Do you guide or drive?
First, let me define “driving” for this post. There are many types of “drives” we could talk about, for example it is good to push and drive a team towards excellence but that’s not the type of drive I’m talking about. For this post drive should be seen as: forcefully pushing, with out much fore or after thought for the person or group.
The longer I lead the more clearly the differences between guiding and driving become. As a teacher it is extremely easy to be a driving force, shoving information down the throats of students. Recently I’ve tried to guide my students not to learn more information, but rather to be better students. What they learn in 7th and 8th grade will be forgotten, trust me, I had to re-learn (or learn for the first time) all the information I have to cover. But if they can learn how to be a good student and develop those habits now, they will stick with them for the rest of their lives. A guiding leader is focused on their team members and culture because they know a healthy team produces healthy results.
7 Differences Between Guiding & Driving
Guiding leaders mirror the actions and attitudes they desire to see from their team members.
Driving leaders demand their subordinates to act how they want them to act regardless of how they themselves act.
Guiding leaders see ahead to the possible dangers their team might face.
Driving leaders look ahead and only see the possible dangers they might face.
Guiding leaders are proactive.
Driving leaders are reactive.
Guiding leaders are servant leaders.
Driving leaders are “serve me” leaders.
Guiding leaders know their team members.
Driving leaders expect their subordinates to know them.
Guiding leaders are constantly seeking information.
Driving leaders believe they have all the information.
Guiding leaders lead toward intrinsic values.
Driving leaders manipulate with extrinsic consequences.
What would you add?
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