Steve Charlton, Founder“This is not a sustainable way of approaching leadership,” says Steve Charlton, founder of The REAL. Leadership Consultancy – a firm committed to changing the traditional perception of leadership. “Individuals can achieve their true potential as leaders only when they embrace their unique leadership styles rather than conforming to preconceived notions of being a leader.”
Steve emphasises that leadership should be diverse and multifaceted. It should encourage individuals to explore their strengths, values, and personal style, acknowledging that there are countless ways to lead effectively. Someone might be a visionary, a servant leader, a collaborative facilitator, or a decisive strategist—and all these approaches can be equally impactful depending on the context and the people involved.
By promoting the belief that anyone can embody the leadership style that resonates with them, REAL. fosters inclusivity and encourages people to lead authentically. While acknowledging traditional leadership qualities, it highlights four critical pillars – Results, Empathy, Authenticity, and Learning.
These pillars cultivate a space where leaders feel empowered to leverage their unique talents and perspectives to lead in ways that feel genuine to them rather than trying to conform to a predetermined archetype.
Helping Leaders Effectively Manage Challenges
REAL. addresses the complex challenges leaders face in today’s dynamic business environment, intensified by economic crises and hybrid work setups. Their coaching approach is centered on empowering leaders to navigate these challenges skillfully, ensuring that stressors do not adversely affect their decision-making processes and personal lives.
Clients receive practical tools to effectively manage stress and ensure emotional stability, which is crucial for navigating tough situations. In addition providing real-time reactive support between the structured sessions is the true value-add, having an instant sounding board to discuss highly confidential or inflammatory situations.
The consultancy underscores the significance of building a supportive network, extending beyond coaching to include individuals offering diverse perspectives. For example, a client in the charity sector gains insights from a mentor in construction, showcasing how leadership challenges transcend industries fostering shared experiences and reassurance.
Guiding Senior Leaders with Precision
As a non-traditional leadership consultancy, REAL prioritises a personalised approach, avoiding excessive theory and academic research in favour of a more hands-on approach. The process involves a detailed analysis of the client’s background, revealing insights into their leadership style. REAL assesses current their leadership style through personal and 360-degree evaluations, emphasising that the success of your leadership can only be measured by the impact on the people around you. The focus then shifts to creating a future leadership vision defining desired behaviours, values, and expectations.
This approach proved crucial for a new senior leader guided by REAL during a major transition, when he had to make tough decisions within his team. The consultancy assisted him with objectively ranking current team members and identifying those who may not fit the future structure. It was then possible to create a personalised coaching plan for those who required support, make some tough decisions on those who wouldn’t fit and have a clearer picture of who needed to be recruited. What stood out was the positive aftermath of a difficult challenge for the business. Armed with insights and strategies, the senior leader shared them with another colleague. The knowledge imparted by REAL had a ripple effect within the organisation, paving the way for sustainable change. It stressed the impact of Steve and his team’s work in achieving the right business outcomes and fostering knowledge-sharing and confidence throughout the organisation.
Enhanced Engagement with a Personalised Approach
Leading REAL’s growth, Steve prioritises working with a diverse network of coaches, steering away from dependence on any one individual. The internal team has expanded to cover marketing, project management, client relations, and business development, complementing the external network of comprehensive coaching.
While emphasising practical, results-oriented approaches, Steve recognises the need for responding to individual client needs that might be outside his sphere of expertise. If clients prefer a more academic or theoretical approach, he collaborates with a colleagues who have expertise in that area.
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Individuals can achieve their true potential as leaders only when they embrace their unique leadership styles rather than conforming to preconceived notions of what a leader should be
This dynamic strategy keeps the consultancy agile, tapping into collective knowledge beyond individual capabilities. It fosters humility, acknowledging others better suited to addressing specific challenges and ensuring optimal client support.
Passing on the Knowledge and Expertise
This year, Steve published his first book ‘Get Real, Be the leader you were meant to be.’ It offers a unique insight into Steve’s leadership career and on a truly personal level serves as a legacy for his son. Featuring contributions from six exceptional leaders with diverse backgrounds, the book provides a toolkit for leadership. Emphasising that great leaders can come from various backgrounds, with different experiences, and education.
The message is clear. Anyone can lead. You might not see yourself as a leader, but everyone has it inside them to step, make an impact and get results when they need to.
