Which Leadership Style are you?
Leadership style describes how leaders choose to connect with their teams to deliver results. Harvard University has identified six key leadership styles. Choosing the right style, at the right time can produce powerful results. Emotional intelligence plays a critical role in the process of selecting an opportune leadership style, in the moment.
Situational Leadership means adapting your leadership style to each unique situation or task to meet the needs of the team or team members. Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey developed the Situational Leadership Theory in 1969. They believe that there is no “one size fits all” leadership style.
54 percent of leaders use only one leadership style, regardless of the situation, which means that 50 percent of the time, leaders are using the wrong leadership style to meet the needs of their people.
Ken Blanchard, Author of The One-Minute Manager
D. Goleman - Six Leadership Styles
3 long-term styles that set the stage for sustained productivity: Visionary, Participative, Coaching
1. Visionary
A Visionary style establishes standards and monitors performance in relation to the larger vision. Sometimes, a visionary style may be described as inspirational. Consider for a moment how it would feel like to work on a team with no vision. A thorough understanding of the organization’s vision, coupled with the skill to articulate it to team members is fundamental to this leadership style:
Do you know the vision of your company?
Can you articulate it to your team?
2. Democratic
A Democratic leader invites employees to participate in the development of decisions and actively seeks opportunities for consensus. These leaders:
Hold regular meetings
Listen to employees’ concerns
Focus on “how to”
Identify opportunities for positive feedback
Recognize the impact of employee morale on performance
Avoid performance-related confrontations
This style complements and combines well with a Visionary style. Democratic leaders reward the team, not individuals.
How do you involve your team in decision-making processes?
Can you describe a time when team input led to a better outcome or solution?
3. Coaching
A Coaching style is focused on long-term development of team members by providing ongoing instruction and balanced feedback. Leaders with this style are typically very experienced in their roles and, as a result, have a high comfort level with delegating. Sometimes, Coaching leaders are prepared to trade off immediate results for long-term development of team members. A willingness to accept short-term failures and disappointments is indispensable for this style.
What techniques do you use to provide constructive feedback and support individual development?
How do you balance coaching and mentoring with achieving team goals and deadlines?
3 short-term styles for specific, usually limited application: Affiliative, Directive and Pacesetting are categorized as “short-term.”
These three are often useful in highly emotional, difficult and extreme situations. Consider the golf club analogy. Some clubs, like the sand wedge, have very specific and limited application. This applies to the final three leadership styles.
4. Affiliative
An Affiliative leader:
Identifies opportunities for positive feedback
Stresses the importance of how employee morale impacts performance
Avoids performance-related confrontations
Although a leader with this style may appear to be supportive and want to be friends with everyone, when overused, these leaders may have a hard time making tough decisions. With time, people may take advantage. Following innumerable chances, opportunities and latitude, when there are disappointing results, this leader may become frustrated, shifting to tight reins and more control.
How do you foster a positive emotional climate and build strong relationships within your team?
Can you provide an example of how you have worked to improve team morale or address interpersonal conflicts?
5. Pacesetter
This style pairs well with both a Visionary style and a Coaching style.
The Pacesetter:
Is apprehensive about delegating
Takes away responsibility when high performance is not forthcoming
Rescues risk-prone situations
Faced with tight deadlines, this can be a very effective style. It lifts spirits and resonates with people who learn by watching. If overused, even the highest achievers may start to decrease their discretionary effort while other less performance-focused team members may feel overwhelmed by the Pacesetter.
How do you set high standards and lead by example in your role?
Can you provide an example of how your own performance or work ethic has influenced your team?
6. Commanding
This style best reserved for critical situations. The captain of a fire department is a prime example of a leader who must use this style.
The Commanding leader:
Controls tightly
Explains by directing or commanding
Motivates by stating the negative consequences of noncompliance
Offers short-term clarity and action plan
When overused in non-threatening situations, it’s often demotivating; nothing happens without the input of the leader—creating a bottleneck with the team.
How do you ensure that your directives are followed by your team?
Can you provide an example of a situation where you had to use authority to achieve a goal?
