Much ink and many words have been used seeking the most effective leadership style. Frequently cited research by Daniel Goleman shows that there is no one size fits all and that the effective leader switches between a range of approaches, depending on need. These are:
- Coercive “Do what I say”: Useful occasionally for emergencies and turn arounds but best avoided otherwise. Develops a culture of fear and inhibits team flexibility, engagement and motivation.
- Authoritative “Come with me”: Works well when the organisation is adrift and the team needs clearer goals and strategies, but less effective when leading highly skilled experts.
- Affiliative “People come first”: Useful for building team harmony, but an exclusive focus on praise can leave the team without needed advice and can allow poor performance to go uncorrected.
- Democratic “Giving employees voice”: Builds organizational flexibility and responsibility and helps generate fresh ideas. On the downside, it can lead to endless meetings and leave the team feeling leaderless.
- Pacesetting “Let’s go for it”: Has a positive impact on self-motivated and competent team members, but others tend to feel overwhelmed.
- Coaching “Let’s boost performance”: Works well when team members have the motivation and confidence to evaluate strengths and weaknesses but does not work well if team members remain defensive and/or resistant to change.
Leadership styles are not always directly related to personality, nor are they fixed. Goleman says that being able to switch between authoritative, affiliative, democratic, and coaching gives the best chance of success, although allows for flexibility. In today’s global workplaces different combinations may be required. Research by Nhung-Binh Ly (2020), for example, shows that where in the U.S. a people-oriented style was related to team job satisfaction, in the Middle East leaders were expected to be strong and decisive.
Lying at the heart of all of this are our values. When we get it right we have usually acted from a strong values base. When we get it wrong we might have drifted. Cultivating values over time provides the lighthouse to guide the way. And that will be the topic for our next post.
Daniel Goleman (2000). Leadership That Gets Results. HBR on Point from the Harvard Business Review.
Nhung-Binh Ly (2020). Cultural Influences on Leadership: Western-Dominated Leadership and Non-Western Conceptualizations of Leadership. Sociology and Anthropology 8(1): 1-12.
26 June 2024