WWW.ALOA.ORG APRIL 2024 KEYNOTES 13 BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Shop and Life Administration Leadership Styles Steve Fryman, CRL, CAI, CISM, AFDI, discusses how to find your leadership style. I have two girls; they are grown now. When they were small and disagreed, one would snarl,” You are not the Boss of me. “In retaliation, the other would say, “You little weed.” This argument between small children raises a valid question: Who has authority over you? How does their authority influ- ence and affect you? Styles of leadership can make or break an organization or shop. What Is Your Leadership style? As you ponder this, you might say, “I am not a leader.” However, let us reconsider that notion. If you feel this way, reflect on how you interact with others in and out of your workplace. This thought is im- portant and determines many outcomes. We all have multiple roles to play in our lives. For instance, I am a son, brother, father, husband, employee and manager. These are just the roles that quickly come to mind. Now, let’s think about your leadership style again. A better question may be what kind of leadership style you’d like to have. Think about the leaders in your life, past and present. What kind of leader helped you be the best version of yourself? What did they say or do to motivate you to do and be your best? Who Is Your Role Model? Can you develop a leadership model from your work and life experiences? I am sure you have had a few encounters with good leadership. Here is another thought: Think about a public leader you admire and reading their biography. It could be Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King, one of the queens of England or Win- ston Churchill — anyone who inspires through leadership. One of my favorites is Benjamin Franklin. He was many things: writer, innovator, patriot. Invest In Your Quest Here is a novel idea. Make it your quest to become the best version of yourself. What can you do to become more actively valued by yourself and others? Mind and body. Let’s not forget the body. After all, it does house the mind. This has been a New Year’s resolution that was never kept. It is easy to say to myself, “Oh, I have been like this a long time; I cannot change.” Unfortunately, this kind of excuse leads to regret. Having no plan is not a plan. I can easily talk myself out of making significant changes that only affect me. My changing will have a ripple effect on those around me. My changes can influ- ence others, which in turn will come full circle affecting me. Whether you realize it or not, we all have a sphere of influence. Our Different Roles Each role that we play requires a different approach, keeping in mind that we will need a sturdy foundation to work from. We need take different approaches with different relationships. Use the example of being a father. Am I the leader of my household? What is “When people are treated with respect, positive results occur.”
