Re-Evaluate Your Leadership Style

I remember early on in my career as a young leader receiving some valuable advice form my leadership mentor in corrections.  I was an ambitious 25 years old Warden and my mentor and I sat in my office while he told me this:  “Scott your biggest challenge is that you are always three or so steps ahead of your staff and you will need to learn to balance your aggressive visionary spirit with being patient at the same time.” 

It took me some time to reflect on whether or not his statement was a compliment; however whether or not it was a compliment really didn’t matter.  The reality was that his statement was spot-on true.  I had to learn to stay a few steps ahead of my team in thought, while at the same time being patient with them and allowing them learn from their mistakes.

I was always the young dreamer that was thinking, planning, evaluating and ready to charge the hill.  I Had To Re-Evaluate My Leadership Style; from that meeting forward I began to learn the art of knowing where  we needed to be as an organization, arranging the right people in the right places and being patient with my staff.  This allowed both of us to grow and develop as leaders.  It’s a great Paradoxical Leadership philosophy: Leading Ahead While Being Patient.  Below are three ways to Lead Ahead While Being Patient and be a Paradoxical Leader.

• Always know where your team members are personally, spiritually & developmentally (Stay 3 steps ahead of them)
• Know the areas where your team members will struggle, fumble & need improvement (Be patient and let them struggle)
• Evaluate, Re-evaluate, Evaluate, Re-evaluate, Make Tough Decisions & Grow (Lead ahead, be patient and adjust accordingly) 

Does this make any sense to you?  It does to me, maybe that’s because I’m just 3 or so steps ahead of you…  Don’t worry, I’ll be patient!

Share your thoughts on the need to re-evaluate leadership styles!  What has been your experience with Paradoxical Leadership?