There’s a tension in our discourse on leadership.

We want leaders to be authentic and to play to their strengths. But we also want them to master every leadership style and be all things to all people. Are the two compatible? 

Individuals Do Not Make Good Carbon Copies Meredith Belbin

Your leadership journey begins with understanding your strengths: your superpowers

The Belbin Individual Report identifies your leadership strengths – the areas that characterise your distinctive leadership style.

But understanding these strengths isn’t simply a case of patting yourself on the back and ignoring all else.

It means acknowledging and celebrating those styles which come most naturally, and recognising the loss which accompanies this: that no one person has a natural affinity for every strength.

Your leadership style may be different to your aspiration. It may not mirror that of a role model or other effective leaders you’ve encountered, but that’s OK.

Because you’ll be working and leading authentically, growing within your own style and cultivating it without compromising the very strengths that led you to the role in the first place.

 

 

 

 

Suggested Work Styles

Your leadership superpowers are tucked away in your Belbin Individual Report.

Moving beyond the characteristics of your individual Team Role strengths, the ‘Suggested Work Styles’ page of your report identifies your top four Belbin Team Roles in various combinations and offers words and phrases which summarise – and help you articulate – your approach.

Learn how to flex without pulling yourself out of shape

When working on understanding your strengths through the lens of leadership, the trick is to find the ‘quick wins’.

These are the ways you can flex your style to lead your team and connect with them in the most meaningful way, without trying to pick up other attributes that risk pulling you out of shape altogether.

 

Comparing Self and Observer Perceptions

Looking at the differences John’s Self and Observer Perceptions, others see less of the enthusiasm than John does, and more of the challenging and competitive behaviour – the drive and energy to take the team forward.

How can we use these insights to inform John’s leadership style?

In this case, there is some disparity between John’s perception and the strengths others see. We can use the ‘List of Observer Responses’ to drill down into the detail and make a strategic plan.

Formulate your leadership growth plan

In her webinar on authentic leadership, Lindsay Lalla, described how leaders might use their ‘List of Observer Words’ – the collated feedback from colleagues within the Belbin Report – to choose two strengths to cultivate and two weaknesses to manage, in pursuit of a more effective leadership style.

In John's case, the observers are in agreement about his Shaper role, they see him as competitive and outspoken. However, they also see that he can be confrontational, which when combined with his observed impatience, may mean that he isn't playing the Shaper role as effectively as he should.

These could be the two weaknesses John should manage. And if John would like his Resource Investigator strengths to be more visible, he could look at getting 'seizes opportunities' and 'enterprising' strengths higher up the list.

Getting to work

Once you have the evidence about your own leadership style and an action plan, the next step is to put your learning into practice and supercharge your superpowers. 

  • How will these changes look in practice? What needs to be put in place to ensure that things change? Who can John approach for help?

This is where the rest of the team comes in.

A great leader knows team members’ strengths and can call on others to contribute according to those strengths.

What’s more, there is mutual trust and shared accountability, so others are engaged in the success of a project alongside the leader.

If you’re looking to discover your team’s strengths, the Belbin Team Report is a great place to start.

It offers an overview of the team’s balance and culture, and can help you decide where to turn when seeking diverse contributions.

A snapshot in time

Belbin is a snapshot of your strengths at a particular time. We are all capable of modifying our behaviours according to our situation. That’s what sets Belbin apart from personality tests, which measure fixed assets.

Belbin describes not the noun of who you are, but the verb of what you do.

And the outcomes are measurable. As we strive to make conscious changes to our behaviour – to hone our role as a leader, or to communicate more effectively with colleagues – it’s important to review the success of our efforts.

Six months later, can we see the differences? Can others? Are we articulating our strengths more clearly and working towards a more cohesive leadership style?

It's how you play your hand

"Which Team Roles do you need to be the best leader?" We are asked this on a regular basis. Listen to the reply from Belbin North America VP, Lindsay Lalla.

Discover individual and team strengths using Belbin Team Role reports

Belbin Individual Reports

Before you can analyse your teams, you need to look at each individual's contribution. So, the first thing you will need to do is to generate a Belbin Individual report for each member of the team.

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Belbin Team Reports

Whether you're forming a new team, introducing new people to an existing team, or trying to resolve issues within a team, a Belbin Team report can help you to manage it.

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Why Use Belbin?

Belbin Team Roles are used to identify behavioural strengths and weaknesses in the workplace. Whether developing people, resolving conflict or fine-tuning high performance...

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