What is your #management "brand?"

I was talking with someone about a potential project last week and she asked me what is most unique about how we work and approach the discipline of OD. It reminded me that this is one of my favorite things to learn about manager - their unique approach to management. Their management brand. You all have one. If I were talking to your boss and team, I might ask what your greatest contribution had been over the last year. And I might ask them what you do that helps them do their best work. And I would ask how they would describe your management in one sentence. All of these questions would provide hints.

• I have a friend who manages based on love - his brand is that he manages from love.
• Another friend manages from a place of challenge - her brand is to manage based on creating positive challenges.
• When I manage, I tend to come from a place of bringing forth the amazing in others - my brand is that I seek to help people and teams see and use their strengths.
• I worked for a guy who managed from a place of fear - his brand was to reduce apparent risk and to have high oversight.

No brand is all that we are - we use many managerial tools and practices to get the work done. But our brand is what precedes us in the room and the lasting impressing we leave and it affects how we do many things. We might have a couple of key branding elements that we are known for, but it is usually just a couple.

There is also no right or wrong about the brand, although some brands might work better or worse in each workplace or situation. It is often the case that our brand represents both a great strength and one of our blind spots. If we do not know when to dial in or out, we might over do it. Too much love, challenge, coaching, or oversight might not be a good thing.

I am not sure what the point of this post is others than to invite you to think about your current brand and whether it is what you want it to be. Just like with external and internal organizational brands, it can be shaped and changed to better align with your intentions.

What's the difference between behaviors and a brand? A behavior is something we do and brand is something we are known for. It is more like a culture in that is it built over time and comes from your values and beliefs. This is also the path to changing your brand - to better align your values and beliefs to support your intentions.

When I work with or interview managers I try to uncover their management brand because it helps me understand the driving force of what they do and why they do it and knowing this helps me better support them and bring forth their brilliance. And if I am interviewing a manager for a job, knowing their brand helps me determine fit and potential development needs.

Comments

[Justin]

I enjoyed reading your post today because too often managers struggle when their management brand and the culture of the organization they are in may not entirely agree. I (as you pointed out from your friend) have a "love" management brand, but the culture of my company is more of a "challenge" culture. I have just completed an online executive education certificate on negotiations, and the main thing I learned is about coming to the table with an understanding of what both parties want and value. I feel I have to put this into effect every time I battle with my brand versus the culture. I would welcome a follow-up post to see your opinion on ways to address this dilemma.

[Michael Sahota]

Nice post - it got me thinking.

My brand is about collaboration and facing difficult truths.

[lisa haneberg]

Justin and Michael, thanks for sharing your brands. And Justin, as you point out, knowing is power because you can use that awareness to better align with work challenges. Great idea for a future post, too.

Michael - facing difficult truths is an interesting one - I bet that manifests in ways that are catalytic and also frustrating!

[David Zinger]

Lisa:
I think my brand is a quirky and constructive engagement of strength and collaboration.
David

[Tina Del Buono, PMAC]

This is a great post Lisa, I certainly would like to know how my boss and staff would answer your questions. Just thinking about the questions makes me want to be a better manager. I have linked this post on my blog for my readers to read.

Thanks

Tina

[Phoenix Manager]

Managing from love is great, but only if you have the respect of those you manage. If your team does not respect you then managing from love can get you walked all over.

[Lewis Blade]

My brand is somewhat close to that of your friend. To manage based on creating positive challenges, mainly. I think it's an indispensable part of every person.

[Regina L.]

This is a great post, but I think that, even though, we all have one main brand, or way of, leading /managing, it's important that we take into consideration who it is we are managing, different characters respond to different leadership styles, so after all, we should all be able to mix a little different managing styles.
Thanks!