Here at On-Demand Leadership, we love to think about leaders who have influenced us. We fondly recall our old ball coach who motivated us by doing silly impersonations of our opponents, we remember Uncle Billy who was totally unpredictable but wildly successful as the owner of a chain of carpet stores, and we think back on our first boss who had a funny way of yelling one minute and laughing the next to keep us working throughout the night on important projects.
One thing often stands out in the leaders we remember the most: They had a style all their own.
This brings up two points. First, these people stick in our mind precisely because they were unusual. Quirky is memorable and different sticks. But we shouldn’t forget the (probably larger) number of quiet, committed leaders who had an equal or greater impact on us. I can easily remember getting life advice from nutty Uncle Billy (“Carpet will never let you down. Remember that.”) but now that I think about it, quiet Aunt Sally really helped me out, time after time, when I was in a tough spot. Sometimes leadership is loud, direct, and forceful. Sometimes it is thoughtful, humble, and steadfast.
Second, it is tempting to think that if we could only take the sense of humor from the old ball coach, the fearlessness from Uncle Billy, and the laugh-yell-laugh motivation technique of our boss and merge them into our own leadership style, we’d be in great shape.
But leadership style doesn’t replicate very easily. Sure, we can learn lessons from the leaders all around us, but a leadership style that is rooted in who we really are is far more likely to contribute to lasting success. People can sniff out an inauthentic leader a mile away.
You are the most fundamental part of your leadership development. Develop essential leadership competencies and shore up weaknesses as needed, but don’t look fondly to someone else’s leadership style and think “if only.” You have everything you need be an effective leader. Create your own leadership style, and let crazy Uncle Billy get back to selling carpets.