My Fit Experience: Leaders

In previous articles, I’ve been going through some of the excursions from André Martin’s new book Wrong Fit, Right Fit, and documenting how they help me look at my own experiences. This week focuses on leadership.

We have probably all heard this adage: people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers. That’s never the whole story, but I know I have stayed the longest at jobs where I had a good relationship with my manager or supervisor, even if other parts of the job were less than ideal.

In Excursion #5, André really helps you identify what traits you need in a leader. After all, there are various types of leaders, and not all leadership styles will work for everyone. This is also something we usually don’t think about when we apply for a job. We’re given information on the tasks of the job and the personality of the company, but rarely are we told in the interview process what type of manager we’ll be working with (unless, of course, we think to ask).

I think this excursion is especially important because we tend not to think about leadership until we’re having a bad experience. By being given the opportunity to look back on my best experiences with immediate managers and leaders, I was able to identify some patterns. I work best with leaders who are very casual and personable, someone I can talk to easily and even work with side-by-side. However, I also need to know they will give me valuable feedback and coaching when needed. I need to know that they have my back, even if that means telling me when I’m wrong. There has to be an intrinsic trust in their ability to see the bigger picture and help guide me in the right direction.

Of course, trust is earned over time, but this gives me an idea of what to look for in my leaders. And since most of us will be leaders at some point, even if only in an unofficial capacity, it also helps me identify what values I want to develop in myself so that I can be the kind of leader I would happily follow.

- About The Authors

Lucy Softich

Lucy is the Marketing & Social Media Coordinator at IT Revolution. She has a background in writing, marketing, and business.