elements of Leadership – Take the Quiz
To learn about your Elemental Leadership style, you are invited to take this brief quiz. In addition to learning about your natural style, you will receive our complimentary guide to all of the elemental styles and paths to leadership.
In your experience, you can probably think of lots of examples of poor leadership. What about great leadership? What is it about the leader that you found inspiring? And if you were working directly with this person, how did they help bring out the best in you?
Starting with good role models and the qualities we admire can help us determine how we want to evolve our leadership style. Some of us have expertise in a job area and then earn a leadership title with little guidance about what additional skills we need to do the management and people side of the equation well. Often workplace leadership development programs are only eligible to those who are already in leadership roles and learning on the job. It can be a trial by fire and it can quickly become lonely as the leadership identity creates separation.
The Leader Paradox
In addition to developing ourselves based on leadership qualities we admire, we also acknowledge the rapidly changing work environment that demands both sensitivity and agility. Case studies abound of organizations who have either not changed leadership culture fast enough and those who tried to change too quickly and imploded. The leader paradox is the schism that can develop when the continuous expectations of the role creates a rigid identity. Parts of the self do not evolve and ignore the shadow sides of conferred power.
Overcoming separation between leader/follower along with other perceived dualities, are the new challenge facing organizations. Our invitation from the Edge is to look at natural systems to evolve our understanding of leadership culture. When we let go of what we think about leaders, we understand that nature organizes around systems, processes and cycles, rather than the vulnerable state of the hierarchical leader. In natural systems, it is an illusion to claim those at the top of the food chain are the leaders when the system can be collapsed by a microscopic virus, or rely on bacteria to ensure things decompose and recycle their energy. Leadership is a circle.
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