Are you focused on Task vs People as a Leader?

In the last post, we discussed the different levels of leadership. Leaders don’t grow and stay at these levels; they start over at each new organization, potentially having accelerated growth. The difference between a task leader vs. a people leader is that a task leader is focused on tasks being completed to produce outcomes for the organization. People-focused leaders focus on developing relationships between people and how those relations can help all the parties achieve the results they need.

To address the first point, this is not a linear path, as it would depend on the organization in which they are. For example, if a person is in an organization that might not align with their values and passions, they might not grow past level 1 (manager or leader of position). However, if they were in an organization that aligns with the values and so do the other people, they are likely to excel in leveling rather quickly potentially. Visa versa might apply as well. If they move to an organization, whether it doesn’t align with their values, they start over as a positional leader, but they might also struggle to build the needed relationships to become a relational leader. For leaders to rise to the productional leadership level, they need to have developed the relationships with those they work with and report to them; they also need to be able to create task production processes that help the leader achieve results and achieve help others develop results. They combine tasked-based techniques with relational practices to help deliver results for all at the productional level. Many directors, VP, and even CEOs max out at this level because they have developed these production practices but have not developed them to continue producing other leaders. Developing other leaders is a significant struggle for many, but it is not an impossible task.

Do you feel blocked? Need help getting to the next level of your cybersecurity career? Reach out to me to see if coaching is right for you.