I therefore thought I would explore some leadership styles. Below are a range of leadership styles - which style are you? An effective leader does not adopt one rigid style but flexes their style according to the business need.
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| Leaders Often Flex Their Leadership Style |
Authoritative - “Just Do It....!”
The authoritative leader believes in direct supervision in order to achieve
deadlines and deliverables. They engage primarily in one-way downward
communication, controlling discussions and dominating communications.
They establish themselves as the expert in the company, a visionary who sees
the way forward. They believe in mobilising the team towards a common vision to
achieve success. This leadership style is particularly effective in times when
a new direction is needed, or for dangerous work, complicated tasks, or urgent
short-term projects such as a company crisis.
This style of leadership is not the best fit when the leader is working with a team of experts who know more than they do. Also, since they take full responsibility for team decisions and review the team's outputs authoritative leaders are extremely busy, which can lead to high stress levels.
Authentic – “I Believe.....”
Authentic
leaders are more interested in empowering the people they lead to make a
difference than they are in power, money or prestige for themselves. They lead
with purpose and meaning. They are credible and gain trust and respect, building
collaborative relationships. Others follow them because they know where they
stand.
Authentic
leadership is in essence ethical leadership and it is claimed that it can lead
to enhanced trust, job satisfaction and performance.
A
drawback to authentic leadership is that personal values may conflict with
company goals. This collaborative style may also slow down decision making.
Democratic – “What Do You Think?”
This style of leadership believes in sharing decision making with the group
and encourages discussion, debate and sharing of ideas. A democratic leadership
style invites the participation and contribution of team members towards the
final decision-making process. That process is run by the leader and they
have a key role in shaping the final decision and resolving any
differences.
This leadership style is one of the most effective and creates
higher productivity, contribution and morale. Democratic leadership can lead to better ideas and more creative
solutions to problems because group members are encouraged to share their
thoughts and ideas.
Democratic leadership works best in situations where group members are skilled and eager to share their knowledge.
Democratic leadership works best in situations where group members are skilled and eager to share their knowledge.
While
democratic leadership is one of the most effective leadership styles, it does
have some drawbacks. In situations where roles are unclear, or time is
short, democratic leadership can lead to communication failures and
missed deadlines.
Hands Off – “You Take Care of the Issue While I.....”
Sometimes also described as the laissez faire style, this leadership style provides
little or no direction, allowing for high degrees of autonomy. This type of
leader ensures their door is ‘always open’ for consultation and discussion. They
place a great deal of trust in team members to both understand and deliver what
the whole team is driving towards.
They provide assistance when requested but this style can sometimes result
in a lack of productivity as team members may mistake or misunderstand what
they are working towards, which can result in under performance.
Transactional – “Telling”
This
style is used mainly by managers, as it can be time saving. Transactional
leaders focus on motivating through a system of
rewards and punishment. Management by exception
allows the leader to maintain the status quo, intervening when acceptable
performance levels are not met, initiating corrective action.
Treating
work as a transaction ensures everyone knows where they stand. These type of leaders
establish measurable criteria for evaluating tasks, reducing the emotion in decision
making. Transactional leadership is therefore effective when there is clarity
on what goals and objectives need to be accomplished and where there is little
room for creativity and innovation.
The
downside of this style of leadership is that it can be very impersonal, as it
focuses on the completion of tasks and not on people.
Transformational – “Selling”
Transformational leaders use their strength of personality,
their inspirational qualities and their persona to achieve significant changes
in the behaviour of others, ensuring attainment of their vision or goals. They
are charismatic and take risks, motivating others by setting a personal
example.
Their influence is measured by the trust,
admiration, loyalty and respect they inspire. This is reflected by their team working
harder than originally expected because this leader has transformed and motivated
them, through an inspiring mission and vision, giving them an identity.
Transformational
leaders achieve the goals by inspiring and motivating followers and encouraging
their initiative. Transformational leaders are able to create vision. They
are able to establish a shared vision and sense of purpose among team members.
Coaching
– “Try This”
The
coaching leadership style focuses on developing others, with a
view to enhancing their long term performance. It creates a positive environment where both
strengths and weaknesses are identified in order to improve overall
effectiveness. A coaching leader recognises personal goals and career
aspirations within their teams.
They create a positive workplace environment with people knowing exactly what's
expected of them, which they are able to relate back to the overall strategy of the
company.
Coaching leaders are very effective in settings where performance or results
need improvement. The coaching leadership style is most effective when
followers are more responsible, experienced, and motivated.
This
coaching style is not effective when the culture does not support change or
learning, or if the leader lacks expertise. The approach can also be time
consuming.
