Yin and Yang of Leadership- The Value of a Balanced Approach

There are many books and articles on leadership, just enter leadership into your Google search engine and there are thousands of items on the topic of leadership. Leadership has shifted in the last decade as we have moved from an industrial or agricultural focus to now a technological focus. The type of leadership that was developed in the industrial age was an autocratic and dictatorial style of leading. This was effective at that time as employees were given a specific job or task with little variance and were told specifically what to do, how to do it and the employee did not ask any questions.

We have shifted into a new work environment where employees are given large areas of responsibility with some definition around job requirements but their jobs and tasks are constantly shifting as the market and business responds to continual change. Leading in the new world economy is not as cut and dried as it used to be. There is a need for leaders to have a balanced approach in order to be fully effective and to lead with the highest levels of autonomy and influence. The symbolism of the yin and yang (Chinese symbol of male/female integrated for unity and balance) is a great metaphor for the characteristics needed for a fully balanced leader of both the yin (female) and the yang (male).

Let's look at the descriptors for each of these as it pertains to leadership:

A balanced leader knows and understands the merits of a balanced approach for maximum effectiveness. If a leader has a dominance of Yin he or she would be gentle, nurturing, and patient. If a leader has a dominance of Yang he or she would be aggressive, impatient and demand action. Both qualities of Yin and Yang are of value for us as individuals and for those of us in leadership roles. One is not better than the other, Yin has no merit over Yang nor does Yang win over Yin. The goal is to work on bringing balance in to our approach. For example a leader with a strong Yang personality would likely benefit from slowing down decisions to include others opinions as well as take the time to connect on a personal level with others. A leader with a strong Yin personality would benefit from being firmer when it comes to discipline and sticking to difficult decisions once they are made. This is not about gender- it is about balanced energy. Both men and women have yin and yang aspects within them.
With today's constant change and with the diverse talents, education and nature of those we work with the approach that will result in becoming a master leader is to balance the Yin and Yang.