LEADERSHIP STYLE
Flexible in style, steady in values.
How I lead, the values behind it, and what two independent assessments say about my style.
How I lead
Today’s effective leadership demands flexibility and adaptability; it’s not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Leaders must be versatile, employing a range of strategies to navigate an ever-changing world. However, it’s crucial for leaders to maintain steadfast core values that reflect their character. In my case, who I am defines how I lead: my unchanging principles provide a reliable foundation for others to work with me and give me my own style and imprint.
Authenticity is fundamental to my approach. Being naturally introverted, I place a strong emphasis on active listening and share my perspectives thoughtfully when they can have a meaningful impact. This translates into a leadership style that avoids micromanagement, cuts down noise and distractions, and instead encourages team members to take ownership of their work at their own pace, fostering an environment of effectiveness and impact.
My core values
I am dedicated to continuous learning and view myself as a strategic thinker, skilled at anticipating future challenges and devising creative solutions that align with our overarching objectives. Here are some of my other core values:
Empathy
I chose this component of emotional intelligence over the others (self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, and social skills), not because they are less important, but because I believe empathy requires the use of your ‘active’ skills. Active listening is a good example: it creates a safe environment for everyone to ask questions and understand the substance of what the other person is saying. The discipline lets you add an empathic focus on others, in addition to an internal focus on people and technology.
Curiosity
Curiosity always helps you get more involved, drive innovation, and inspire others to do the same and speak up with their ideas. Ultimately, this leads to a greater sense of belonging for a team.
Collective responsibility
I took this value from a company I used to work for, Merck & Co., Inc. As a pharmaceutical company, one of its core values, among other important ones, was “corporate social responsibility”. This can be translated to any industry, not only toward your users and customers but also toward internal staff and the people you work with. We all contribute to a successful team, enrich our jobs, and gain a sense of professional satisfaction.
Respect the value of culture
Culture tells people what is expected, accepted, and respected in the organization.
Humility
Making space for and acknowledging others’ contributions, and recognizing my own areas of limitation.
Be an engineer in charge!
Expand, share, and be a champion of learning. A tech leader produces change, sets direction, aligns people, and provides motivation. All good tech leaders understand the technical challenges, but since many leaders struggle to evolve their workforce to remain competitive, I believe maintaining a high level of up-to-date engineering skills is important. You might have to adjust or even change your tech portfolio, but it is worth it: strategy realization requires tech expertise, and besides the personal satisfaction, it builds your professional standing among fellow engineers!
My Insights Discovery profile
Based on the extensive research of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, Insights Discovery offers a framework for self-understanding and development. Research suggests that a good understanding of self, both strengths and weaknesses, enables individuals to develop effective strategies for interaction and can help them to better respond to the demands of their environment.
A few years ago, while I was working as an IT manager, our company did a comprehensive Insights Discovery evaluation. It helps you recognize and understand your potential strengths and weaknesses, and it helps teammates communicate and interact.
Here’s the management style portion of my profile:
What motivates me
- Avoiding frequent meetings.
- Rewards for my economy of effort.
In managing others, I may tend to
- Require time for consideration before making decisions.
- Prefer working with a small team.
- Under-delegate or re-assume tasks already delegated.
Summarized from my Insights Discovery profile. View the original excerpt.
I’ve also shared my key strengths and weaknesses on the Qualifications and Skills page.
My emotional and social competencies
During my enrollment in a Harvard Business School course, I undertook an Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI) evaluation by Korn Ferry, a widely embraced model that has been used by more than 160,000 executives. This assessment offered valuable insights into fundamental interpersonal skills, as observed and evaluated by my colleagues. Below is a summary of my profile from this assessment.
My colleagues rated me highest on emotional self-control and teamwork (4.7 out of 5), followed by systems thinking (4.6) and positive outlook (4.5).
Self-Awareness
Self-Management
Social Awareness
Relationship Management
Cognitive
Average of my colleagues’ ratings, from 1 (never) to 5 (consistently). Source: Korn Ferry ESCI-U participant feedback report, February 2024. View the original report page.
Want to talk leadership?
For a detailed description of my professional experience and career path, along with a personal reflection on my career journey, see Professional Experience.