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Being an effective leader is very much about maintaining strong relationships. In previous articles in this mini-series, we have discussed three key relationships for leaders.

• Your relationship to yourself.
• Your relationship to your team.
• Your relationship to your clients and customers.

In this article, we will discuss your relationship to your environment.

When assessing strengths, one key factor to recognize is environment.

• What environments allow you to do your best work?
• And just as importantly, what environments allow your team members to do theirs?

This goes beyond the decades-old debate over cubicles or open office layouts. It goes to culture and to setting an atmosphere in the workplace that is conductive to the application of strengths. It also ties to the current topic of working in the office, from home, or hybrid.

What is your best environment?

D-wired – You are a driven leader.

To do your best work, you need an environment and culture that allows you to move forward swiftly. You will prefer your team to be accessible, either in person or online, for quick delegation of tasks. You will do your best strategic thinking while on the move, so going outside, walking around your office building, driving, or having space in your office to move freely is very important. Activity is important to you, so an office that is humming with activity is music to your ears. Independence is also important for you, so there will be times when you need to shut the office door to do your best work without interruption.

I-wired – You are an inspired leader.

You thrive in a setting that is light and bright, and where people are around you. Assigning you to a dark, isolated, and windowless basement office would be like handing Superman a piece of Kryptonite. It would, quite literally, sap your creative strength. If the environment is heavy, you will feel it; and it will weigh on your mind. This is a special challenge in today’s world, where the news is very heavy. It is important for I-wired leaders to bring a lighter spirit to the workplace and to the team. You must guard your spirit so you can serve your team well. As an I-wired leader or team member, you also may find yourself easily distracted by the very things that feed your spirit, so there will be times when you need to disconnect in order to recalibrate your focus.

S-wired – You are a harmonious leader.

You bring harmony to your team and workplace, creating a spirit of teamwork. You can bring disparate parts into a cohesive whole. You thrive in an environment where you can create order and systems, and where you can serve others. With the ability to manage multiple projects with ease, you are comfortable in a hybrid environment that allows you time and flexibility in terms of location and schedule. Where there is conflict in the workplace, you often can mediate and create a win-win situation. You thrive in an environment that allows you to create workflows and efficiencies. A key word for you regarding environment is balance.

C-wired – You are a conscientious leader.

In industries where quality and attention to detail are integral to a product or service, you, as a leader, set the standards for team excellence. C-wired team members help ensure the quality of the work, along with compliance. In history, C-wired attention to detail has landed men on the moon. Your best work environment is quiet and without distraction. You work well with small teams that are solutions-focused, and you excel in work that requires deep thinking and detail. While you may need more time to develop solutions on the front end; once those solutions are implemented, they save exponential amounts of time. You thrive on clear parameters, structure, and order and in an environment that reflects these characteristics. Quality tools and resources are important for you to do your best work.

Do you need a change of environment?

Think about yourself and your team members. Is there a good environmental fit for each person? Or do you sense boredom, apathy, frustration, overwhelm, conflict, or stress? An adjustment to the environment may be a first great step to resolving the issue.

This could be a change in physical environment, such as moving to a different area of the office, adding ambient lighting, or upgrading hardware. Or it could be a change in other areas, such as providing flexibility in work location and schedule, or allowing employees to reserve a conference room for deep work in a quiet environment.

Action Steps

1. Assess your current mindset. Do you feel confident and excited about your work; or do you feel bored, frustrated, or stressed?
2. Consider your environment. Is there something in it that feels incongruent to who you are and how you do your best work?
3. How can you adjust your environment to better support your best work?
4. Conduct this exercise with your team members as well.

For valuable resources, click here.

Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after executive coach, mentor, consultant, and speaker worldwide. Deb is well versed in business operations and in the importance of asking key questions most business leaders won’t ask themselves. She brings deep experience in leadership development, strategy, high performance team building and effective communication. She has a passion for leading people to discover and maximize their strengths as well as those of fellow team members, while offering advanced strategies to achieve high performance. Deb is the perfect fit if you’re ready to take your leadership and impact to the next level!