When trying to understand and change your leadership style, it can be helpful to find or develop a metaphor which helps you think about the way you work, a metaphor which stands outside your daily working practices.
For example, whilst coaching a leader who had a tendency to do too much and over complicate his life, I learned that as a boy he had been a drummer in rock bands. The notion of him drumming was instantly transformative. Â It took us away from the formal confines of his office and into a more playful and imaginary space. It brought in a completely different sense of his energy and power. Â It gave us an image to focus on and a model for thinking about how to work to a less complicated rhythm, to simplify and keep time, to think about how his peers and direct reports fitted into the patterns he dictated. Â It was also something that was very easy to keep in mind.
