I’ve had a number of conversations about the leadership lattice, and of building startups as a system of impact.

I’m increasingly convinced of the lattice as a means to represent the company system, a way to effectively learn about management and leadership, and also as a way of categorizing leadership styles.

The company system starts with individuals, being organized into teams of all sizes, creating products and services that are adopted by customers. The result of this has a broader impact, often encompassed as a mission or vision.

Focus on a specific part of a company system can define management styles. In essence, understanding where someone spends their attention can come to define their management style. Interest in a specific area is ofcourse a leading indicator to attention. These may change over time but understanding the mental model can help us understand the behaviour.

For example - a “people focused” manager is one who spends most of her time on the individual (and perhaps the team). Results focused managers spend more time on how products and services are built and adopted - and potentially sacrificing the concern for individuals / teams.

This post is really a way to highlight the versatility of the leadership lattice / system of impact mental model. And now, it’s also a way to understand leadership styles.