Thriving Under A Leader: Working Effectively for Any Leadership Style

As a team member, you have probably struggled at some point to work for a leader. In my 40+ year career, I have worked for many leaders who had different leadership styles. Like me, not knowing whether they are a Micromanager, Self-Preservationalist, or Captain Chaos would very often present a great challenge to not only my success, but the success of the team.

Discussing how to bridge the gap between leadership style and team members’ understanding is usually approached from a “What can the leader do” point of view. The discussion that should also take place is from a “What can the team member do” point of view to reduce the gap.

Here are two strategies a team member can use to increase their understanding of the leader and actions to succeed under any leader.

Strategies to Understand Your Leader

Have you ever started working for a new leader and asked yourself, “How do I learn about this leader?” Here are five different methods to help you learn how the leader works.

First, watch the leader.  Observe what they do, how they act. Are they doing what they said they would do? Do they handle situations with calm and consistency, or with erratic inconsistency? Are they moody? Watching the leader helps you know how they act and how you should react.

Second, listen to the leader. How do they talk? Is it loud and rushed with a rough tone or do they use a more calm and composed voice when interacting with the team? Do they give more direction or ask more questions, or some of both?  Listening to the leader will help you know what they expect.

Third, interact with the leader. Talking to your leader gives you a firsthand look at who they are. A discussion with them about a work situation or project can help you learn how they think and how they will work with you to be successful. Speaking with them on a more informational basis allows you to learn more about them personally. Both interactions help you connect with the leader, which can strengthen your overall working relationship.

Fourth, ask the leader questions.  If you are curious about an action, ask a question. Was a direction clear as mud, ask a question. Do you need some expertise to solve a problem or ask a question?  Asking questions is the best way to gather the information you need to succeed. More importantly, it helps you and your leader read from the same playbook.

Last, ask others about the leader.  This may sound like a strange idea, but you may need to get the perspective of a trusted co-worker on how they work with the leader to help you work better with the leader. Drawing from another team member’s experience can help you avoid making the same mistakes and missing the potential potholes along the way.

Strategies Working for Leaders with Different Styles

Working for different leaders and handling their leadership styles can sometimes be challenging. Here are five strategies to use when you face this challenge.

1. Clarify directions. If a leader provides unclear directions to you or the team, do not hesitate to seek clarification. Write the points down, ask questions, and focus on the directed results. Not getting clarification can make it harder to work through the task and may even require rework.
2. Provide status on current projects. Always keep the leader updated on the tasks you are working on. This means tasks you are specifically handling and team projects being done. The goal for doing this is twofold. First, never put the leader in a position to be blindsided by not knowing about a task or project. You do not want the leader to look bad. And second, if the boss knows about the task and hears information that will impact it, the leader can pass that information on to you so you and the team are aware of it.
3. Consistently connect with the leader. Emails and text messages may be a good source of communication, but connecting face-to-face is more effective. Setting up a regular one-on-one, either in-person or on Zoom, will keep you connected with the leader. This time with your leader can be used to give status updates, discuss issues, plan projects and tasks for the future, and review your growth plan.
4. Write everything down. Keeping a record of events from the day, meetings attended, requests submitted to you to be done, or just questions that were asked will help reduce the chance of something not getting addressed. This is also important to protect yourself from unexpected problems or questions. If you have written down the information, you will be better prepared to address an issue that comes up.
5. Promote the leader to others. Whether you view your leader positively or negatively, always speak positively about them to others. This may seem odd, given all the negative talk about leaders today. Never talk negatively about your leader to anyone. If you make negative comments about the leader, when those comments ultimately get back to the leader, and they will, it may be career-limiting.

The benefits of understanding and working with the leader cannot be overstated. When you truly know your leader, you will meet their expectations, and that benefits not just you but the entire team. You will be able to work, act, plan, and grow effectively.