Are you looking for a leadership style model that is more relevant to the new non-hierarchical, cluster or team-based organizations of the new milenium? For traditional organizations where the 'boss-subordinate' relationship prevails there are many very useful models available and we teach several of the more popular ones. However, we have encountered limitations in these models when we deal with self-managing work teams in which the leader-follower roles shift on the fly. Or when we deal with cross-functional teams in which 'leaders' are not there to develop others but rather to coordinate and integrate the work of persons with different skills and knowledge sets. Even in hierarchies we are discovering that the role of the official leaders is less and less to bring followers through stages of development, instead, they are often creating the conditions in which everyone can exercise leadership in their field of expertise. To respond to this new reality we developed a new model that we call 'flecstsyle'.
In this model, the particpants in an interaction select a behaviour pattern from four alternatives; FOLLOW, LEAD, EXPLORE or COLLABORATE (thus the word 'FLEC'' in Flecstyle). The pattern is selected on the basis of who has the capacity to contribute on the task at hand. When both parties have a strong capacity to contribute COLLABORATION is recommended. When you have a monopoly on the skills and knowledge, but others have none, your obligation is to LEAD. When you lack the capacity to make a contibution, become an expert at FOLLOWING. And when no one knows for sure what to do but 'doing nothing' is not an option, EXPLORING is the creative option.
WORKSHOPS: We offer short half day introductory workshops, full day sessions that dig a little deeper and two or three day workshops that include many opportunities to practise the basic skills. Most workshops require that participants complete self-assessment questionnaires in advance. Often questionnaires completed by persons who have experienced your LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOURS are also required.
WHAT'S MY STYLE? TEST YOUR OWN PREFERENCES
Curious? It is possible to test your own preferences from the four alternatives through the completion of a simple questionnaire. This questionnaire asks you to indicate what you would do in each of 20 situations. A simple scoring and interpretation guide allows you to score the results and develop plans to change your behaviour if you feel that your profile doesn't fit the demands of your job or mesh with your work situation.
GET FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS
To confirm (or challenge) your own perceptions, it is wise to get feedback from others who have experienced your leadership behaviours. A second questionnaire allows you to do this by circulating copies to at least three team members, co-workers, committee colleagues, or anyone else with whom you have a working relationship.
TO ORDER: Visit our Shopping Page to order copies of our Style Diagnostic Questionnaires. You can also complete the questionnaires OnLine.
A special note to TRAINERS & CONSULTANTS: If you wish to use these instruments to supplement classroom training or help diagnose organizational issues, please contact us for quantity discounts. We can also process the results for individuals and groups and send a full personal and group analysis to make your workshops or other interventions more grounded in hard data and more meaningful for clients and participants.
