Developing Your Personal Leadership Philosophy

Consistent Leaders Are Cognizant Of Their Personal Leadership Philosophy

There are many ways to create your own personal leadership philosophy and leadership mindset. You could have your own set of rules, your own overriding philosophy of what is right, or know how you will act under pressure and changing circumstances. Or some combination of all three.

No single leadership philosophy can be viable for everyone. Each leader is faced with different circumstances, brings different backgrounds to their leadership positions, and leads widely different teams of people. Hence you have to figure out what the right leadership philosophy and mindset is for you.

Stop and ask yourself, “What is your personal leadership philosophy?” When was the last time you paused and seriously gave this question sufficient reflection? There’s no time like the present to give this question some serious thought and consideration.

There are seven sets of questions to ask yourself in developing, reviewing, or fine-tuning your personal leadership philosophy:

1. What is the primary focus of your leadership beliefs — results, people, both? Why?
2. What do you want to accomplish in your current leadership role and as your career advances? Why?
3. How would you like others to describe your leadership style and behaviors? With what specific words and terms?
4. What do you expect from those you lead? How will you demonstrate and communicate this?
5. What level of control makes you comfortable? What level of delegation makes you comfortable? Why?
6. How do you view the mistakes of others? Of yourself? Why?
7. What are your personal rules of leadership? Are these written down? Are these rigid or flexible?

For your reference, I have shared my personal rules of great leadership on the Caliente Leadership website.  These are instrumental components of my personal leadership philosophy, which is at the heart of everything I write and teach about leadership:

Great leadership is an art.
It is the art of achieving progress through the involvement and actions of others.

Great leaders perform this art, and attain desired results, by having a personal leadership philosophy, the right leadership mindset, and through using the right tools and techniques. They are also consistent in their leadership behaviors.

This article is excerpted from my book Great Leadership Words of Wisdom, which is available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats.