Everyone Has Leadership Potential

Just because something feels uncomfortable doesn't mean you can't or shouldn’t do it. Leadership and the skills needed to be great at it can be just that, uncomfortable and potentially scary.

For most of us to be thought of as a ‘leader’ is an aspiration, however we sometime get put off by the amount of work needed to achieve this status. But if you can push through the discomfort and scary moments and do it anyway, you may just enable yourself to achieve your greatest leadership triumphs.

Pushing outside of your comfort zone is no easy task. The best way to get started is to love and embrace that natural leadership style that you bring to ‘work’ with you each day, with all of its strengths and its glorious flaws. And never look at another person and say "I wish I were more like them" or "they are a much better leader than I am." Instead, tell yourself that you simply approach things differently, and you have strengths where they have areas for improvements.

Pushing outside your comfort zone and doing the really tough stuff gets a lot easier when you appreciate what you already have got going for you and acknowledge that you're no worse off than anyone else. Then you just have to go for it and embrace the discomfort as part of the process personal growth. Every single time you try something new, it will get a little easier and before you know it, you'll be doing things that you never would have imagined yourself doing before.

The 7 most common leadership styles (and how to find your own)

At first glance, we may think that some leadership styles are better than others. The truth is that each of the following leadership styles has its place in a leader's toolkit. The wise leader knows how to flex from one style to another, just as the situation and circumstances demand.

The 7 most common leadership styles tend to be viewed as a continuum, ranging from autocratic at one end, to laissez-faire at the other, with a variety of styles in between.

1. Autocratic Style – Do as l say.

Generally, an autocratic leader believes that s/he is the smartest person at the table and knows more than others. They make all the decisions and accept little input from team members. This command-and-control approach is typical of leadership styles of the past, but doesn’t sit well with most teams today.

That's not to say that the style may not be appropriate in certain situations. For example, you can dip into an autocratic leadership style when crucial decisions need to be made on the spot, and you have the most knowledge about the situation, or when you're dealing with inexperienced and new team members and there's no time to wait for team members to gain familiarity with their role.

2. Authoritative Style -  Follow me.

The authoritative leadership style is the mark of confident leaders (aka visionaries) who map out the way and set expectations, while engaging and energising followers / team members along the way. In a climate of uncertainty, these leaders give a clear vision for others to view. They help them see where the company is going and what's going to happen when they get there. Unlike autocratic leaders, authoritative leaders take the time to explain their thinking: They don't just issue orders. Most of all, they allow people choice and latitude on how to achieve common goals.

3. Pacesetting Style – Do as l do!

This style describes a very driven leader who sets a racing pace. Pacesetters set the bar high and push their team members to run hard and fast to the finish line.

While the pacesetter style of leadership is effective in getting things done and driving for results, it's a style that can hurt team members. For one thing, over a long period of time even the most driven employees may become stressed working under this style of leadership.

Should you avoid the pacesetting style altogether? In my view … No. If you're an energetic entrepreneur working with a like-minded team on developing and announcing a new product or service, this style may serve you well. However, this is not a style that can be kept up for the long term. A pacesetting leader needs to let the air out of the tires once in a while to avoid causing team burnout or mutiny.

4. Democratic Style – What do you think?

These leaders share information with employees about anything that affects their work responsibilities. They also seek employees' opinions before approving a final decision.

There are numerous benefits to this participative leadership style. It can engender trust and promote team spirit and cooperation from employees. It allows for creativity and helps employees grow and develop. A democratic leadership style gets people to do what you want to be done but in a way that they want to do it. It ensures that the ‘team’ feels that they have been part of the decision-making process but without the responsibility of the final call.

However, this leadership style can also hinder the decision-making process and ability to move forward. The need to always ask for everyone’s opinions and checking that all are happy before moving forward can playout badly for meeting deadlines and also your level of authority as viewed by the team.