Have you ever heard of a leadership philosophy? If not, that’s okay. Many people haven’t ever considered philosophy as a component of leadership. If you don’t have a leadership philosophy, it’s time to create one. Your leadership (and life) can be completely transformed with the addition of an actionable leadership philosophy!
What is a Leadership Philosophy?
A leadership philosophy is a set of core beliefs that determine how to lead others. It can be comprised of values, certain behaviors, theories, and attitudes. Many leaders develop a leadership philosophy statement that encompasses each of these components and helps them to remain true to their most deeply held beliefs.
Why Have a Leadership Philosophy?
You might be wondering the purpose of a leadership philosophy – shouldn’t deeply held beliefs be easy to stick to? If you were to imagine some of your unwavering beliefs, you might find that you slip sometimes.
Consider this personal example: I believe that children deserve to be treated with respect, just as an adult does, because they are human beings, too. I don’t doubt that belief and someone would have a hard time swaying me from it. However, at the end of a long day when my nerves are shot and I’m mentally and physically exhausted, I sometimes snap at my kids in a way that I would never snap at another adult. It’s completely disrespectful and goes against a deeply held belief.
(This example shows me that I should incorporate a leadership philosophy into my parenting!)
By implementing a leadership philosophy I can turn to a simple statement that reminds me why I do what I do with the beliefs that I hold. At times, all it takes is that little reminder. This isn’t to say that your leadership will be picture perfect when you have a leadership philosophy to guide you; you’ll still be human, friend!
A leadership philosophy will serve as a reminder and a measure of accountability.
How Does a Personal Leadership Philosophy Work?
Here’s a little secret: You can’t craft a professional or personal leadership philosophy and hide it away in your junk drawer. Sorry. It doesn’t work like that.
How does it work? A leadership philosophy shows you which path to take when things get murky. There might be times you are tempted to take a shortcut or compromise a value to get ahead. Your leadership philosophy guides you in making the right decisions for your organization, team, and self.
What’s Included in a Leadership Philosophy?
A leadership philosophy can be a single, all-encapsulating well-designed sentence. It could also be several paragraphs long. In my humble opinion, the best leadership philosophies are 3-5 brief and clear statements that define what’s most important to you as a leader.
Your leadership philosophy should be memorizable. If you can’t repeat it on the daily, you might need to reshape what you’ve got.
Consider using a model like this:
I value __________, __________, and __________. To display these values as a leader, I always __________, __________, and __________. Ultimately, I aim to accomplish __________, __________, and __________.
You can get more creative and wordsmith-y with your own – a leadership philosophy template is not a requirement! However, I think it is important that a leadership philosophy depicts what matters most to you in leadership, such as values, goals, and how these things are put to work.
Leadership Philosophy Examples
With so many different leadership styles, leadership philosophies are going to look a little different. You can’t expect opposite leadership styles to have the same philosophies – it wouldn’t make sense. Let’s take a look at some leadership philosophy examples.
Democratic Leadership Philosophy Example
Democratic leadership gives voice to the team members. While the leader tends to have influence, the members are heard and taken into consideration – truly. A democratic leadership philosophy might look like this:
I value equality and communication. To display these values in leadership, I always listen to what team members have to say and debate issues openly and kindly. Ultimately, I aim to respect the views of the team to determine the best course of action.
Autocratic Leadership Philosophy Example
Autocratic leadership is a power-driven and authority-centered style of leadership. It does not consider what the group wants or says, but rather takes on the role of “the boss” to make decisions. Check out this autocratic leadership philosophy example:
I value success. To create success in leadership, I always go with my gut. Ultimately, I aim to have a team who jumps when I say jump.
Empathetic Leadership Example
Empathetic leadership is a newer concept, but I felt I had to include it since it is a major component of my doctorate capstone!
Empathetic leadership is about treating employees as people first and employees second. That means that their humanity does not go ignored. It becomes a priority. An empathetic leader’s philosophy might state:
I believe that employees deserve to be treated with respect and care first and foremost. I understand that life happens and complicated situations arise and lend support to those in my charge. While I always have empathy, I am not afraid to take action when mistakes are consistent.
Laissez-faire Leadership Philosophy Example
Leaders who fall into this category allow people in their charge to take control of their work. When you think of micromanagers, Laissez-faire leaders don’t fit the bill. Their philosophy might be something like this:
I value autonomy and give it to employees. I trust each team member to do the work they are supposed to complete. I aim to have a productive team who can accomplish their tasks on time and appropriately.
Transformational Leadership Philosophy Example
Transformational leaders believe in taking ordinary people and creating a change in them where they become fantastic leaders. These leaders trust the team to make smart decisions and take risks while aiming for expansive thinking. A transformational leader’s philosophy might say:
I value determination and the drive to change. I give employees the autonomy to make big decisions and trust them to do so in the best interests of the organization. I treat each team member as an individual with an optimistic view of their potential.
Transactional Leadership Philosophy Example
When you look at transactional leadership, you’re examining exactly what it says: a transaction. A leader says, do this and I will give you that. Don’t do this, and I won’t give you that. The philosophy for a leader in this category likely says something similar to:
I believe employees need consistent incentive and outside motivation to contribute to the organization. To achieve the greatest results, I will closely examine each aspect of an employee’s work and know specific details regarding each project and task within the team.
How to Craft a Leadership Philosophy
A lot of thought should go into sculpting a lasting leadership philosophy. I’d advise against writing out a quick statement just for the sake of doing it. Take this seriously and your statement could truly make a difference in your leadership.
- Define Your Leadership Style
It will be difficult to craft a functioning leadership philosophy without knowing your style. You don’t necessarily have to fit into a single category – many leaders are a mix between a few. However, it is essential that you understand the leadership styles that you most closely align with to fully grasp how your style might impact a philosophy.
- Name Your Leadership Mentors
Who do you want to be most like in leadership? These mentors don’t have to be people you know personally – I have dozens of mentors that I’ve never met! They teach me through podcasts, books, and other forms of education and material. By determining your role models, you can establish a firm picture of what kind of philosophy you want to follow.
- Identify Your Successes and Life Events Impacting Your Style
If you find yourself unable to determine important leadership successes or life events that have formed your opinions, you may need to reflect on this a bit longer. It can be essential to understand what has crafted your beliefs and how they might play a part in your leadership philosophy.
- Specify Your Primary Leadership Beliefs
Put a name to your beliefs! What is your opinion on autonomy? Micromanaging? Empathy? Delegating? Mentoring? Defining your primary leadership beliefs is a must do before you start writing out your leadership philosophy. It doesn’t have to include the same things as someone else – you might not think much about mentoring one way or the other while someone else has it at the top of their list.
Just notate what you believe to be most important and true about leadership.
- List the Goals are You Aiming For
Your goals should play a role in so many aspects of your life and leadership. For instance, if you set a goal to delegate 3 of your major tasks to team members, you cannot include “doing it all alone” in your leadership philosophy. That’s an obvious example, but you catch my drift.
- Draw Your Vision
What does the future look like for you, the team, and the organization? They must be aligned and they must be known. A foggy vision is not going to help you develop a functional leadership philosophy. Your vision tells you and others where you’re going. Your philosophy is a major component of that!
- Survey the Team
Here’s the thing about leadership – it isn’t all about you. Sorry. So, ask the team: what do you think is the most vital element of my leadership?
You might be shocked at the answers you get. You might expect what is said. (You might also want to do this anonymously for the most honest results!)
- Give it Action
Never stop at writing something down. Your leadership philosophy has to be actionable. If you cannot do what is said in your philosophy, it’s time to explore verbs. Do a deep dive into action words before you write your leadership philosophy in ink.
Living Out Your Leadership Philosophy
When you’ve completed your leadership philosophy, I advise you to put it somewhere you see it daily. You should be able to repeat it every day – or every hour if necessary.
In my junior high school choir, the director had a poster of a famous Aristotle quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Not only was the poster hanging on the wall at the front of the room, we recited the quote often. It’s been more than 15 years since I was in that classroom, and I still remember that quote by heart.
Make your leadership philosophy part of your life by knowing what it says, saying what it says, and doing what it says. You can’t write a philosophy and forget about it – then, it wouldn’t be a philosophy. A forgotten philosophy is simply a broken promise.
Live out your leadership philosophy every day. When you fall short (and you will), get back up and live by that leadership philosophy again.