Defining an Eclectic Style

Eclectic is a word I often utilize to describe my personal style and often relate to my

Eclectic is a word I often utilize to describe my personal style and often relate to my leadership technique. By definition, it is deriving ideas, styles, or tastes from a broad and diverse range of sources. In a less technical sense you could just simply visualize the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs. 

An absolute masterpiece of brightly colored, multi-textured furniture. A sampling of midcentury modern, contemporary, and velvet covered chairs fill the lobby. A large lit sign over the fireplace spells out Drugs. A sea foam green marble bar, detailed from floor to ceiling, hidden behind large electric blue wooden doors, and guarded by large gold palm trees. I’m certain I had a complete out of body experience when I walked in, and I left a little piece of my soul in the lobby when I left.

Initially attempting to define the word, one could make a strong argument that a mind set of chaos is often associated with it. We may think of items or ideas that naturally wouldn’t go together. Or maybe combinations of strategies or genres that break the stereotypical and societal norms. 

I initially identified with this style after my failed attempt at decorating my first home. The daunting task of picking one style sent me over the edge. I was trying to establish something elaborate, a concept that would define me. I wanted people to come into my home and be engulfed in my vision, leaving a piece of their soul as I had at the Parker Hotel. 

I was unsure what that vision should be. Did I want to be edgy and modern? Embodying a clean but bold space with sharp edges and clean lines. Did I want to look like I lived in a French cottage? Ruffled curtains and distressed white hutches full of table linens. I think this idea came from picking up an edition of French Country magazine in line at the grocery store.  

Did I want to embody the beach? A very easy style to execute on in the middle of Sarasota. Or maybe I just wanted to look like I lived in the restoration hardware store. This would have been the perfect answer had I married someone slightly wealthier and had an additional 2,000 square feet of house to play with. 

But before I could make a firm, life changing decision, my endless obsession with art began. And trust me, it was anything but one consistent genre.  

There was an endless flow of brightly colored prints, mysterious black and whites, and a wide variety of mixed mediums. There was the large multicolored frog wearing headphones, a pop art print from the traditional Home Goods. There was a brightly colored group of African women with accentuated features from an unknown artist. This was an “original” from the Cuban art market when Carnival cruise lines were allowed to make a stop. 

The original purple dog from a starving artist out of the Quad Cities, who had sunglasses on and was sitting in a large purple box. And the small antique framed piece depicting a cock fight, one dead on the ground bleeding out, made of real feathers from a fighting chicken back in the 1950’s. 

And then, of course, there was Pete. As in Pete the Cat, the children’s book. Not everyone knows that James Dean was an artist prior to writing his first book. So there on my wall is also a vibrant yellow 40X40 background with a large blue cat cleaning out his own litter box. A true original by James Dean himself titled ‘Self Cleaning Litter Box’. 

This obsession, coupled with the impossibility of picking one style and carrying it through, lead to an empty 2500 square foot home with one hell of a gallery wall. There was at least enough furniture to cover a 2-bedroom apartment, but really, what more do you need when you have Pete?

After 800 hours of scrolling through Pinterest, I came to a realization. My personal identity could not be defined to one particular style; I needed a little bit of everything to make sense. And as I researched, I discovered the word eclectic and the associated interior design compilation. The genius now was behind how to integrate multiple different styles into something appealing. 

I have bled this concept into my leadership. There is never one leadership style or tactic that is going to transition to every scenario. I have to have a clear understanding of what my team and environment need in the moment, and I cannot be confined to experts in my field. I have to be willing and able to adapt and strategize in areas that have zero connection to my day to day work. 

Eclectic notions are sometimes only understood and respected by a small compliment of people. Individuals who are willing and able to challenge the complacent relationship we tend to have with styles and concepts. Both tangibly and philosophically.

A realization is that these individuals don’t always develop a new idea. Instead, they gather information and data, determine where the truths are, and how they can be individually applied. Although they are not always innovators in the technical realm of developing new ideas, these individuals are geniuses at understanding existing concepts and applying them to a variety of scenarios. They are promoters of a wide range of ideas that they can find truth in, regardless of their origin. 

As with my personal style, I was constantly striving to conform to some sort of leader “type”. Transformational, servant, democratic, coaching, and any other fad style you can think of. Scrolling through LinkedIn had turned into scrolling through my Pinterest app; a chaotic effort of focusing on embodying some specificity with my leadership style. And we all attempt this because everyone’s favorite interview question is ‘how would you describe your leadership style?’ It’s 2025, can we come up with something more original? 

My approach now is to study a wide range of successful leaders, despite their occupation. It may be a sports expert, an actor, or someone who has managed the military. My piece on abandonment is completely rooted from Amy Poehler’s master class. Her connection to comedy made more sense to me on team abandonment than any healthcare leader ever could.

We are inundated with solicitation from leadership and life coaches wanting us to pay thousands of dollars so they can teach us how to be better leaders. But there are a lot of answers out there at our fingertips. We just have to be willing to turn on a master class about improv on our Delta flight, instead of another repeat episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. You will be astounded by what you take away from the most unexpected experts. 

As with eclectic interior décor, this strategy can create a busy and chaotic environment within my leadership. I have to ensure that I am meticulous with what I am going to store away for my own knowledge and what I am actually going to execute on with my team. 

For example, I may not have the ability to change my company's annual review process to quarterly or even semi annually, while taking away the rating scale altogether. That would be the equivalent of placing a life size replica of Michelangelo's David in the middle of my apartment. The concept may be good, and it may work in some boutique hotel, but it’s going to give my 650 square foot apartment the wrong tone. 

What I can do is structure individual semi-annual meetings where we discuss where team members feel their performance is and if it aligns with my perception of their performance. Not simply are they meeting or not meeting goals, but how is their communication? Do they have opportunities with leadership and talent management? Maybe I want to highlight their strong change agility? Do they have a strong grasp on business acumen, or do we need to spend more time in this space? 

How often in the year do we stretch beyond providing the feedback that is mandatory? Or coaching beyond what is a current issue? So much of our roles as leaders should be coaching and providing constructive feedback to grow our team, not just put out the daily fire. Although I can’t change the company structure, I can gracefully implement this concept and maintain the integrity of our organization's strategy behind Human Capital. 

When I am now asked the question, ‘what is my leadership style?’ Which I always am, I maintain a consistent answer: 

‘There is no one leadership style that matches every situation. I have to understand many and be able to execute on what the scenario would benefit from the most at the time, while practicing within the company's values and strategic goals.’

Although I really want to say, seriously, you can’t come up with a better freaking question!? But like David, there is no way to gracefully add that into my compendium, so I am going to leave that to abrasive executives who can pull it off. 

I was, however, brave enough to hang a picture of a cat cleaning out their own litter box in the middle of my living room. James Dean was the innovator, but I saw the genius behind it and hung it on my wall.  technique. By definition, it is deriving ideas, styles, or tastes from a broad and diverse range of sources. In a less technical sense you could just simply visualize the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs.