Are You A Connecting Leader Or A Corrective Leader?

Connecting Leaders vs. Corrective Leaders

Adopting a connecting leadership style can have a number of positive outcomes for you, your team, and your bottom line. If you want to create leaders within your organization as well as a strong team whose members can handle problems and think creatively and innovatively, then consider learning to be a leader who connects rather than corrects.

Understanding the differences between the two styles and their outcomes is important. It can make the difference between success and failure. Can you identify which style you currently gravitate toward? To help recognize the difference, here is a comparison of the two leadership styles at a glance:

 To put it simply, it is easy to find someone doing something wrong, point out their mistake, and be quick to correct them. To the busy, overwhelmed leader, corrective leadership may seem easier, but the easier way often doesn’t give us the long term results we’re looking for. I urge you to slow down a bit and take the time to start implementing elements of a connecting leadership. I’m reminded of the quote from Kenneth H. Blanchard, “Catch someone doing something right.” This thought is the first step in becoming a connecting leader.

Benefits of a Connecting Leadership Style

I could rattle off a long list of benefits that are a byproduct of adopting a connecting leadership style, but there are several impactful ones that we’ll discuss in this post These benefits help to illustrate why you might consider using this valuable style of leadership.

Connecting Leadership Lifts People Up

When you take on a connecting leadership style and learn to be an encourager, it will breathe life into your people.

“Encouragement is oxygen for the soul.” – George M. Adams

As a leader, when you engage with a connecting leadership style, your team members will be energized to be their best, and they will want to help you in your efforts. They will be motivated to get the job done and will be loyal to you and your company. No one wants to be around a leader who constantly points out their mistakes and brings them down. However, who would not want to help someone out who encourages them and believes in them? Always aim to elevate—it’s a win for everyone.

A natural starting point is to be on the lookout for members of your team who are doing things according to the protocols you have set out for them, and who are producing in a way that connects them to their purpose within your organization—especially those members of the team who can be a bit of a challenge. I think you will start to see that once they get into the habit of being positively acknowledged by being “caught doing something right,” the chances are you’ll see more right actions from them. I love the saying, “we gain self esteem by doing esteemable things.” When recognized for esteemable actions, it’s human nature to want to continue to do better since we feel better about ourselves. See if you notice this with your team members.

Connecting Leadership Brings Greater Understanding

When you learn to ask questions versus tell someone what to do, you expand as a leader.

“Good leaders ask great questions.” – John C. Maxwell

If you lead by asking questions, your team members will begin to think more deeply about situations, increase ownership, and deepen their ability to find solutions to challenges. You don’t need your team running to you every time there is a problem. Your goal should be to help them to find their own solution, increasing their ability and value to the organization. Allowing people to have the freedom to solve problems and make decisions empowers them, and they will be able to go further, faster. You will be surprised how effectively this helps decrease bottlenecks in helps your team get things done more efficiently.

Connecting Leadership Strengthens Abilities

It goes without saying, everyone on your team needs to be, at the very least, proficient at what they are expected to do. But let’s face it, skills and talents are different and unique to each of us. So often, leaders focus an extraordinary amount of energy and attention on working with people to uplevel their abilities in areas that just aren’t their natural skill set. Focusing on using connecting leadership helps you to shift into encouraging members of your team to excel at their innate abilities and what they do extremely well, while maintaining a level of basic proficiency at areas that aren’t their strong suit.

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what

you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

By practicing connecting leadership you will be successful in developing your people into the well-rounded team you need them to be. Your leadership will help to motivate your team to catapult your business to the next level.

Connecting Leadership Means Connecting People to Their Purpose

Connecting people to their purpose is really the name of the game with this leadership style. You benefit and they do, too. And really, at the end of the day, don’t we all want to feel that we’ve put in our best efforts and realized our highest and best results? I’d love to chat with you about ways that you can incorporate using a connecting style of leadership into how you grown the skillset of your team. Please reach out—I’d love to have a conversation with you! Until next time, be well!

“Excellence is the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what you have to offer.” – Rick Pitino