Client question: “I feel like my management wants me to be just like them. Their style is very different compared to mine. Can I still be effective and not have to change?”
The style that you have is naturally who you are and you should be confident in that. Leadership is about having a diversity of styles to complement each other which makes for a stronger team. You may approach things from different perspectives and styles of communication. You may process information, learn and approach people management differently. Good leaders bring people into their team that will complement them. Not every person is strong at everything. If you are not as strong at doing financials, for example, you would want to have someone on your team who can do that for you. It doesn’t make you less of a leader, it makes you smart to bring in good people who are strong in the areas that you are not.
It is a good thing to work with people who have different styles and you can learn from them. There are things that you learn that you may want to incorporate into your own leadership, but it doesn’t mean you have to do things in the same way. Accomplishing the objectives should be the goal, not how you get there. Demonstrating that you can get things done in your way will show that to your management and you can remain authentic to who you are.
You should also validate your assumption that your management wants you to be like them. Although it may feel that way, it may not be true. Having this honest conversation could be eye opening for both sides. It can bring awareness to the management team that they are sending those types of messages to their team. It can also help you see that they don’t want you to change because they value your unique perspective and style.