Style
Leader style is usually formed through an emergent effect
influenced by a dance between capability and bias.
Capability to evaluate bias on the fly—in often very
tension-loaded circumstances—results in adaptive use of
style.
Scaffold, Don’t Change?
Most accomplished leaders behave very adaptively in the
absence of much tension with plenty of time. It is when
they are under “level-busting load” that style becomes a
critical factor in leader behavior. It is also a reason
that scaffolds are necessary for peak function.
Postmodern Leaders Are ALWAYS Under Tension
Why we have to be concerned with style as leader behavior
modelers relates to the idea that leadership—which
matters—is almost always evaluated UNDER TENSION.
Therefore, the person is most likely pushed back against
the wall, or squeezed by the limits of their capability,
to reveal bias and capability — in a set of conditions —
through what could be categorized by and named by others
as their STYLE under pressure.
I’ve noted this before, but it’s important to note it
again for the record, that STYLE is almost always
described by how others perceive the leader’s behavior and
not what the leader intends!
Tension Dictates Style Emergence
When the going gets rough, people reveal their style as
“bias modified by capability” as they are successful in
“holding that “bias” as object in those HIGH-TENSION
MOMENTS. This is probably one of the greatest flaws in our
current leader selection process. We are “just too nice”
and PC (Politically Correct) while reducing tension.
Instead of creating the circumstances where people will
reveal these critical components of capability, bias and
style, producing style diversity under load, we let them
off the hook during selection.
Use Tension to Shift Selection of Leaders
Our interviewing processes don’t include enough tension,
or load to properly evaluate ‘style under tension’. Our
group processes are almost always seeking to minimize
conflict for various reasons leading to hallucination,
undiscussables, and a lot of elephant management in a PC
environment that leads to lower levels of productivity,
collaboration, and well-being/results over time; in my
experience with VUCA conditions.
Style Similar to Golf?
Over the past decade, on the shoulders of many important
theoreticians, I have developed a LEADER STYLE assessment
model outlining 16 Styles or patterns of leader behavior.
While every leader has a number of styles — suited for
different situations, like a golfer with a bag of clubs —
we have our favorites, especially under load. Outlining
those favorites in some priority for different situations
is going to open the door to the revelation of our
preferred styles, creating opportunities for fitness in
terms of design and scaffolding for behavior under load;
it also provides “psychoactive support!”
Quick Example:
If I use an unproductive or unhealthy component of say… my
controlling style in specific conditions and I understand
that, I can actually scaffold that behavior in several
different ways to avoid the negative consequences of that
style and its emergence at inopportune times.
If I am aware of the negative sentiment or affect that
occurs as a result of using those styles compressed under
load, I can look for signals, triggers, and states that
occur before and during the emergence of style and either
hand it off collaboratively, withdrawing to allow someone
with a healthy perspective, or adaptive style to scaffold
my behavior.
Natural Style Is Essential, Even With Negative
Consequences?
The trick is NOT to buy into the idea put forward in Blank
Slate—read BS—that states that everyone can and should
change and work to remove limitations. After almost three
decades of coaching, I realize that “style” is there for a
reason, and to try to remove, or limit style, often chips
away an important part of the leader, while providing only
slight shifts in performance and development.
Scaffolding Style Is Critical for Postmodern
Leaders
While some will see this as perhaps a “copout” it’s clear
that this kind of design prevents significant damage to
the leader and follower. Many of these types of
“personality flaws” emerge from trying to use “what got
you here, to keep you here.”
Current matrix of indicators as a puzzle, which suggests
LEADER STYLE v12.
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You, Me, and We @F-L-O-W
Mike R. Jay is a developmentalist utilizing consulting, coaching, mentoring and advising as methods to offer developmental scaffolding for aspiring leaders who are interested in being, doing, having, becoming, and contributing… to helping people have lives.



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