Many challenges can arise when one is expected to manage and lead others after a career period of demonstrating and using technical abilities gained through initial education and training.  However, leadership and management are not always taught nor learned in a formal and structured way. Our leadership and management "style" will be the product of many influences including our:

• personality
• role models (family, work etc)
• ambition
• work environment
• formal learning - both at educational institutions and within employers
• general business and economic environment
• feedback through performance appraisals, upward and 360 degree feedback and psychometric assessments.

Having the benefit of Self Understanding and Executive Coaching can be useful aids in this process, as is a tool which is useful in understanding one's style and identifying possible areas for self development, being the Life Styles Inventory (TM) by Human Synergistics for which I am an accredited practitioner. (For possible benefits of tools such as LSI, please click here)

The LSI is an individual feedback tool, designed to provide insight into a person's thinking and behaviour and how these impact on effectiveness in the current role. The LSI is made up of two separate but interrelated parts:

• LSI 1 is a self description inventory, designed to measure an individual's thinking styles and self concept.
• LSI 2 is a description by 5 others selected by the individual from their current work environment who knows the individual well in their current role.

Further details on the LSI can be found here.