Cultivating A Personal Leadership Style

L. had just started a new leadership role at a technology company. For the first time in his career, he would be leading a large division. The business was also experiencing rapid growth and change, both in terms of its strategic direction and the churn of people.

L. reached out to MKLC to help sort through his new leadership challenges, but also because he was interested in creating a system of accountability as a way to scale: he wanted to be accountable to himself and his peers, but he also wanted to create a two-way street where those working with him would hold themselves accountable, too.

“I needed help growing into my new leadership role, but I was also seeking something less formal and highly suited to my individual needs. A sounding board and someone to help me think through these new challenges, help me find my blind spots, figure out better behaviours to work into my day-to-day and ultimately cultivate a leadership style that would achieve results,” L. told us.

With MKLC’s guidance, L. began by working on a document that articulated his leadership path: what he valued and didn’t value, what his strengths were and identified the gaps, what might the team need from him at different moments in the journey.

“A lot of time we leaders tend to lean in without being conscious of our leadership style. I found there was immense value in putting it down on paper and making it more explicit,” L. said. “A good coach helps you break down big ambiguous things like leadership, and gives you that mental framework that lets you become more aware of what is happening around you and how your actions impact your coworkers.”