Do you know your role as a leader?

There are many different types of leadership, and there is no one right way to lead. Leadership, however, requires the ability to respond to conflicting demands at the same time, sometimes in very challenging situations. In this case, the role of different management styles and, on the other hand, different competence areas, is emphasized.  

“A leader is required to understand HR management, change management, performance management and internal process management. A great leader masters all of these”, says Outi Ikonen, Terveystalo's Chief Organizational Psychologist.  

According to Ikonen, the biggest challenges in leadership are related to the contradictions between competing leadership roles. Employees must feel happy and healthy while the company is making a profit.  

“When managing people, team spirit and inspiring commitment are important, and the employees need to feel empowered and involved. The staff must feel that the supervisor is interested in them and their well-being”, says Ikonen.  

There are also paradoxes in change management and process management.  

“In change management, the leader strives to achieve growth and innovations, while in the management of internal processes, the leader aims to ensure that the processes work and that there is sufficient stability in the management. The leader should hold on to both, as routines provide a framework for creativity.  "

Identify strengths

Leaders and supervisors should consider their own model of leadership and identify their strengths.  

“Everyone is at their strongest in one of these areas of leadership. Someone gets feedback on inclusiveness, someone on good performance leadership, someone on inspiring enthusiasm, and someone on creating stability and a systematic approach”, says Ikonen.  

Challenges arise mainly if your leadership model is too narrow.  

“For example, if your leadership role focuses solely on performance management, the employees may feel ignored. In this case, the supervisor must develop their people management skills and otherwise broaden their competence as a leader."

Help from feedback

A lot is expected of leaders. Therefore, the supervisor and leader should also be understanding towards themselves.  

“The leadership role is often focused on the need, and it is natural to focus on some needs more than others. However, it is good to be aware of all the leadership roles so that none of them remain completely ignored”, says Ikonen.  

Roles can be developed with the help of feedback, for example.  

“The leader should have the skills to take feedback and understand what it relates to. Mindsets that are unsuitable for your type of leadership are easy to reject, but you should learn to accept the feedback nonetheless. A great leader knows how to talk openly, even if the issue is difficult.” 

Terveystalo's humane efficiency coaching for supervisors, a virtual, multiorganizational coaching service, can be of use to leaders.

“The humane efficiency supervisor coaching teaches leaders to identify their strengths and development needs, among other things. The aim is to increase the leader’s understanding of working as a supervisor while potentially changing their ways of thinking and acting in different situations”, Ikonen sums up. 

>> Learn more about Humane Efficiency