Two Leadership Styles

Several years ago, James D. Fife assigned me to oversee a small team of six. When he gave me the assignment he sat me down and discussed two styles of leadership. I don't know if he did this every time he made assignments or if he correctly saw my brittle personality and recognized I needed extra counsel. Regardless the message was clear and made an impact. You can issue orders, or you can spend time with people and collaborate. The first style of leadership is appropriate in an emergency. If you are not in an emergency you should use the other. After explaining this he asked the question - are you often in an emergency?

So if you lead people before you start issuing demands ask yourself the question, is this an emergency? If it isn't then ask yourself why you're acting like it is.

Cheers.