Leadership Styles. How YOUR Leadership Style Impacts those YOU Lead

Leadership Styles

Welcome back to NewMan NewWoman NewWeek.  I’m Ben Newman, and I am fired up to be with you today to talk about accountability done right.

Why am I talking about accountability done right?

Well, I received and email from a CEO of an accounting firm, and that CEO asked a question, “What, in your opinion, is the best way to have accountability with the people that you lead?”

Understanding Power vs. Authority

Here’s what I thought about, I thought about this Max Weber research that I had read about on the difference of power versus authority.

Now here’s the deal, if you’re not the CEO of the business — this can literally be if you’re running a household, if you’re a coach, if you’re running a small business, this is for you, this concept.

Max Weber did the research, okay?  Power versus authority, here’s how you can help with driving positive results and process in your organization, done right.

So, Max Weber would tell us, if he were to walk onto this screen with us to be with on NewMan NewWoman New Week — wouldn’t that be great if Max Weber was here, but he’s not.

But here’s what he would tell us, two definitions.

Definition of Power

The definition of power is when you force or coerce somebody to do your will.

Definition of Authority

Authority is when you empower or inspire somebody to choose what you would want them to choose.  So, how does that play out?  Now, I want to answer the question from a clear business perspective, because I want to make sure that the CEO’s needs are met with this answer.

Accountability Done Right

Accountability done right, one of two ways you can handle it.

If you know that somebody is doing something in a way where there’s areas for opportunity, they’re not failing, right, but there’s areas for opportunity.  You can go to that person if you know you have the right answer.

You know the formula.

You know the right way to do it.

The first way you can do it, you can go to them and you get right in their face.  And we’ve all been led by people like this.  And you can say, look, you’re not doing this right, and if you want to do it right, this is the way that you have to do it, and that’s the only way, and that’s gonna get up the result that we need.

Here’s the problem with that message, can it work?

Yeah, it can work, but the problem with it is even if you are receiving information that is the truth, accurate information with accurate instruction that will deliver the correct results, what people have a tendency to do is they resist, they resist, I mean, high levels of resist to that type of in your face mentality.

That would be the use of power, and Max Weber, all of his research — one of the champions of sociology in the United States, he would tell us power doesn’t always work, but you can drive home the same principle for accountability in any area of your life by using authority.

Because often times if you are the leader, that means you’ve done the research, you’ve learned from other great people, you’ve put in the work over a long period of time to have the opportunity to lead.

So, if you empower and inspire, I often say, through asking questions, it helps the individual who had that opportunity to grow grow and embrace the feedback that you’re giving them.

So, rather than going and pointing your fingers, do this, do that, you’re drive the results — how do you get accountability in your organization?

You ask the questions.

Based upon your current performance, do you think there’s anything you can do to improve?  It gets them to open up and see through a different set of lenses a different perspective.

And then, you can mention to them.  Here’s something you could say, you could say what we’ve seen in the past is that when individuals and facing and obstacle like you’re currently facing — and I know, you’ve shared with me through emails that you’re a little frustrated.  We’ve seen that when people follow x, y, and z, they can turn around the results and feel better about their performance.

Do you feel that would help you?

If you were to choose to follow those x, y, and z steps, do you believe that would help you in your performance?

And as soon as that person answers yes, I believe that can help me, what you’ve done, rather than putting your finger in the face, is you have empowered and inspired that person to choose the daily behaviors that will drive the results.  And as soon as the individual that you’re leading chooses the behaviors that will drive results, when that person has made the choice for themselves, you’ve empowered them, and you’ve inspired them to choose what is best for them on their journey.

Their performance in their business will be better.

Conclusion

And here’s the reality, for great balance in life, if we can inspire the people that we lead to perform better in their work, it enables them to perform better at home.

It enables them to perform better in the challenges they do for themselves physically, mentally, emotionally, in all that they do.  Choose to inspire your people.

Accountability done right is about inspiring and empowering other people on their journey, so that they choose the things they already know they need to do, you’re just showing them the way.

Get out there and enjoy your leadership of other people.

Inspire people.

That’s what I love about being with you every single week, getting to fire you up, and inspire you, and empower you.  And some of you, you’re following us on Instagram, @CONTINUEDFIGHT or @COACHBENNEWMAN.

You’re subscribing to these videos, so we have this consistent contact and I love it, ‘cause I love sharing the fire that I have inside of me with you on your success journey.  Until next week, you know I get fired up for NewMan, NewWoman, NewWeek.  Go do great things.

Leadership Styles. How YOUR Leadership Style Impacts those YOU Lead – Ep 19 Vol 1