Leadership Simplified: Doug Van Dyke

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Get Out of the Weeds – Go Aerial

Last year I published an article which detailed three types of leaders: Foot-Soldier, Aerial, and Satellite. The foot-soldiers are the leaders that are physically positioned where the rubber meets the road. As such, they are in the weeds by design and work shoulder-to-shoulder with worker bees. Foot-soldier leaders do and tell. By contrast, the aerial leaders maintain a bird’s eye view of processes, operations, and the delivery of goods and services, and become involved with team members on an as-needed basis. Aerial leaders ask a lot of great questions and delegate tasks effectively. Satellite leaders set the vision for the organization and provide the means for team members to accomplish goals. They see the entire organization and think of it in its entirety. Satellite leaders rarely get stuck in the weeds.

 

Many leaders who should be aerial find themselves getting stuck in the weeds. Odds are likely that these leaders came from the weeds, so it makes sense that in times of stress they would gravitate back to where they are most comfortable – production (i.e., the weeds). This trap, however, does not serve the leader or the organization very well. Typically aerial leaders are charged with completing higher tasks, and when they get mired in the weeds they are, in essence, abandoning their core responsibilities. A leader who is not supposed to be in the weeds needs to develop the kind of delegation skills, prioritization skills, time management skills, and coaching skills that will maximize the production of their team. Certainly this is easier said than done, but getting things done is the leader’s job nonetheless. While rolling up your sleeves and doing the work yourself has a time and a place, it is usually not the most effective means for aerial leaders to drive a team to world-class results. 

 

For a detailed description of the preferred competencies associated with each one of these leaders, read an article I published entitled Competencies of Leadership. And remember: During the upcoming year seek to get out of the weeds by striving to become aerial.

 

Do you want to use this blog post in print or online? 

Please do so, as long as you do not alter the content or embedded links. Also, please include the following information: Doug Van Dyke is a leadership and collaboration consultant, executive coach, and strategic planner. Doug’s book, Leadership Simplified, as well as audios and videos are available at www.leadershipsimplified.com. To learn more about coaching and training services, contact Doug today at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). 

 

© 2011 DVD Consulting Incorporated, all rights reserved.

Posted by Doug Van Dyke on 2011-12-26 at 10:08 AM
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