As a leader, you have a unique style that reflects your personality, values, and vision. But how do you make sure that your style aligns with your company culture, the shared beliefs and behaviors that shape how your team works together? In this article, you will learn how to match your leadership style to your company culture, and why it matters for your business strategy.
Company culture is not just a buzzword. It is a powerful factor that influences your team's performance, engagement, innovation, and retention. A strong culture can help you attract and retain top talent, foster collaboration and creativity, and drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. A weak or toxic culture can have the opposite effects, leading to high turnover, low morale, conflict, and poor results. Therefore, as a leader, you need to understand and shape your company culture, and align it with your strategic goals and values.
As they say a fish rots from the head. There cannot be premadonnas or big egos in a proper company. What there needs to be is a belief the mission is worthy and the goals achievable. Those enduring the ride, need to arrive at a destination better than they imagined … hopefully getting a better outcome (pay and conditions, recognition, etc)
There are five core values that I have in my business and they were designed on my past experience and how I got results in my past. We onboard new starters by going through the values and standards first. They ask brilliant questions at the onset that clears things up in the beginning. I didn't want a culture of hushing up toxic behaviours or fraud/corruption. Consistently we were asked "Isn't it the managers job to inform you when we raise the alarm?" My answer is: Always let me know too. Given we had a small community of creatives and tech experts, it's heartwarming to know that they fostered confidence and teamwork because we hired the right people based on values.
Before you can match your leadership style to your company culture, you need to know what your style is. To do this, you can use frameworks and tools like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the DISC model, or the Situational Leadership Theory. Additionally, you can ask yourself some simple questions to reflect on your style. For example, are you direct and assertive when communicating with your team? Do you make decisions analytically or intuitively? Are you hands-on or hands-off when delegating tasks and responsibilities? Do you motivate and reward your team based on results or relationships? Answering these questions can help you gain a better understanding of your leadership style.
Evaluating your company culture is essential for understanding the work environment and outcomes of your team. Surveys, interviews, and observation are great ways to gather feedback from team members, customers, and stakeholders. Additionally, frameworks and tools such as the Competing Values Framework, the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument, or the Culture Map can be used to analyze your culture along different dimensions. For example, is your company flexible or stable? Does it focus on collaboration or competition? Is it people-oriented or task-oriented? These questions can help you gain insight into how your culture affects your team and organization.
This like studying ethics is in the eye of the beholder. A uniform culture is impossible, like everyone having the same belief system or religion. At best it should be described generally
Every monthly/quarterly check-in, we review employee performance with the values included in the review. This is established in the beginning. They could independently identify what their gaps were as well as why they were getting fabulous results in other areas. Took care of KPIs.
Once you have a clear picture of your leadership style and your company culture, you can compare them and identify the gaps and opportunities. For instance, you might find that your leadership style is in line with your company culture, allowing you to leverage your strengths and reinforce the values and behaviors that support your strategy. Alternatively, you may discover that your leadership style is complementary to your company culture, bringing a different perspective and balance to your team and organization. On the other hand, you may find that there is a conflict between your leadership style and company culture, requiring you to adapt and adjust your style to fit the expectations and norms of your team and organization.
If you find that your leadership style is conflicting with your company culture, you don't have to change who you are or compromise your authenticity. However, it is important to be flexible and adaptable, and use different styles depending on the situation and the needs of your team and organization. For instance, you could communicate differently to suit different audiences and situations - if the company culture is direct and assertive, you may need to be more concise and clear in your messages, while if it is diplomatic and empathetic, you may need to be more respectful and courteous. Additionally, different decision-making styles might be necessary for different problems and scenarios - if the company culture is analytical and data-driven, you might need to use more evidence and logic in your decisions, while if it is intuitive and creative, you might need to use more imagination and experimentation. Furthermore, different delegation styles should be used for different tasks and responsibilities - if the company culture is hands-on and involved, you may need to provide more guidance and supervision to your team; if it is hands-off and trusting, you may need to provide more autonomy and empowerment. Lastly, different motivation and reward styles can suit different goals and incentives - if the company culture is results-oriented and competitive, you might need to set clear targets for your team; if it is relationship-oriented and supportive, you might need to build rapport with your team.
Finally, you need to monitor and measure the impact of your leadership style on your company culture, and seek feedback and improvement. You can use tools such as the 360-degree feedback, the Net Promoter Score, or the Employee Engagement Survey to assess how your team and organization perceive and respond to your style, and how it affects their satisfaction, loyalty, and performance. You can also use methods such as coaching, mentoring, or training to develop and enhance your skills and competencies as a leader, and learn from best practices and examples of other leaders who have successfully matched their style to their culture.
Employee NPS is a valuable tool for becoming a better leader and improving employee satisfaction. However, to use it effectively, ensure anonymity and practice radical transparency (i.e. eNPS is not a target but a measure).