3 More Leadership Styles

In a previous post, R.A.R.E. Leadership is Rare, I have described a style of leadership that is encapsulated in the acronym R.A.R.E. A RARE leader is one who has Respect for people and earns their Respect in return, has a positive Attitude, a Recognition of the contribution by others and Excels in his/her field of endeavor.

I find this way of capturing the essence of a style in an acronym very useful in trying to understand the mental model of people. You can make it into a game where the participants must come up with their own version of the name. Undoubtedly, some key words will be repeated but others may surface. As each new variant component comes into play, you can ask deeper questions about the selected word/phrase. For instance, another definition of a RARE leader could be: One who is Respectful, Active contributor with Relevant thoughts and opinions, having possessed a high Emotional Intelligence. Is Relevance a good (or better) attribute of a RARE leader? How about Emotional Intelligence?

With this in mind, let me propose 3 other leadership styles: SMART, QUIET and SAGE, just for fun.

SMART Leadership

SMART Leadership has 5 components which start with the letters S-M-A-R-T.

S = Self-reliance/Self-confidence – A smart leader relies first and foremost on him/herself. He/she exudes a self-confidence.

M = Maturity – A smart leader demonstrates a high level of maturity and understanding.

A = Adaptability – A smart leader adapts quickly to the changing environments.

R = Resourcefulness – A smart leader knows how to optimize the resources at hand and if they are limited, to leverage other people’s resources.

T = Trustworthiness  - A smart leader is perceived as Trustworthy by others.

A SMART leader is one who is Self-reliant, Mature in his/her judgment, can easily Adapt to different situations, is Resourceful and knows how to build Trust in others.

QUIET Leadership

QUIET Leadership has 5 components which start with the letters Q-U-I-E-T.

Q = Quality – A quiet leader focuses on Quality, not Quantity. She would rather do a few things right than too many things half-right.

U = Unflappability – A quiet leader is unperturbed under pressure. He makes decisions based upon his assessment of the true priorities, not on some artificial emergencies or urgencies.

I = Integrity – A quiet leader is true to herself, has a strong set of core values and is consistent in her actions.

E = Emotional Intelligence - A quiet leader has a high quotient of emotional intelligence.

T = Tranquil Force - A quiet leader is not known for the agitations yet he/she is relentless in the pursuit of goals and vision.

A QUIET leader is one who focuses on Quality, is Unflappable under pressure, possesses a high level of Integrity and Empathy, and is a Tranquil Force to be reckoned with. The anti-thesis of a Quiet Leader is someone who is always in fire fighting mode, trying to act as a hero and is quick to blame others when something goes wrong.

SAGE Leadership

SAGE Leadership has 4 components which start with the letters S-A-G-E.

S = Servanthood – A sage leader is a servant leader, the one who serves others.

A = Authenticity – A sage leader is real. He matches actions to the talks.

G = Gratitude - A sage leader shows a gratitude for life and for the people, for the haves and the have-nots.

E = Empathy – A sage leader has empathy for others.

A SAGE leader is one who Serves. He/she walks the talks and by doing so, is called an Authentic leader. He/she has a lot of Gratitude and Empathy for the people being served, Gratitude for those who recognize and appreciate his/her work, Empathy for those who are ignorant – it’s not their fault, the Sage Leader is often invisible.

SMART, QUIET or SAGE, each acronym represents a non-traditional leadership style. There are no big words like Power, Charisma, Ambition … in the lexicon. Yet there are many practicing leaders today who are smartly, quietly and wisely leading changes in all organizations. May you be one of them.

Feedback Requested

Do you think that these groups of attributes are representative of the respective leadership styles?

Can you come up with some other variants?

Do you have another acronym-based leadership style?

I would like to hear from you.

 

Related Posts:

1. Letter to an aspiring IT Leader
2. Letter to an aspiring IT Leader – Part 3
3. R.A.R.E. Leadership is Rare

 

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