What is your leadership style?

December 9, 2010 |
Valor

Jacquie Marroquin & Melanie Berru discuss leadership styles at the A.S.C.E.N.D. Academy.

On the fourth day of the A.S.C.E.N.D. Academy, the trainees (myself included) are focusing on management styles. Jacquie Marroquin and Melanie Berru asked attendees to think about: their first inclinations when they receive a project; how they react under pressure; what feedback they’ve been given about themselves; and what direction seems to best describe you?
Jacquie & Melanie adopted an activity from the Leadership Compass: Deepening Perceptions to Self & Others. I think every organization should have its employees understand the Leadership Compass — I learned a lot about myself and my peers. The Leadership Compass divides leadership styles into four extremes: warrior, healer, visionary and teacher. Of course, individuals identify with components of each style; however, people generally default to a dominant style.
Trainees gathered with people who identified as the same dominant management style. Each group discussed their strengths and weaknesses based on the extreme characteristics of their dominant management style. Then trainees identified their second, third and least dominant management style. In small groups, attendees worked to create a $5,000 campaign — working from their least dominant management style.
Some of the feedback from the groups was that it was possible to work from your least dominant management style if one is open to it. Attendees also realized that they already possessed some of the skills within their least dominant style.
“The goal of today’s workshop — Understanding Your Leadership Style — is to create, nurture and develop consciousness for the students,” Berru said. “To be able to develop consiousness of the community and of self. To be able to look at their role in leadership and the context of anti-oppression. To be able to make sure that we learn to live by a different model.”
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