I have a friend who is job hunting and hell-bent on working for a company with a great culture. I asked her to name two extraordinary leaders and what she values in their leadership style. She asked me why? I believe identifying extraordinary leaders and their style helps you to connect to leaders you are attracted to and it gives you insight into a company culture you can thrive in. It is important to not simply focus on getting a job at the most prestigious company, but to find a position that is a perfect fit and where you can grow and be happy.
Whether you’re fresh out of school starting an entry level position or you’re on the brink of retirement, you are almost always subjected to leadership. Depending on the position you hold, there will likely be someone or multiple people to report to. Finding the perfect match between team leader and team member requires us to know ourselves, and understand what we want and need in a professional setting. Ask yourself this question:
1. What do I value in a leadership style? Emotional intelligence, thoughtfulness, encouraging a culture of learning, defining opportunities to grow, communicating vision and goals, mentorship, welcomes innovation and allows for failure?
I want to unpack the idea of being a spectator of the leadership around you. Rather than rehashing the idea of how to be a good leader, I want to center this series around people in the construction industry or as I would call them “people who build”, we are all subjected to leadership whether it be good or bad. Being part of a professional team does not necessarily mean you are in a position of leadership, but it does mean you have a leader, or someone to look up to. Finding meaning and happiness within a position, a team and a company means you must know which style of leadership you’re attracted to. Are you surrounding yourself with leaders that match your style?
Fortunately, as we emerge out of the COVID era, many leaders have taken the time to identify what leadership means to them. In an article published by McKinsey, three McKinsey veterans dive into their years of experience in leadership and consider COVID’s impact; “This unique time is going to call for some extraordinary leadership, and there’s something we can probably learn from past crises like this one”, explains Aaron De Smet. To read the full article, use this link. Knowing that major profitable companies such as McKinsey are focusing on extraordinary leadership is comforting. This also suggests there are bountiful opportunities for people seeking job positions on competent, successful, and powerful teams. To find your perfect fit you must confidently know what you covet, which can be difficult to figure out. If you do this work it can help you find more meaning and happiness in your career.
In the rest of this series of blogs, I will explain how to find meaning and happiness through self-care rituals. I will also help you to define clearly what you seek whether it be coaching and mentoring or a greater support system. Neither of these are easy to figure out, but they are a part of better knowing oneself best. Until then, please check out my past blogs on people-centered leadership, as they are great guides on examples of what extraordinary leadership looks like.
