Gráfica rápida: Improve Your Print Leadership Style For Better Results

If you’ve been wondering if you should improve your print leadership style to get better results, the answer is yes. Whether you are starting your print career or you’ve worked in the industry for decades, refining your leadership style can improve your personal effectiveness and get better results from those around you.

LEADERSHIP STYLES ARE EVOLVING

Leadership development has a vital role in print business growth and success. And, I believe it’s essential for employees at all levels in a print company to make improvements in their own style.

When I came up through the print industry, there were two leadership styles: the big boss (“it’s my way or the highway”) and the nice guy (“let’s work together and do our best”).

The current approach to general leadership development recognizes that there are many different types of leadership styles. That’s true for print leadership as well.

THE VARIOUS STYLES OF LEADERSHIP

Whatever your style of print leadership, you can improve it.

“But how can I improve my leadership style if I don’t know what it is,” you might wonder.

In my marketing and growth consulting work with printing companies, I get asked this question by both new employees and print veterans.

Here’s a list of modern leadership styles we can apply to the printing industry:

This article from Shopify lays out nine leadership styles with brief descriptions. Do you see yourself on this list?

Autocratic leadership

Bureaucratic leadership

Coaching leadership

Democratic leadership

Laissez-faire leadership

Servant leadership

Transactional leadership

Transformational leadership

Visionary leadership

Once you identify styles similar to your own, research the pros and cons. There is no single “best” leadership style.

IMPROVING YOUR UNIQUE PRINT LEADERSHIP STYLE

Once you have a feel for the style or styles you tend to employ as a leader, the next step is to visualize your work situation so you can improve results within your company.

1/ What form of leadership do people respond best to? What do people need?

2/ Which style(s) help projects and situations flow more smoothly?

3/ Which style(s) do you appreciate and respect in others?

4/ Which style(s) will help you succeed in your career and as you move up?

BECOMING A CONSISTENT LEADER

Does your personal leadership style vary widely? If your style swings back and forth too radically, the people around you may be confused or upset if they don’t know what to expect.

Part of print leadership development is to identify what you do best, merge it with what the situation demands, and work on having a consistent style.

Everything improves when people don’t have to worry about what you’re going to do. Consistency is a gift to others and to yourself in any printing company.

BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF

When I talk with younger people in the print industry, they tell me they want to be true to themselves as they develop their leadership style.

I understand that perspective, and I have two recommendations.

First, try going through a leadership program with the goal of unlocking your potential while being true to yourself. Check out Dale Carnegie for general leadership training.

Second, if your current company doesn’t mesh well with your style, talk to your career coach or mentor about finding a company that will appreciate your style and help you bloom and grow.

NEXT STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR LEADERSHIP

Improving your print leadership style is a worthwhile process whether you are a boots-on-the-ground employee, a mid-level manager, or an owner.

Try these leadership exercises.

Keep a career journal: Create a consistent place to write down your thoughts and map things out.

Organize your thoughts: I write by hand and then consolidate everything in Notion. You can use a spreadsheet, a Google Doc, or another tool to break things into categories, create visuals, and keep things organized.

Learn from others and be inspired: Meet others who are also on their leadership journeys. Read articles from respected leadership experts, such as those in Harvard Business Review (check your library card for free access). Benefit from other people’s wisdom, mistakes, and experiences.

Include a professional component: Hire a coach to help you develop and improve your leadership style. Being systematic and having someone who holds you accountable will help you achieve results more quickly.

Opt into your company’s programs: If your printing company has an internal leadership training program, check it out. Or, they may have a preferred college or program they send budding managers to. You won’t know unless you ask.

No matter your role in the company, take the reins to identify your unique print leadership style and make improvements. I think you’ll be happily surprised by the results.

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Read more from Sandy here.

Check out last month’s post: How to Safeguard Your Print Career

Sandy Hubbard is an independent consultant to owner-led printing companies looking to kick-start growth.

She brings clients well-reasoned insight, tactical clarity, and a modern approach to building businesses from the inside. She prepares print leaders for business success in an ever-changing communications landscape.

A fourth-generation printer and publisher, Sandy also is a Certified Scrum Master, Google Developer and Innovator, and a beta tester of agentic AI technology through Grammarly (now called Superhuman). She regularly teaches leading print sales teams how to maximize their LinkedIn presence to activate the platform’s algorithm and trigger AI search results.

She produces and is the host of #PrintChat, a weekly global gathering of the industry’s most influential thinkers and leaders. A proud member of Girls Who Print, Sandy is the 2022 recipient of the coveted Girlie Award.