Crafting your personal leadership philosophy

“How would you describe your leadership style?”

If you’ve ever interviewed for a management role, you’ve probably heard this question. It may not be obvious to you, but everyone in leadership has a philosophy to which they subscribe.

What does it mean to have a leadership philosophy? You have a set of beliefs and principles guiding how you lead others. It’s the way you interact with your team, how you make decisions, and how you face challenges in your role. It’s what makes you “you” as a leader.

If you’re in a leadership position now, you’re probably already thinking about what this could mean for you. Let’s run through some steps you can follow so next time someone asks you about your leadership style or philosophy, you’ll have an answer. (It’s also just a great exercise to check in on yourself!)

Think about your influences. Who do you look up to in the management space? Why? What specifically stands out with these people? What do you actively avoid based on interactions you’ve had with bad managers in the past?

Identify your core values. What’s most important to you? Trust, empathy, open communication, and transparency are all great examples. These serve as the foundation for your philosophy.

Ask your team. No, seriously. Ask them. How would they describe your leadership style? Now, they are probably not going to say negative things about you to your face, but asking the team that works with you on the daily will help you put a definition to at least part of your philosophy.

Ask your manager, or look at past performance reviews or feedback. Your manager has likely outlined some of your key characteristics that you bring to your team. In my case, my superpowers are people and process. This flows into my philosophy where a successful environment is one where people feel psychologically safe and empowered to do their best work, and they do their best work by having a clear direction and taking accountability for their successes and errors.

Each of these points tell a story of who you are as a leader and what is most important to you. This is such an important thing for you to be able to define especially as you continue to move up in an organization because different organizations will attract different leadership styles and philosophies. Cultural fit as a leader can make or break the success of a team and determine whether or not you’ll be happy at an organization. Review, write down, practice, refine, and continue to reflect on your leadership philosophy as you grow as an engineering leader.