Coaching Yourself to Leadership: Five Key Strategies for Becoming an Integrated Leader

Integrating Styles: The Story of Mike

If you cannot easily switch styles or combine the two, your leadership effectiveness will be jeopardized. The story of Mike, a former client, demonstrates this point. Mike is an alpha male kind of guy, with lots of masculine energy and presence. He is physically big, smart, and highly proficient technically; his skill and physical presence command respect. He isn’t afraid to yell at people when he is mad at them or when they aren’t performing as they should, or to strut his presence to get his team to pay attention. Mike is an action, not a process person, who doesn’t always control his emotions.

Mike’s style worked well for him until he found himself in a new organization due to a restructuring. The new ...