6 Leadership Styles that Bring Out the Best in Your Team
Did you know that sixty-two percent of top-performing companies say the most important factor to improve their organization’s agility is the right leadership team? It is no easy task becoming a leader of a group. What makes a quality leader? Is there a lesson plan to follow to ensure your team stays motivated and inspired? Are authoritarian leaders any more successful than those who share coffee and banter with their employee’s first thing in the morning? And what about seeking input and feedback from your team? How much is too much?
The good news is there is no “right” or “wrong” way to lead. Your style of leadership, at its most basic, must provide direction and motivation for your people, and you must be able to implement plans in a respectful and respected manner.
However, the style in which you choose to carry out the charges of your leadership can and should vary depending on the situation and the team. Just as a successful teacher must adapt his or her style of teaching in order to reach a diverse classroom of students, so must a leader utilize many different styles so that each member of the team understands their role, and what they must do to achieve the goals set before them.
Tweet ThisSix distinctive styles of leadership consistently get great results. By incorporating a combination of these proven styles of leadership, you may find a new way of motivating and providing direction to your team that proves successful in an ever-changing and uncertain world.
The Autocrat
The autocratic leader rallies the troops and mobilizes the team in achieving the common goal. Individual team members are left to figure out the “how” on their own. This is a leader who helps to form a new vision when one is needed. The autocratic leader is not the best style when working with a deeply detail-oriented project or when the team doesn’t feel equipped to handle the project without some one-on-one direction. Respect for the authority of your leadership can be threatened should you try to impose direction on those who are more knowledgeable, or should you not be ready to aid your team members when they lack the confidence to move forward.
The Affiliative
The Affiliative creates bonds and promotes an atmosphere of camaraderie among the team members. This “all for one and one for all” style is very useful when the trust has been broken by traumatic events (the letting-go of a team member, for example) or in times of stress and concern (layoffs in other areas, or numbers consistently down). Used exclusively, however, this type of leadership can have somewhat harmful results. If you spend all of your time soothing and nurturing your team, they will develop a fear of rising to new heights.
The Trendsetter
When your team is performing and motivated to achieve success The Trendsetter can obtain near-instant results by setting the tone. Modeling and setting expectations for excellence and the ability to self-direct provides positive results should your team momentum already be high. If your team isn’t quite “there” yet, a Trendsetter mindset can be overwhelming and hinder creativity.
The Coach
Just as in athletics, a great team is a combination of talent and strength honed and brought to excellence by a great coach. The Coach looks for ways to bring out the strengths and improve the skills of the individual members of the team, in a way that benefits the whole. He or she uses the role to develop future leaders while providing direction. The goal of achieving a positive result for the team becomes the individual member’s goal, as well. Of course, if you have a rabble-rouser or complainer on your team you need to remedy that right away.
The Dominator
A leader of this style can appear controlling and unyielding in his or her demand for compliance. This serves the team well in times of trauma or crises. The message sent by The Dominator is one of “I got this. Follow me.” and that’s just the kind of leader people look to for direction in times of turnaround, or takeover, and other corporate “tornadoes”.
Should you be dealing with a problem team member, such as the one mentioned above, this is the type of leadership style that will control the situation in a no-nonsense manner. Be cautioned, however, that unless you are facing a corporate crisis or a member of your team who wants to create drama and defiance, you shouldn’t rely on this style of leadership. Employees tend to shy away from any involvement with The Dominator. Instead of looking to you for guidance your team will fear you. This alienates employees, stifles creativity, and can result in high turnover. Use only when necessary.
The Egalitarian
The Egalitarian looks to the team for direction when faced with a decision, plan or project that needs a consensus. For example, when facing a new project, a leader might be stymied and unable to form a plan for implementation. You might feel stuck. Take your concerns to your team by holding a discussion. You’ll gain new perspectives and fresh ideas that can be just the spark you need. Your team members will be even more invested in seeing a positive result as they have taken part in the creation and development of the plan. A simple “What do you think?” can go a long way in motivating your people. However, if your team members lack the experience or information necessary, or if you need immediate results, this may not be the leadership style that would benefit your team. The Egalitarian leader is patient and needs time to develop a plan alongside his or her team members.
Tying It All Together
Although you may appear to possess one style of leadership over another, the ability to shift styles and adapt to current corporate and world trends is the hallmark of a great leader. Your team will grow and change under your tutelage.
It’s essential that you possess the leadership skills required to guide millennials as well as seasoned team members. Rely on these six styles of leadership, and you will bring out the best in your team, overcome challenges, and create exceptional results.What style of leadership matches your own? Which leadership type best describes your boss or CEO? How do the positive and negative attributes of these styles impact your team’s performance? What would you change about these leadership styles to increase your team’s level of success?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
TIM CROWLEY, PH.D.
Motivational Keynote Speaker, Leadership, and Resilience Expert
Dr. Tim Crowley is a well-known speaker with a passion for growing agile leaders, teams, and organizations that produce extraordinary results. For more than 25 years his services have touched the lives of leaders in some of the most recognizable companies in the world. Including AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Ernst & Young, Hallmark, Johnson & Johnson, Lockheed Martin, Marriot, Microsoft, Nestle-Purina, along with numerous organizations, universities, state and federal agencies.
When not speaking, leading workshops, and blogging he looks for inspiration through mountain biking, volunteering, and spending time with his family and friends. Invite Tim to speak at your next event. You can learn more about Tim and how his services can help you and your team at drtimcrowley.com. Connect with Tim on LinkedIn, Google+, Facebook, and Twitter.
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