One word will simply portray the true nature of any leader and reflect not only their leadership style, what they value, and how they lead.
The two words to compare are “I” or “We.” Simply listening to a leader’s frequency and use of the two words will describe an infinite amount about them.
The autocratic and instructional leader will use ‘I’ far more than the word ‘we.’ It is very much about what they have attained and achieved.
Those who believe that their role is to guide their team and build the team use ‘we’ in describing successes and will be more inclined to use ‘I’ when there are mistakes and failures.
Leaders who trust their teams will talk about ‘we’ and, in many cases, and will give credit and recognition to others. In contrast, those who do mistrust will refer to their work and emphasize self-importance at every opportunity.
A mere discussion with any leader and observation of their use of those two words will provide you with tremendous insights.
As a leader, if you are in the ‘we’ category, you likely have a strong team, and if your team is misaligned, you may want to check your use of the two words and reconsider where the issues stem from.
