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MRSC In Focus › HR Advisor October 2005
 
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MRSC has joined with Janice Corbin and Janet May, Partners, Sound Employment Solutions, Rhonda Hilyer, President, Agreement Dynamics,and Bruce Schroeder, Employment/Litigation Attorney, Summit Law Group, to bring you the "HR Advisor" article series on employment and labor law issues affecting Washington local governments. The "HR Advisor" will feature a new article each month with timely HR management information and advice you can use.*

Leadership Style Makes a Difference

October 2005

Rhonda Hilyer
Agreement Dynamics, Inc.

Imagine two very similar employees. Both share the same values, skills and experience. Both are of the same age, gender, race, education, religion and both are newly promoted managers. One manager is quickly recognized by employees, customers and colleagues as a respected leader who gets results. The other manager advances the same ideas but can't seem to muster the support needed to move things forward. Others often don't respond positively, even when this manager delivers the same message as his or her counterpart.

Why does this happen? Successful leaders recognize that "how" a message is delivered is just as important as "what" that message is about when seeking to galvanize others to action. Every leader has a unique style through which she or he communicates to advance ideas and programs. The greatest leaders learn how to use their style to do four things:

  1. Promote Understanding: Style is like a language--the better you can translate your message into the other's language, the more likely you will get your intended message across.
  2. Persuade: People are persuaded in their languages, not yours. They listen, understand, relate and accept ideas and information more readily in their style "comfort zone".
  3. Clarify Motives: Style differences often cause others to misunderstand your motives. INTENT does not necessarily equal IMPACT! "Style" is often confused with values and those who don't understand your style are more likely to make negative value judgments about you.
  4. Build Trust and Respect: While style is only one element necessary for trust and respect building, it is an essential one. People tend to have difficulty trusting and respecting those they do not understand or those who "seem" to be fundamentally different from them.

Fortunately, every leader's style can be honed to send messages that people will listen to receptively. "Leadership Style Makes a Difference" focuses on how all styles can be developed to promote understanding, persuade, clarify motives and build trust and respect with others more of the time. It is a compelling, interactive workshop that provides practical, immediately useable tools for leadership enhancement.

Rhonda Hilyer is president and founder of Agreement Dynamics, Inc. She is an internationally acclaimed consultant, trainer and facilitator specializing in communication, conflict resolution, negotiation and leadership. She works extensively with all levels of government (including police and fire departments), non-profits and private sector companies.

Rhonda Hilyer's workshops have been rated #1 by numerous groups including the Southwest Leadership Conference, University of Washington Staff Effectiveness, Information Managers Associates Conference, Association for Continuing Legal Education Administrators, and the Northwest Floral Association. Her program on communication styles began airing on public television in 2000. Her best-selling book Success Signals is in its fifth edition and is being used by dozens of organizations as a valued resource.

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Bruce Schroeder is an employment / litigation attorney with Summit Law Group, Seattle. Bruce's practice is concentrated on representing management in the entire range of employment law matters. More .

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Bruce Schroeder is an employment / litigation attorney with Summit Law Group, Seattle. Bruce's practice is concentrated on representing management in the entire range of employment law matters. More.
Janice Corbin is a partner with Sound Employment Solutions, LLC, Seattle. Janice has over 15 years of human resources experience with the Seattle Police Department and the International Harvester Truck Company and has worked in the law enforcement field for over 22 years. More.

Janet May is a partner and attorney with Sound Employment Solutions, LLC, Seattle. Janet has over ten years of experience in the labor and employment law field, and has represented both management and labor. More.
Rhonda Hilyer, President and Founder of Agreement Dynamics, is an international consultant with a reputation for helping convert traditional, conflict-based environments into productive, collaborative ones. More.

*The Articles appearing in the "HR Advisor" column represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Municipal Research & Services Center.