Your Leadership Style
A gift to budding Engineering Managers to get started with engineering management
This is second part of Engineering Manager’s Starter Kit. To read about the first part on defining your core leadership values, check it out here:
During my time as an individual contributor, I was led by 6 different managers and everyone had a different leadership style, so to speak. Some are direct. Some are micromanagers. Some are laissez-faire. Some are visionary. Style of my managers influenced how I work and my experience in a team can easily be summed up by my manager’s leadership style.
When I became a manager, that was the first thing running through my mind. What type of manager should I want to be? What would my team think about me? How does it influence my team? - By the end of this section, you’ll be able to relate yourself to certain leadership styles based on situations and your behavior conforming to it.
Common Leadership Style
Before defining a leadership style for yourself, let’s take a look at common leadership styles in the industry and probably for you to be inspired from:
That should give you a glimpse into what different leadership styles are, what mindset and behavior that you could adopt. Nice, let’s put it to practice.
In Action
Now it’s your turn. Provided the situation, what leadership style you will adopt and actions that you will take? - Fill it in the table below.
As you can see in the above exercise, you can’t adopt the same leadership style for different situations. You need to understand the situation, what people expect from you and what works best for the team.
Final Thoughts:
Align with Your Core Values: Let your core values guide your leadership style. Instead of letting your style dictate your values, ensure that your actions are rooted in your deeply held beliefs. Tailor your approach based on your values and the specific circumstances.
Easy to Work With: Cultivate approachability. Be open to feedback and actively listen to your team's perspectives on how your leadership style influences their work. Building a collaborative and positive work environment doesn't have to be challenging. The most effective engineering managers are those who are both skilled and approachable.
Influence, Don't Impress: Strive for authenticity. Rather than trying to impress others with unrealistic commitments or undue niceness, focus on authentic influence. Be genuine in your interactions, and let your leadership style emerge naturally from your authentic self. Influence, when grounded in authenticity, is more lasting and impactful than mere attempts to impress.
Reflect and Adapt: Regularly reflect on your leadership style. Seek feedback from your team and your manager to stay adaptable. Being aware of how your style resonates with different personalities and situations within your team enables you to make necessary adjustments for continued growth and effectiveness.
Remember, effective leadership is an ongoing journey of self-awareness, adaptability, and genuine connection with your team.
That’s all for now - Next up let’s define how your success look like as an Engineering Manager!
