Brandon Coppernoll Web content management, internet marketing and social media in Indiana

A good leader is a chameleon

My boss called and talked to me yesterday about several matters, but one topic we got on was leadership. He explained to me that good leadership is becoming a chameleon among your staff. I don't mean to hide from your staff or be difficult to find, but what he was describing was learning what makes your staff tick and enhancing those things for optimal results.

Part of good management is that not everyone is the same and to be able to figure out how to reach each individual to enhance the team. You must learn what each member of the team is good at as well as their weaknesses. You must also know your team on a personal level. I'm not condoning going on a date or poking and prodding in their personal lives, but what I'm considering is it is important if praise, fear or something else drives your team member to do well.

To be a chameleon is to not treat everyone the exact same. It is to treat everyone the way they need to be treated to get the job done. This is similar to having two different children. One child you may only need to tell once to sit down in the chair and calm down, and the other child may require a few more times and possibly a time out to get the point across.

I fully believe good leadership involves a little bit of a chameleon's touch. I can only hope I can do that as I move forward in my career.

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1. Discipline follows leadership