What do your photos say about you and your leadership style? As I was writing about the differences between men & women's photo albums and how they related to leadership styles, I started thinking about what has meant the most to me in the places I've led. My essay painted a picture that certainly holds true for me (i.e. my leadership style focuses strongly on the people) but I wonder what I may have missed...what may be different for other women.
Many of my photos are of special moments in my life...trips, achievements, summer barbecues on my patio. But the setting isn't what's most important to me...I always try to get pictures of the people who are sharing the memory with me. More specifically I try to take pictures of myself WITH the people who are sharing special moments with me. I have a thousand pictures of "me & someone" that I took with my own outstretched hand (and for the record...I've gotten pretty good at it!). Sometimes I get an offer by a passer-by to help take the picture...but I tell the person, "That's ok...this is sort of my thing!" I don't know why I do this...but in the moment it feels like I'm sharing that occasion with one person (or a few) who will be able to look back and remember that instant. If not in a memory, then when they see the photo that we took of ourselves to commemorate the moment!
The way this translates into my leadership style is that I try to create special moments for those that I lead. Sometimes it’s remembering a birthday and having a little celebration. Sometimes it’s a made up PowerPoint certificate of achievement for a silly thing that happened on a big project (“Baker of the Best Baked Goods Ever” and “Busted While Busting a Move” come to mind). Whatever it is, I try to let the members of my team know that I value them, that what they’ve done is special or important to the team, and that I do recognize their hard work…which I’m hoping for more of it in the future! And of course, I always have my camera poised to capture the moment on film!
What about you…are your photographs mostly of people and sentimental events? How does that translate into your leadership style? Or perhaps I missed the boat all together when I said it was only men who typically value titles, outcomes, and things as evidenced by their pictures of motorcycles and boats...and you feel like you belong on that list? Or maybe you’re on the list that seems to provide common ground for us all and you have pictures of the one thing you value most…your dog?!
Whatever the answer, we’d love you to share! So tell us, what do you value and how does it show up in the way you lead?
Since I'm a photographer, you'd think I have pictures of my loved ones up all over the place, but I have only four pictures up: family at my sister's wedding seven years ago, me and five friends two years ago, my best friend and her sister four years ago and a crowd of friends from a party I threw last year. The two things these all have in common: they're excellent photographs taken either by me or another professional and the people in them look good. What does this say about my leadership style? Perhaps that I'm selective, want to help peoples' best side shine and expect excellence from others. My perspective is probably skewed, though, by the fact I take pictures for a living!
ReplyDeleteExcellent. I love your insight and you awareness of your own values.
ReplyDeleteWomen tend to define themselves by their relationships (A Woman's Way of Knowing) and that is one of the reasons why we make such good leaders!
Oops, I also value people in photography. I try to capture the emotion in the eyes, the posture the emotion molds the body into. Oh, and trees. Can't get enough pictures of trees!
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