? Or are there traits you feel you bring to the table that you wish more of your colleagues would notice?
Donald Thompson: Word choice is a leadership competency – choose yours carefully
Above all, your job as a leader is to make the world better — to develop other people’s competencies and capacities, and sometimes, to do hard things with humanity. However, executing on challenging goals and initiatives from a human-first perspective looks different for different people and organizations. Even if you feel you have a firm grasp on the kind of leader you are, it’s key to your relevance and your personal brand that you take ownership of your personal development and take your own leadership temperature as you grow.
Instead of which, think about when.
LinkedIn does a great job of summarizing the six most widely accepted leadership styles, which are: autocratic, authoritative, pace-setting, democratic, coaching, affiliative, and laissez-faire. Some executives and managers are aware that they oscillate between a couple or few of these styles, while others may feel a strong affinity for one primary (or default) mode of operating in professional spaces.
If there is any ambiguity about whether your default style can expand, retract, or blend with other styles depending upon situational needs, one thing you might consider is employing a reputable, external consultant to assess your strengths and opportunities. Leadership styles are changeable and should be authentic to your personality, but they can always be improved. We all have room to grow.
Further, I argue that leaders can be effective within a variety of diverse styles. There is no one style greater than the rest. It’s when those styles are implemented that can serve as useful tools for you as you build an effective, efficient, and happy team. For example, if your organization (like many in this post-pandemic season) finds itself in flux, perhaps it may be time to lean into a more democratic leadership style as employees weigh in on what works best for their teams.
Donald Thompson: Do your values reach your frontline teams? Here’s how
Democratic leadership not your style? First, think deeply about whether it is. Have you taken the opportunity to ask trusted stakeholders and colleagues about ways you show up in the workplace, and what areas you may have for improvement? If you haven’t, make time to offer clear channels of communication or forums for input, while guaranteeing non-retaliatory outcomes for contributing employees.
This preparation is not important only so that we can be more self-aware but also so that we can be ready to apply our best effort when our teams need us most. In other words, it’s not necessarily the types of leadership we already demonstrate which we should think deeply about. It’s the situations we may need to adapt our natural leadership styles to. Who are we in times of crisis? Who do we become when crises become a new constant? Are we able to pivot and offer support in ways that may require us to stretch in ways our previous leadership seasons did not?
As important as I feel self reflection is, so too is the concept of a team. We are leaders, yes. But we also have a responsibility to surround ourselves with others who sharpen and support our teams in ways we may not be able to. We simply cannot do it all, and we show our strength when we delegate responsibilities to other leaders who counter-balance, stabilize, and offset our own natural style and assets. That’s one of the reasons it’s important to surround ourselves with other people who balance our skill sets and think differently than we do. Mentors, personal advisors, executive colleagues, VPs, directors, middle managers, and emerging entry-level or frontline professionals can each be great resources for problem solving, decision making and the occasional gut check when you need it. They also help us tap into other leadership styles. Developing other people as leaders is part of developing your own leadership capacity.
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Early in the pandemic, a McKinsey report emphasized the need for compassionate leadership to build resilience and set the stage for business recovery. As we enter another year in a global pandemic, I plan on continuing to make compassion a big part of my daily leadership practice — while honing my foundational leadership styles so I can be ready to employ them when the time is right. Remember, compassion is the starting point. As you grow, evolve, and mature, it’s important to remember that our professional world and the societies we exist in are doing the same. That’s why it’s important for every leader to understand their own natural leadership style, keep checking the temperature of the room, and keep committing to personal development all along the way.
About the Author
Donald Thompson is an entrepreneur, public speaker, author, podcaster, Certified Diversity Executive (CDE) and executive coach. With two decades of experience growing and leading firms, he is a thought leader on goal achievement, influencing company culture, and driving exponential growth. He is also co-founder and CEO of The Diversity Movement, a results-oriented, data-driven strategic partner for organization-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Donald serves as a board member for several organizations in marketing, healthcare, banking, technology and sports. Donald’s autobiography and leadership guidebook — Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success — will be released in 2022. Connect with him on LinkedIn and at donaldthompson.com.
