The Accidental Leader. What s your style?

Transcription

1 The Accidental Leader. What s your style?

2 Nick McEwan-Hall Senior Manager RTO Operations Aegis Aspire Melbourne Find me on LinkedIn and

3 What is an Accidental Leader? We will look at 4 major styles of leadership You will identify your predominant style of leadership We will look at how to identify and use the styles to aid you in your leadership role We will look at common combinations of styles, and how to work with them

4 Who here is in a leadership role? Is it your first role? How many of you have been in the role less than 12 months? Who isn t in one, but wants to be, or might be soon?

5 Leadership is a serious business.

6 Seriously Trait Theories Behavioural Theories Participative Leadership Theories Transformational Leadership Situational Leadership Transactional Leadership Autocratic Leadership 2,760,000 Results for Leadership Theories on Google!

7 Or not so Seriously "Leadership, like swimming, cannot be learned by reading about it." - Henry Mintzberg Is the concept of Leadership overhyped? Non Serious Leaders are everywhere!

8 My Story The Accidental Leader Wanted to be a high school teacher Went to university B Teach and B Design Decided teaching kids wasn t for me Enjoyed working with year 11 & 12 students Studied my Cert IV BSZ! Moved to Melbourne and became a trainer

9 I progressed then a training coordinator. I was a very accidental leader I learnt about a few things in this job. Politics, conflict, intergenerational issues, organisational red tape, time management, emotions, motivations, passions, drivers, performance management, HR.. The list goes on!

10 and I learnt a lot! I learnt by experience not always good! Most of all, I learnt by reflecting back on these experiences ups and downs Since then I have been in many other roles Compliance & Quality Manager, Training Manager, RTO Manager, RTO Consultant etc

11 What I learnt (and have learnt since) This route to leadership is very common It can be extremely tough Who wants to go backward? So you keep going. UP! It wasn t until relatively recently that I learnt about Leadership Styles I wish I had of had some kind of framework for leadership at the time The problem was, I didn t know such things existed!

12 What is this leadership style thing all about?

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14 People are Unpredictable Different Unique Dynamic People!

15 Leadership = Connecting with people = Interpersonal Skills

16 The Leadership Role Interpersonal Skills The Job Managing Interprsonal Skills Understanding Others Understanding Yourself Interactions

17 Knowing your preferences is an important first step Preferences are just that it doesn t mean you can t work in other styles or ways

18 Importantly, if you can identify other peoples preferences, you can work out how to approach that person in a way that they are receptive to

19 Being able to connect with people in a different way to what you re used to Having a common basis for discussing issues or ideas To get a better understanding of how you are being perceived Understanding conflict and difference Having a method to change a situation

20 Let s look at some science.

21 Today we will explore DISC. It s just one such system that you can use to identify your style, and other peoples. Its simple and easy to understand

22 Get to know your style The DISC system breaks down styles into four different types Which type are you? Take the survey

23 Introducing the birds Eagle Dominant Peacock Influential Dove Supportive Owl Compliant D I S C

24 Eagle This style is the controller. Task orientated, they get the job done at whatever the cost. They have vision and tend to be strong leaders, although they could be autocratic in the pure sense. They are extraverted and have more empathy with facts, systems and procedures rather than people.

25 Peacock This style is the showy promoter who has the natural ability to influence. This makes them natural leaders. They like to be noticed and also work on others liking them. They are great motivators, have the ``gift of the gab`` and are usually the life of the party. They are very extraverted and have a strong empathy with people versus systems and procedures. They also have vision and always paint the big picture but don t cope too well with detail.

26 Dove This is the true supporter. ``A friend in need is a friend indeed``. This style of person is the worker and the one that listens to orders and carries them out. They can be talkative or quiet but one thing is definite and that is they have a strong affinity with people, even if they have good analytical skills. They tend to be more introverted. Some people see this side and so they can be used by others or walked on by bad managers.

27 Owl This style is the analyst. An eye for detail. Observant and the one people turn to for the facts. Thrive on their logical, numbering skills and usually dominant in the background of most businesses. This style is more introverted and would communicate well if the other person had similar interests and level of intelligence. They are not natural leaders but are sometimes put in senior positions, for their knowledge and logical reasoning. Strong affiliation with facts, systems and procedures, but not with people. Follows rules. Highly likely Accidental Leaders.

28 One may jump out at you You may start to identify your colleagues and friends too You may not identify with just one bird People can be (and often are) a mix of two styles Some combinations are rare

29 One bird isn t better than another We re talking about preferences Any bird can do any role/job DISC is usually a silent language

30 Finance & Quality Roles Sensing Trainers, Admin Roles Precise Follows Rules Logical & Careful Formal & Disciplined Withdrawn, shy Doesn t express opinion Gets stuck in details Does not take risks Calm, steady Careful, patient Good listener Modest, trustworthy Thinking Decisive, tough Strong willed Competitive Demanding Independent, Self Confident Aggressive, blunt Self-Centred Overbearing Exceeds Authority Sociable Talkative, open Enthusiastic, energetic Persuasive Strategic & Director Level Roles Intuition Business Development Roles Resists new ideas Does not express Stubborn Does not seek change Flamboyant, frantic Careless, indiscreet Excitable, hasty Loses sense of time

31 Let s look at how you use the styles.

32 To identify communication barriers Using the common language of the birds can make it easier to discuss issues as they arise If a Peacock and an Owl are trying to work on an issue, its likely to be difficult The peacock works on intuition, whereas the owl works on facts Simply knowing that the behaviour you observe is driven by certain preferences allows you to make adjustments You can adjust your approach once you know how you will be perceived

33 Peacock VS Owl The Business Development person who keeps getting creative with their enrolment forms VS The Compliance Manager who has to demonstrate how the RTO sticks to the rules

34 Adjusting Perceptions Once you know what drives someone, you can adjust your perception of them (or your teams perceptions of one another) If an Eagle and a Dove are working together, they likely don t have a good view of each other. An Eagle may think a Dove is weak A Dove may think an Eagle steps all over people When in actual fact, the Eagle just wants to win and the Dove just wants to be careful (but also win!)

35 Eagle VS Dove The Director who says something has to happen NOW! VS The Trainer who really, truly believes that we shouldn t rush into things (or believes rushing is not an option)

36 Approaching Correctly If you know the persons preference, you can cater to it, thereby eliminating issues If you are working with a Dove, you may need to... Give them time to think Give them time to ask questions Not rush them

37 Approaching Correctly If you are working with a Peacock you may need to Let them talk about it with you and other people Be enthusiastic about the issue at hand Not expect too much detail

38 Approaching Correctly If you are working with an Eagle, you may need to Let them think it s their idea Let them change things a little Stick to the facts Let them execute tasks

39 Approaching Correctly If you are working with an Owl, you may need to Give them details Present facts Present the logic behind your thoughts Pose problems for them to solve

40 Questions?

41 Find a partner, preferably a different Bird to you Together, list down some ways you could use the birds in your workplace You might think of an example in the past where using the birds could have helped Explain to your partner how you would have used it and what you think it could have done

42 To resolve conflict With students Customer service how can you exceed their expectations if you don t know how they perceive you? Hiring make sure the person coming on board is a good compliment for the team Sales being a fantastic communicator is key to being a great salesperson

43 Consider getting everyone to identify their bird, and discuss amongst your team what that might mean. Have the birds represented somewhere in the office at the desks, on a noticeboard etc Prevention not cure

44 What next?

45 We have only just scratched the surface of DISC I hope your mind is racing with ideas and possibilities Remember knowing your own style is the first step!

46 Have a think about how you could apply what you have learnt in your own workplace As you go about your day, imagine what bird people are and think about how you might approach them differently Encourage your team to take the test themselves and talk about what you find You don t have to only use the birds when there is a problem

47 Final questions?

48 FREE Disc Profile Good overview of what DISC is. Some great videos and resources.