It’s a common expression that you should lead like a lion – with strength, courage and stealth.
While this may be true, today we present an alternate view – lead like a leopard.
You see, leopards are highly distinguishable by their unique spot patterns. Those spots are called rosettes, and it is those rosette patterns that make leopards such an incredible sight to behold.
In the book, Strengths Based Leadership, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, the authors encourage us to identify our own unique “spot patterns” in order to become more effective leaders.
To lead like a leopard, we should take the time to assess our personal strengths and weaknesses. Just a general sense of who we are isn’t enough. To be a strong leader, we should take an up-to-date mental inventory of what we do best, and then leverage those superior abilities to form our own unique management style.
Rath and Conchie tell about a company manager who attends conference after conference to learn new business strategies. But when he tries to implement those new tactics, they are not well received by his employees.
The authors observe that this is because he is leading purely through the teachings of the conference speakers, and his staff does not get a sense of who he really is.
Instead, this manager should have led like a leopard – from his own spot patterns… from his own personality. This is what people respond to.
As Ivy Compton-Burnett once wrote, “A leopard does not change his spots, or change his feeling that spots are rather a credit.”
Today’s Takeaway
You have a unique spot pattern. Know it well. Lead like a leopard.
To quote the ancient Greek aphorism, ”Know thyself.” This is your most powerful leadership strategy.
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