What I have learned - Inspirational vs Executional Leadership

Are you an Inspirational or Executional Leader?

I look back to a situation where I had two strong leaders reporting to me, both Division level Executives, that each led large sales organizations. Their business unit results; market share growth, loan volume, net hires, MLO productivity, customer service and loan quality metrics etc. were for the most part almost identical.

Leader #1 could be described as an Inspirational leader, who focused on inspiring and motivating the team to achieve (exceed) their targets. He spent a good portion of his time on recognition, positive communication, team building, and creating meaningful personal relationships.

I would describe the other leader as Execution focused; creating processes and structures to drive sales development and accountability, worked with the team to build and manage effective business plans, was methodical in driving new initiatives, and set clear expectations for the team. She may not have had the depth of relationships that the Inspirational Leader enjoyed but still created highly functional lines of communication.

Their individual workstyle and personality generated their ‘bias’ toward the Institutional or Executional characteristics. Both had a history of leading highly successful teams. However, they achieved the highest level of success when they moved toward the sweet spot; the convergence of Inspirational and Executional.

Self-awareness is key; finding the balance that works for you is critical. Focus on your strengths and adopt one or two additional behaviors or actions that will move you toward the ‘sweet spot’