I definitely lean towards being a leader. My philosophy with my small team, many of whom are former military officers, is to approach each as the unique individual they are. With a sudden change in our team leadership model, I was thrust into "leading" my team of peers through a very tumultuous year. My first priority was to get to know each person on a more personable level and to conduct a "team" -assessment of our problem-solving preferences using the FourSight Assessment. This tool highlighted each team member's preferences - clarifying, ideating, developing, implementing - in their approach to problem solving. It also provided each member with the tools to how to appropriately communicate with members of the team who had different preferences. We all basically understood what each other needed from one another and were able to move forward on our projects quickly and efficiently. This course highlighted the importance of knowing the difference between being a leader and being a manager - they are both important, but knowing when to shift roles is absolutely key to keeping the team optimized.
