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Wow Them With Your Leadership Philosophy

“I have an interview for a new position. I know they are going to ask me how I would view my role as a supervisor but I’ve never been a supervisor before. I don’t know what to tell them?”

It’s all too common to move people into supervisory positions without giving them any training in leading people, so this is not an unusual question. Your first instinct will be to mirror what you’ve seen in past supervisors. That’s a good start if you’re careful to separate good leadership characteristics from bad ones. But you are a unique person and you need to develop your own approach to leading. You can do that with a personal leadership philosophy: a written document that spells out the basics of how you will lead your team.

Your leadership philosophy should clearly express,

Your values: What are your important and lasting beliefs or ideals about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable? What are the standards upon which you will not compromise?

Your Vision: If nothing stood in your way, what would you like your team to accomplish or become?

The Team’s Mission: Why does the team exist and what does it do?

Your Important Priorities: What do you see as the most important jobs your team has? What is their order of importance?

What Do You Expect From The Team: How do you expect your team to approach their challenges?

What Can the Team Expect From You: You also have a responsibility to your team. Be clear about what they can expect from you.

What is Your Communication Policy: Effective communication is critical to team success. How do you communicate with your team and how do you want them to communicate with you.

Writing and publishing a leadership philosophy is a proven method for leaders, whether new or experienced, to discover what drives them as a leader and to communicate their most important leadership thoughts to their followers in a memorable and inspirational way.

Quite simply, your leadership philosophy is a map that can be overlaid on anything the team is doing to provide clear and consistent direction.

If you were interviewing someone for a position as a supervisor, wouldn’t that impress you?

 

If you’d like to learn more about creating your own leadership philosophy, contact The Daedalus Group. We would love to help.

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