Ways to Lead Part 1

As we explore leadership and the evolving needs of the leaders we need to see in the world, I am curious about all the different leadership models that are out there.  As I developed the CoCreative leadership model I was inspired by a number of other leadership models that already exist - and the CTI (Coaching Training Institute) book and leadership model is one of my favourites.  A brilliant colleague of mine says that ‘no model is completely right, but they are helpful’ This one definitely is.

I use the CTI model a lot with my coaching clients when we explore leadership identity and the key reason is that it opens the conversation about the idea of a ‘leadership range’ i.e. not being one kind of leader all the time.  This is often one of those light bulb moments for clients when they realise that being authentic isn’t just about being the same all the time and it’s instead about showing different facets of yourself at different times.

The CTI Model talks about 5 ways of leading as follows:

1. Leader within
2. Leader in front
3. Leader from behind
4. Leader beside
5. Leader in the field

See the image in this post to understand how they relate to each other.

What is the leader within?

Think of this as your inner wisdom, your inner authority.  It’s that part of you that has innate leadership qualities before the world and society around us influenced us to believe certain types of leadership were the way to be.  I talk to my clients about this inner leader being the roots of yourself so that you don’t get blown over by the ‘wind’ (of everyone else) and lose your essence of self BUT that you are still able to bend, flex and grow like a tree. This is the most important way of leading - as you’ll see, all the others overlap with this - it’s your integrity.

What is the leader in front?

I want to start with what this is not.  This is not dominating, commanding or telling.  This command and control kind of leadership pushes followers away and creates distance reducing the relationship to a transactional one.  Instead, this is an aspect of leadership when you need to set the direction, define expectations aswell as inspire.  It’s about seeing where we need to go and inviting people to follow you there.

What is the leader from behind?

Again, I want to start with what this isn’t - this isn’t sitting back, abdicating responsibility and lacking accountability.  Leading from behind is stepping out of the spotlight and doing things in the background to enable your team to step forward with autonomy,  feeling supported.  This is leadership in-service of your team.

What is the leader beside?

This is about working in partnership with members of your team.  Your team are all experts in something, and so are you.  When we play to each other’s strengths and expertise and walk together, alongside each other as we move forward we are ‘in it together’ we can encourage each other to be more courageous and share accountability for the journey.

What is the leader in the field?

I like to describe this as:  impact.  What is it that you, as a unique human in this place and time, leading on this project have the opportunity to impact? This is about understanding the context of your leadership, leaning into innovation and your intuition to be part of the collective shift.

When we explore these 5 different ways of leading, we usually discover that there is one way of leading that is dominant.  When you reflect on your leadership - which is your dominant style? And which one would you like to cultivate more?

Please get in touch, I would love to hear your reflections on this.  And if you would like to book a call to explore working with me on your leadership development, please use this link here.