6 Approaches to Leadership That Are Guaranteed to Earn Respect

Leadership is hard work and it does not come naturally to everyone. The styles and approaches of leaders have evolved greatly over time as well. While you will be your best self and leader if you lean in to your natural strengths, there are 6 approaches to leadership I will share that everyone can embrace, and they are guaranteed to win the respect and loyalty of those working with you.

Great Managers are NOT just Individual Contributors

I read a surprising quote by Steve Jobs recently.

He is quoted as saying:

“You know who the best managers are? They’re the great individual contributors, who never ever want to be a manager, but decide they have to be manager because no one else is going to be able to do as good a job as them.”

Sorry, Steve, but I disagree.

I have to say that I find this statement about great managers totally contrary to the idea of Servant Leadership. Honestly, this is not the manager that I want to have.

Do I want a driven, competent, and successful manager? Of course!

But do I want my manager to believe that only she is capable of successfully reaching a goal or completing a project? No. Thank you.

To me, this manager is the one that thinks nothing I do is good enough, is impossible to please, and finds no value in showing others appreciation. This manager has no trust and micromanages to ensure every little task is done to her specifications.

Whenever we ask the interview question, “What kind of supervision or management style do you thrive under?,” candidates consistently respond, “I’m easy. I just don’t like to be micromanaged.” Well, YEAH! WHO DOES?! No one.

Everyone wants Autonomy

The NeuroLeadership Institute does fantastic and fascinating brain-based research, and they have a model that I love to refer to, called the SCARF Model. I highly encourage you to look into it! I’m not going to go into all of the details because it is beautifully complex, but essentially, it is a model that addresses effects on collaboration and influence; it says that everyone is motivated by rewards or threats to their Safety, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and/or Fairness (SCARF). When any one of those things is threatened, people tend to go a little wonky and stress out. (Yes, “Go a little wonky” is a technical term.)

In this case, we’re talking about AUTONOMY: independence; freedom from external control or influence. The ability to feel like you control the success of your work. I understand that no job can be truly and utterly autonomous. However, an appropriate level of autonomy says to me: I trust you. You are competent and hardworking. You produce quality and accurate work. THAT is motivating, Is it not?!

I am a millennial, and I also hold steadfastly to the fact that I am NOT part of the “everyone gets a ribbon” generation. I was raised to work my tail off and earn my merits.

For me a servant leader who is interested in my own challenges and successes, who lets me take distinct ownership in our work (i.e. gives me visible autonomy), is the one that will get my complete engagement.

The manager described by Steve Jobs might as well do everything himself! Extreme, maybe, but if my manager doesn’t want to be my manager and thinks she is the only one who can do something well, what motivation do I have to contribute?

Now that I’m a working mama, I think of many things in terms of parenting: Just because I can make the bed better than my daughter, does that mean I’m not going to ask her to do it? Just because I could write her English essay better than she could, does that mean I should do her homework for her?

No sane person would say yes.

How is she going to learn if I don’t give her the challenge of doing things she doesn’t do well? Or things she might completely fail at?

Why would I, as a hard working employee, want a manager that, not only doesn’t want to be a manager, but thinks they are better than me in every regard?

You get my point.

So ultimately, what are employees looking for from their manager?

Every style is different, but these following leadership approaches take the cake in my opinion.

6 Approaches to Leadership that are guaranteed to earn respect:

LISTEN – hear what your employees have to say and value their input and opinion. Intentionally invite everyone to be a part of the conversation to ensure all voices are heard. Does that mean it’s a never-ending stream of feedback? No – the time will come for you to make a decision. But at least you didn’t come to it all on your own.
ENCOURAGE GROWTH – Identify your employees’ talents and give them projects that will allow them to shine. Ask them where they would like to grow professionally, and give them the opportunity to learn, take risks, fail safely, and improve. Don’t do everything for them. Remember that not everyone wants to climb to the top of the career ladder, and respect that.
SUPPORT – Have your team’s back. Remember that at the end of the day, you are the leader, and you are ultimately responsible for its outcomes. Do not publicly betray your team. Advocate for them, support them, and build them up.
ACCOUNTABILITY – Make your expectations clear and fair from the get-go. Hold people accountable to your expectations and give timely, honest, and kind feedback that allows them to make a change. Nothing loses a team’s respect like a leader that lets one or two employees get away with murder without consequences. Be clear, kind, firm, and fair.
MODEL – The old standbys, “lead by example” and “don’t ask others to do something you’re not willing to do yourself,” haven’t gone anywhere for a reason. Simple. They earn respect. Put in the work. By the way, this goes for modeling work-life balance as well. If you value this balance and wellness for your team, do not create an environment where no one feels like they can leave the office before you. Don’t chastise people for not taking time off when you haven’t gone on vacation all year. Model the behavior you want.
HUMILITY – Put your peacock feathers down. Humble pie is the order of the day. You are and never will be perfect. You will make mistakes. You will have bad days. Say I’m sorry. Ask for forgiveness. Admit your faults. Lean on others’ strengths. Thank your team. In the words of Tim McGraw, “Always stay humble and kind.”

Leadership is HARD WORK. Stay the course and be kind to yourself, above all.

Looking for more on leadership? Check out these great books!

For more useful Career Tips, check out these articles:

HOW TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR RESUME FOR YOUR DREAM JOB

8 THINGS YOU MUST DO TO PREPARE FOR A PHONE INTERVIEW

HOW TO STAND OUT IN A PHONE INTERVIEW

10 PERFECT INTERVIEW OUTFITS TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD

7 TOP MISTAKE CANDIDATES MAKE IN A JOB INTERVIEW

HOW I FINALLY FOUND AND LANDED MY DREAM JOB

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