LifeStyle Leadership

Management leadership has been a subject of great controversy for over a century.  Some have spent their lives in search of the most productive method to lead the masses.  We have run the gambit of the very tightest controls, such as timing bathroom breaks, to no control at all, allowing the employees to run the show.  Neither extreme has stood the test of time.  Because leadership will affect another person’s life forever, either negatively or positively, it should never be taken lightly. There are many great researchers who feel the same way:  Kurt Lewin, Douglas McGregor, Fred Emery, just to name a few.  A leader with the ability to help each employee mature into confident, contributing adults is a premium.  Leaders who are able to maintain their authority while instructing, training, encouraging and empowering are priceless.  Theory X/Theory Y, Immaturity/Maturity, Autocratic/Participative/Laissez-Faire, Authoritarian/Democratic are examples of important theories, models and principles.

In the world of daily change, not much remains the same, and yet, stability is the hope of almost every employee.  Businesses are faced with leadership decisions continuously, many times because they are not able to efficiently evaluate and hire leaders that can lead people to maturity.  With the turnover in the healthcare industry, today more than ever, we need leaders who not only know what they are doing, but who are willing to be lifelong students constantly learning new and effective ways to lead.

LifeStyle Leadership…is a precarious thing! Leadership that “drives the bus” will eventually wreck! Leadership that keeps the gas tank full, the wheels greased and the map available, BUT, guides the associates to drive the bus will soar! Do you know the difference between Theory X and Theory Y Leadership?  I can tell you and show you. One major component is making every one of your employees feel important and valued, but the process is not so simple!  It’s been talked about for years, but how many leaders do you know that are very successful at making their associates feel important and valued?…not many?….neither do I.  I can show you how.

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