Bill McBride, the co-founder, president and CEO of Active Wellness and BMC3, shares more on leadership types and looks ahead to 2023.
The word leadership gets thrown around a lot. I wonder if we sometimes get confused about our true role as a leader and what it means to be a great follower.
Leadership may sometimes include these functions, as well as others, but these aspects in and of themselves are not leadership:
- Management
- Facilitation
- Supervising
- Coordinating
- Overseeing
- Pontificating
I’m a big believer in the concept of situational leadership. Simply stated, the situation at hand determines the leadership style required.
During an emergency or crisis, I want to either be a directing leader or be following one. During 9/11, it has been reported that some companies in the Twin Towers went to their conference rooms and discussed if they should leave or stay. This democratic approach cost a lot of human tragedy and lost lives. Those leaders who took a directing or authoritative approach got their teams out more quickly.
Of course, some crisis situations don’t require immediacy but rather rapidness. For example during COVID-19, the survival of the business and member and staff safety were all of dire concern. Some conversation and participation was critical, but then at the end of the day, the leader has to make a final decision.
The crisis of the pandemic required one type of leadership and the rebound/recovery required another type. The opportunistic growth phase will require yet another approach. Being aware of the overall situation is critical to being a great leader.
When you understand situational leadership, personal leadership and humility in also being a great follower, you are well on your way to exceptional leadership.
That is what will be required for 2023 and beyond. We are coming into a transformational period. How do we really show up and dive into data to “read the tea leaves” on our best path forward?
