Style

Have you ever met a manager for the first time and in their introduction to the team they talk about their style? What is management style anyway? Does style assume there is a base understanding of what a subject pertains and that whatever you add or subtract from it is a matter of personal prerogative? Style is typically something we do that is distinct. Is style developed over time? Is it deliberate and if not can it be? Are there bad styles? Good styles?

My style, if there is one, is heavily subsidized by the formal leadership training I’ve received. Probably the most influential to me is what I received volunteering with Scouting America. When I was active with them as a leader, I took all of the training courses they offered (every Scout deserves a well-trained leader), including the five day Wood Badge training course, which is considered their pre-eminent offering. I also worked with another leader in my time there, someone who would become my own mentor, who taught me more about leadership than I’ve ever learned in the workforce, and I am forever grateful to her for that support. Leadership in Scouting is a form of servant leadership, and development of others is based on helping them find self-sufficiency and self-reliance. I have found this “style” works well with my team now, which are comprised of highly skilled engineers who appreciate ownership over their work and autonomy. Would this work with another team doing highly programmatic and clerical work? Probably not. If I were to manage an accounting team of clerks, where oversight becomes more important, taking a hands-off approach would not suffice.

My second influence comes from what I am learning in my MBA class. There are excellent approaches to leadership and frameworks to adopt. In this way I believe style can be deliberate and developed over time. Because there are best practice approaches to leadership, it also means there are bad practice approaches to leadership. I want to be aware of all of it, which is a big reason I am getting an MBA in the first place. One of the benefits of being in a management position is I can deploy these ideas now instead of waiting until I “get my chance.” I will also add that there are many wonderful books on management and leadership out there in the business press, and a subscription to Harvard Business Review is an excellent investment.

My third influence comes from my time with the Northern Kentucky Fly Fishers. Our fly fishing club was comprised of business leaders, senior managers, attorneys, engineers, doctors, and other professionals who taught me a lot about dealing with different personalities. As President and a long-time board member I learned a lot about how to handle myself by watching them interact with each other. I know I need to come prepared, find consensus, and be consistent. With seventy active members we were a fairly large club and the different personalities and agendas and how they interact taught me a lot about people, which I struggle with at times. I also learned a lot about organization, communication, and “not getting buffaloed” as one fellow board member advised me on. Is what I learned there a good style of leadership? Yes, for volunteer work, I applied a lot of what I learned there to rebuild the Cub Scout program I inherited after Covid. It will not work in paid work where you will need to assign tasks based on skillset and availability. Volunteer work is based more on the willing and decision making shared at many levels because donors are involved.

The final influence comes from what I’ve learned about reading on leadership in in the military. Although I did not serve, I have become fascinated with leadership principles instilled in the armed forces programs and by their best and brightest leaders. I like the idea of “leading from the front” and setting a good example. This is easier said than done and takes an enormous amount of personal transformation to be able to accomplish this for your team, but I honestly appreciate leaders who set the tone and I try to do it. I appreciate the Marine approach to character and values and the Navy Seal approach of personal excellence.