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Your Style is... Executor
Preface: I’m excited to share these results with you! I developed these leadership personality types based upon over a decade of coaching utilizing a myriad of assessments, and the coaching you are about to receive below is straight from the coaching we give to our clients and participants in all of Empower's leadership programs and accelerators.Regardless of your result, it is imperative to understand that we don’t see the world the way it is- we see the world the way we are. That means we expect other people to behave like we do, to see the world through our glasses, with our frame of mind. Sometimes people behave the way we expect, but often they don’t. When they don’t, our natural inclination is to think that something is wrong with them. You may think, wow, I don’t like that person. But I’ve witnessed repeatedly that you often feel as if you don’t like them, not because they did anything awful, but because they do things differently than the way you would Alternatively, if we are in an institution with many people of one type, we may deduce that something us wrong with us because we just don’t fit in. We try and try and try to fit a round peg into a square hole, but no matter how much we try, it doesn’t work. This can detract from our self-esteem and self-confidence, and cause depression and anxiety, as we constantly wonder, is something wrong with me? I have good news for you; there is nothing wrong with you. We are all different – we come from different backgrounds, lived experiences, biologies, and upbringings. We have endured various traumas and achieved multiple accomplishments. We all have our way of seeing the world based upon many aspects, many of which we can’t control. When we were kids, we were taught “treat others the way you want to be treated.” In essence, our parents were saying, be nice to others. Don’t be a jerk. Their advice comes with beautiful intentions – telling us to be empathetic and kind - but that saying mars the whole picture. After training over 4000 people leaders from 45 countries, I’d like to change that saying to “Don’t treat others the way you want to be treated; treat others the way they want to be treated.” Just because you want plain pizza doesn't mean someone else also wants plain, they may prefer pepperoni. So do you give them plain because that's what you want? Hopefully no.That takes getting to know their natural typology. As leaders, we must be masters of emotional intelligence, perception, and nuance. We need to sense things before people need them; we need to recognize that one person might want to have their hand held, and another might want to be left alone. The key is to recognize the value of all these different types and build powerful teams by integrating them and then showing them how to value one another, not despite their differences, but because of them. You also may crossover into different categories, introducing the concept of flexing or adapting. For example, if you’re in a room of all people with your primary personality type, you may have to adjust – a room of executors may all kill each other without a harmony seeker. That’s where you lean into another type. I hope this is helpful to you in becoming a more effective leader – and happier person. Your strengths:You are great at GSD (getting stuff done). You love challenges, and you are capable of rising to them. You work well under pressure and naturally take charge of projects. You know how to break a task into small parts to bring it to fruition, and you can laser focus to get everything done. You tend to be competitive, which means you also tend to win more than those who don’t care about coming out on top. You aren’t afraid to communicate directly and are honest and transparent. You are organized, diligent, and reliable. People know that you are efficient and get straight to the point. Your growth edges:You may be easily frustrated by other styles that move more slowly and love small talk. Relationship builders, for example, like to chat before they start into items of business. If you are in a relationship-building culture (Latin America, the American South, etc.), they won’t even DO business with you until they form a relationship with you first. Only some people like to get to business right away. You might want to start a meeting with, hi, how are you, or How are your kids before you jump right into agenda items. Some people need authentic human connection, and they will feel put off if you are always all business. They won’t feel valued. You must also realize that not everyone is as efficient as you are. Express patience and help find out what they need from you and the team to execute on time. Also, make sure to allow for other voices to come to the table – we know you are smart, but there are likely other intelligent people around you whose ideas you are missing out on if you always need to have control. Relax, take a deep breath, and smile You are a direct communicator, which creates clarity for people as they never wonder what you are thinking, but be careful not to come off too direct or harsh, especially in cultures that prefer indirect feedback, especially if it’s negative. Try utilizing downgraders, or offer feedback as “suggestions,” “growth opportunities,” and “constructive criticism” to soften your feedback so that people aren’t threatened or feel as if you are rude. Also, make sure that you LISTEN. Try to ask more questions rather than make statements. Sometimes your brain moves so fast that focusing on someone else's words can be challenging. You want to listen to understand, not listen to respond. Try this technique from mediation – when someone says something, repeat it or paraphrase it back to them, then ask if you got it right before you move on. As Brene Brown says, if you don’t address people’s fears and feelings, you cannot address problematic behavior. Your best partnersFor decision-making and conflict prevention:The Harmony Seekers and InfluencersThe Harmony Seekers are good at slowing you down and bringing other people to the table. They will want to get people to a consensus, so they resist the urge to be impatient because it takes longer when many people are involved. Even if you are convinced that your decision or plan of action is the right one, people are much more likely to go along with and buy into a decision if they were involved in the process versus receiving a top-down decision. They are excellent listeners and know how to make people feel heard. They are softer and can round out an executor’s sharper edges. For influencing:The InfluencersThe relationship builders are natural salespeople and lobbyists. They could sell sand in the desert. They are also excellent at bridging divides and making people feel good. They tend to be extroverted and the life of the party, which means you can hand them the plan you want to execute, and they will be masters at getting people to buy in. Don't stick them behind a computer screen all day. Get them on calls, zooms, and in person conversations as much as possible - they are people persons and will suffer in front of a computer and not do their best work. For business partnership:The InnovatorsThe Innovators will drive you up the wall and inspire you. They are non-linear and to executors can seem like chaotic messes. However, where they excel is that they tend to be able to see the big picture and the grand strategy, forecasting trends way ahead of everyone else. They love to try out and experiment with new ideas, and just when you think hope is lost, they will have an idea for how to change or fix something. They are also early adopters who will likely be able to help you adjust to a new technology or system because they embraced it without hesitation. Your job is to keep them on task and help them follow their ideas. They can inspire people to follow their vision and cross the Red Sea, but when it comes to creating a step-by-step process to implement it, they desperately need your master execution skills and detail orientation. They also lean towards optimism and idealism, which can counter your more realism-grounded mentality. Before We Go Any Further – Let Me Introduce MyselfHi there, I’m Samantha Karlin, founder and CEO of Empower Global.We are experts in all things leadership, be it inclusive leadership, leading innovation, women's leadership, cross-cultural leadership, and beyond.We believe that leadership is not about telling people what to do - it's about enabling people to reach their full potential.We also teach and frame DEI in terms of leadership to make it resonate with your company, rather than having it be a proverbial eye roll. We create and run leadership trainings and accelerators for companies, non-profits, and international organizations, speak all over the world about leadership, and create online learning for scale with our partners at Trillium Creative Solutions. We also teach the groundbreaking Women's Leadership Challenge - more below :)I'm currently working on a book about 21st century leadership, having trained over 2500 people leaders from 38 countries on a range of leadership topics, and hosting a podcast, Samanthropolitics, on global leadership (and often the lack thereof).Extra Resources?1) Check out The Women's Leadership Challenge. This awesome program works with women in small cohorts to help them step into their power, embody new and authentic styles of leadership, and create change. As one alum said, the WLC "isn't just worthy, it's transformational." :) If you're ready to change your life and join an amazing global community of powerful change making women, the Challenge is for you. 🔥🥵Want to know more about the WLC? Book your free discovery/coaching call now. We will get clear on where you are at, what's holding you back, and figure out a plan of action to take you to the next level, whether it is the Women's Leadership Challenge or something else :)BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL2) If you're interested in corporate training or speaking, book a free 30 minute consultation.We’ll show you our 21st century leadership accelerator, Women's Leadership Accelerator, and listen to hear what your pain points are to see if we are the right people to solve them. For scalable online learning solutions, we partner with our friends at Trillium Creative Solutions.Book A Free 30 Minute ConsultationPlus Expect to See Us in Your Inbox Soon With Leadership Resources :)