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How to lead more effectively
Business coach Oliver Hansard has championed a more empathetic approach to working. Here he outlines how to lead effectively in a way that includes self-awareness and takes into account the needs of both the team and clients.
One of the questions I’m often asked in the coaching room is “which leadership model shall I use?” There are so many different models out there, so being able to recommend the right one to the right individual is tough.
I have a simple starting point. I call it the Leader Compass. Here’s a brief explanation of each point on the compass:
Self: being consistently in the right frame of mind – self-aware and self-reflective. Critical elements of being a successful leader.
Team: we can’t do it alone. How do we take our colleagues with us and create the functioning teams we need? Leadership means empowering people to make the right decisions when appropriate. Often, we need to see the wider perspective and ‘course correct’ with them.
Client: Internal or external clients in the room (either physically or virtually) is absolutely vital. How do we get their voice into our ways of working at the right time?
Organisation: if you lead part of an organisation, is yours the place to be or the transfer to avoid? If you lead the whole, it will reflect on you. Is this something to aspire to or to navigate away from?
As leaders, we need to operate in a multi-dimensional way, and it is here that the Leader Compass can help. Are you thinking about your various interactions in the right dimensions?
Have you considered how the challenge might impact the team in a different way to you? What is real client impact likely to be and how might it affect their relationship with your business?
Even used as a simple check list, the Leader Compass can give you more confidence that a particular challenge is being considered in the round – helping you make better decisions.
*Oliver Hansard is a Business Coach and Founder of Hansard Coaching. [email protected]. Oliver focuses on working with ambitious lawyers, accountants, technologists and entrepreneurs to enable them to find enduring solutions.
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