These are three things people feel strongly about: pizza, pineapple, and cilantro.
There are those who are adament that pineapple should never be anywhere near a pizza, and then there are those who are fans of Hawaiian pizza (ham and pineapple).
And there are those who love cilantro, and those who think it tastes like soap and hate it.
I’m a fan of pineapple on pizza (please, don’t stop reading on that basis!), and while I used to hate cilantro, I’ve grown to enjoy it.
And I know someone who likes barbecue chicken pizza – with cilantro.
My point?
We’re all different in our tastes and in our ways of doing things, whether that’s food preferences, life choices, or – yes – leadership styles.
On top of that, different situations require different responses – and no situation is precisely the same as any other. Leadership is, as I’ve said many times, an endless fuzzy gray area; there are few, if any, absolutes.
That said, it’s absolutely (!) necessary to learn the foundational skills of leadership and management. Everything from strategic thinking to presentation skills to negotiation to delegation to, well, all the things.
And then the final, crucial skill: learning to adapt it all to one’s own individual preferences, style, and approach, and to the many fuzzy, gray situations one faces.
At which point, as far as I’m concerned, you’ve earned that pizza. With whatever toppings you prefer!
Like anything, good – meaning, effective – leadership and management development programs start with good planning. Contact me to set a time to talk about what a development plan could mean for your organization.