How Leadership Drives Culture and Results
Over the last year, I’ve spent a good amount of time thinking about my leadership style. Essentially what kind of boss I want to be to attract, build, and empower the right team to succeed.
I recently realized I’ve been thinking about the topic for the better part of 30 years—in college, I wrote my thesis on leadership during World War II—and this year has been full of self-reflection on the subject. In starting a business, I’ve had to step back and analyze (sometimes more than is comfortable) my own strengths, and more importantly, my own weaknesses.
I’ve also reflected on some of the leaders and managers who impacted my career. I have been fortunate enough to have some great mentors who really helped me get to where I am today—David Townsend, Darry Sragow, Donna Lucas, Lou Paulson, Rex Frazier, Duane Dauner, former Congresswoman Jane Harman, and more. And I’ve had a few not-so-stellar ones along the way as well, where there were also lessons learned, maybe the most important ones, on what I wanted to avoid in my leadership style.
In thinking about my own leadership style, I wanted to share what has worked for me so far, not because I think it’s the best, but because I think it can be a valuable exercise for any leader to do. By thinking through and being intentional about some of the core tenets of my approach, I was then able to realize what type of team—and company—I want to build, and how to do it.
Here are the main leadership characteristics I have identified, and what they mean for Calkin PA:
Empowering vs. managing: My goal for each of my team members is to feel ownership of their projects—something I learned from my time watching firefighters work under enormous pressure. By empowering team members to really take ownership of their projects—large or minor—trust is built, along with loyalty. That said, I enthusiastically give any tool, counsel, or support needed to any team member who asks along the way, and I try to start out every project making sure we set up the team for success.
Leading from the back: I have never been a micromanager, and I don’t think it is a viable, long-term team approach. Yes, direct oversight in a campaign’s critical junctures can be the difference between winning or losing. But these inflection points typically happen between three and five times per campaign. Instead, I give my team autonomy to own their work, and yes, make mistakes. I have seen incredible growth, faster professional development, and stronger drive within the team. You’ve got to let people try and fail—and learn—and be there to support and coach them along the way.
Setting the tone—being the example. How can you expect your team to work hard, get better, keep learning, and do excellent work if you yourself don’t display these qualities? I don’t have all the answers, but by modeling characteristics like curiosity, dedication, responsibility, and genuine care for people, I try and set a tone for the culture of the office and the type of people we want to work with and for.
Hiring the right team. The right team is everything. And my job is to set a culture we all enjoy working in. But I also need to find people who complement my strengths and weaknesses. One of the reasons I was so excited Richard Stapler decided to come on this journey and join the firm is his leadership style. It really complements mine. He is patient and thoughtful in areas I still need to work on. He lightens the mood with funny and insightful stories. When doing my research beforehand, I asked numerous people in and around the Capitol about the best run legislative offices, and Senator Laird and Richard repeatedly came up. Richard’s style is unique to mine and the sum of our leadership qualities really benefits the entire firm. Hiring the right people is the easiest way to create the best culture.
Being honest around my strengths—and weaknesses. My team knows the work I really love to do, and what I think I do well—like crafting a multifaceted campaign strategy. My team will also be the first to tell me what my … areas of improvement … are. They know this because I communicate it. By setting a culture to own your strengths, not be afraid to admit weaknesses, and accept constructive criticism, you set the tone for continuous improvement. No doubt I’ve had my share of slipups. I need to be better at not getting frustrated when team members starting out in their careers “don’t immediately get it” on a project, and instead realize that these are ideal teaching moments. Raising a daughter has really helped in this regard (#girldad).
Focusing on career road mapping. I quickly realized this year, part of what a team wants to know is how they can move up in their careers. As we head into year two of Calkin PA, that is an area that we’re working on—laying out clear steps on how to grow, and then providing some individual coaching and feedback on how to develop the skills necessary to take the next steps. I have a rule learned from painful experience that you don’t promote someone until they are already doing the job. My responsibility as a leader is to help my team grow into that work and be successful in their current and future roles.
Mostly what I’ve found is there is no set leadership formula, and that each person does it differently. For me, that formula has included being honest about strengths, weaknesses, values, and what kind of tone I want to set for success.
I’ve learned so much from my colleagues and mentors, and I’d love to hear from you on some of your leadership tips.