Leadership is difficult! There are a lot of moving parts that go into your leadership style. It helps to stand back and watch yourself from various perspectives. Let’s peel back the curtain and look at your leadership style behind the scenes.
I sat and watched the credits at the end of a movie the other day. Not surprisingly, a lot of work goes into making a movie, and the work is done by so many different people. I started thinking of leadership as a drama and I wondered who plays those roles in it. We each do, in our own movies. So, let’s reflect on all the roles in the production of a leadership style behind the scenes:
- You’re the star of your leadership style movie; you assume the role and give it credibility.
- You wrote the script, set the scenes, and developed and modified the dialogue.
- As the producer, you sell your story to others – is it a comedy, tragedy, or success story?
- The director (you) directs the action and helps the actor (you) get the most out of the role.
- As the cameraman, you decide what to focus in on, when to zoom and when to pan.
- Also important are the lights, sound and special effects – you add drama, mood, and sizzle to your story.
- An editor is crucial, you decide to replay a part over and over, or you may edit a whole scene out.
- The audience (you) buys into your movie, even though you know it’s a movie.
- Finally, you’re probably the biggest critic of your movie!
No wonder there are so many drama kings and queens in leadership out there. Leaders (as well as employees) are playing so many roles behind the scenes. I encourage you to play one more role: The usher watches the audience watch the movie, and sees them buy into the drama, but doesn’t buy into it himself. He knows it’s just a movie.