Cultivating Emotional Intelligence: Unearthing Your Leadership Style

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Imagine stepping into the shoes of a leader, navigating the complexities of different leadership styles like a skilled captain sailing through rough seas. This episode takes you on a journey through the landscape of leadership, drawing lessons from our visit to the Friends Experience and the laughably real management wisdom of Michael from The Office. We dissect the good, the bad, and the ugly of Kurt Lewin's leadership styles framework, offering vital insights on when to adopt which style - a must-have knowledge for every aspiring leader.

Ever wondered how your leadership style impacts your team's efficiency and confidence? We shine a light on this, underlining the importance of active listening and understanding your team. We also point you to a free quiz at www.mindtools.com to discover your leadership style. For those keen on sharpening their leadership skills, we have an exclusive offering - personalized coaching sessions with your host, Holly Curby. Remember, leadership is not only about guiding others but also about investing in your personal growth and emotional intelligence. Join us on this journey of becoming a leader who not only inspires but also propels the team forward.

Related episodes on Holly's Highlights podcast:
Season 5 Episode 1: The Critical Role of Emotional Intelligence in Personal Growth and Leadership this New Year
Season 2 Episode 24: What Does Your Body Language Say About You?

Related Resources:
Leadership Style Quiz: https://www.mindtools.com/azr30oh/whats-your-leadership-style
Leadership Coaching: https://www.hollycurby.com/coaching

Support the Show.

Visit www.hollycurby.com for more information and to sign up for the monthly Holly's Happenings e-newsletter. Holly's Highlights podcast and the opinions and ideas shared within it are for entertainment purposes only. The advice should be confirmed with a qualified professional.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
A couple of months ago my sister and I went to the
Friends Experience, which hasbeen visiting here in Salt Lake
City, Utah, and it was so muchfun From seeing their outfits
and learning about their fashionstyles tailored to their
characters that they playedstepping into the set of
Monica's apartment and Joey andChandler's apartment to
reenacting the pivot scene, youknow the one with Ross and

(00:24):
Rachel, and even sitting on thecouches both in Central Perk
Cafe and the opening fountainscene.
We just had so much funexploring the whole set.
Now I actually found theFriends Experience through my
watchful eye on the officeexperience.
My daughter and I love theoffice and they have a set, just
like the Friends Experience,where you can step into the

(00:44):
office.
So Pam's desk, michael's office, the conference room, the paper
warehouse, and I am justwaiting for them to announce
their next location.
So if you get a chance to visitthe Friends Experience, do, and
if you hear of the OfficeExperience opening back up,
please let me know.
I definitely want to be thereNow.
If you're an office fan, you'reprobably drawn to a certain

(01:04):
character we all are, but Ithink all of us can at least get
a good laugh from Michael.
He is probably every corporateowner's worst nightmare of a
leader, and he obviously drovehis team crazy too, but he makes
us all laugh.
Senior Technology Leader RandyCarson wrote a good piece on
LinkedIn about things we canlearn from Michael's leadership,

(01:26):
or even lack thereof.
So if you want to check thatout, feel free to do so on
LinkedIn.
Again, that is under RandyCarson.
But then Harvard BusinessReview dives deeper into poor
leadership, as they reveal thetop communication issues that
basically prevent leaders suchas Michael who has been guilty
of at least one point or anotherin his leadership of these from

(01:49):
having effective leadership.
They are five of them, so oneis not recognizing employee
achievements.
Two is not giving cleardirections.
Three, not having time to meetwith employees.
Four, refusing to talk tosubordinates.
And five, taking credit forothers' ideas.
However, on the other hand, anarticle by Dr Kyle Elliott in

(02:11):
Forbes reveals four importantqualities of a good leader.
They include four things One, aclear vision.
Two, the ability to empower ateam.
Three, active listening skills.
And four, a healthy dose ofhumility, which, let's face it,
at some point or another.
Michael reveals some of thosequalities in his leadership too.

(02:33):
So it's easy to conclude thatdifferent situations call for
different types of leadership,the key being applying the right
leadership style to thespecific circumstance.
Now, there are many differentleadership styles, but we're
going to focus on what isreferred to as Kurt Lewin's
leadership styles framework,which is a model that was

(02:53):
developed back in 1930s, butit's still very applicable today
.
The first one is authoritativeor autocratic leadership.
This is used to envision andempower, such as when it teams
lack direction, so the leadersets the goal, but then the team
decides how to achieve it.
It's a flexible leadershipstyle to involve the team as you

(03:15):
listen to the feedback.
The second one is coaching.
This is used to help developthe team and self-awareness
while using empathy andnurturing their individual
performance, and this leadershipstyle requires time and
expertise from the leader.
However, this style shouldn'tbe used for those immediate
result scenarios, but ratherongoing improvements.

(03:36):
This style of leadership isalso always conducted in a
one-on-one setting.
The third one Democratic orParticipative Leadership, which
is used to collaborate andconsult, such as ensuring that
each voice is heard.
Although team members oftenfeel valued under such
leadership, as they areencouraged to participate and

(03:56):
share responsibility and beempowered, it can lead to too
many meetings without enoughaction.
Number four Affilitative.
It's used to praise and createharmony, such as creating a
positive work environment, or torepair relationships or help
bring teams together.
However, this leadership stylecan accidentally create
confusion as it lacks correctionand accountability.

(04:18):
Number five is Paste-SettingLeaders.
This is used to highly motivateteams with ambitious goals to
produce quick wins, and theseleaders set good examples for
the team of not just do what Isay, but actually do what I do.
However, sometimes, because ofthe high standards, some team
members may feel veryoverwhelmed or, even worse,

(04:39):
feeling burnt out.
And then number six is Coercive.
This is used in crisissituations, such as with toxic
employee behaviors.
Otherwise, if you try thisleadership style in another
scenario, it's going to kill theteam's motivation.
It's more of a directive orcommanding leadership style to
really dive in and fix theissues.
Now the first four, soauthoritative coaching,

(05:03):
democratic and affiliative allof those are said to be those of
indicative of a positiveculture, while the latter two,
so Paste-Setting, coercive havemore of a negative culture.
So how do you know what style touse and when?
Well, active listening goes along way, and this includes
watching for body language.

(05:23):
You can check out season two,episode 24 on Holly's Highlights
, where we impact all thingsabout what our body language
says about us and, therefore,how to understand others' body
language too.
Also, get to know your team,their strengths, their
weaknesses, the why behind eachtimber, so that you also know
more or how to invest in theirdevelopment to meet those goals,

(05:45):
their why, and then ask yourteam what it's like being on the
other side of you, or evenasking them what is something
you don't want to hear, but youneed to hear, all in order to
help you grow as a leader and inyour personal development.
Why is learning your leadershipstyle so important?
Well, as a leader, you have alot of responsibility.

(06:06):
We know that You're the mentor,the one to create the vision,
but also help your team alignwith the vision.
You foster a teamwork culture.
You help set goals and providethe support in doing so and how
and where you may.
You ensure clarity ofcommunication, not to mention
manage the overall businessaspects too.
However, it will take a momentto learn the different types of

(06:29):
leadership, which ones are ourtendencies that we use, how we
can use such styles in certainsituations.
Well, when we can be moreeffective leaders, resulting in
high productivity, that helps usalso motivate and inspire our
teams, help boost confidence inthose that we lead and increase
efficiency and, overall, bepositive examples for those that

(06:50):
we lead, while also earningtheir respect.
So, to find your leadershipstyle, I suggest visiting
wwwmindtoolscom that'sM-I-N-D-T-O-O-L-Scom and I'll
put that direct link in the shownotes and they have a free
12-question quiz which will helpreveal your natural tendency of

(07:12):
leadership styles, but it'llalso help you dive into exactly
what each of them are and, again, how to apply them.
Now, if you're wanting moreresources and tools in
developing your leadership role,whether that be as a parent, a
team lead, a ministry within thechurch, an executive or even as
an entrepreneur, I'd welcomeyou to connect with me for
one-on-one leadership coaching,where we simply meet virtually

(07:35):
for one hour a month and helpdevelop and fine-tune your
leadership and opportunities,whether it be needing an
outsider as a sounding board orconstructive feedback,
developing strongercommunication skills or even
helping with conflict resolution.
Together we can help enhanceyour leadership while also
combating executive isolation.
Don't get stuck in the rut.

(07:56):
With my marketing, ministry,education, customer service,
business and leadershipexperience paired with my heart
of just wanting to show care andhelp others, your
sure-to-experience our one hourtogether each month will have a
solid return on your investmentNow.
If you schedule your firstcoaching call today, you'll
receive $50 discount off yourfirst appointment.

(08:16):
So you can simply go over tohollycurbycom that's
H-O-L-L-Y-C-U-R-B-Y dot com andselect with work with me and
then coaching, and that willlink us together.
As Canadian writer Robin Sharmasays, investing in yourself is
the best investment you'll evermake.
It will not only improve yourlife, it will improve the lives

(08:38):
of all of those around you.
So here's to growing in youremotional intelligence by
learning your leadership style.
My friend, may you live outfirst Peter 5'2" in taking good
care of the flock that has beentrusted to you as a leader.