Leadership Styles Summary :
Coaching Pacesetting Democratic Affiliative Visionary Commanding
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HOW IT BUILDS
ALIGNMENT
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Connects what a person wants with the organization ’ s goals |
Meets challenging and exciting goals |
Values people ’ s input and gets commitment through participation |
Creates harmony by connecting people to each other |
Moves people toward shared dreams |
Soothes fears by giving clear direction in an emergency |
IMPACT ON CLIMATE |
Highly positive |
Because too frequently poorly executed , often highly negative |
Positive Positive Most strongly positive |
Because so often misused , highly negative |
WHEN APPROPRIATE |
To help an employee improve performance by building long-term capabilities |
To get high-quality results from a motivated and competent team |
To build buy-in or consensus , or to get valuable input from employees |
To heal rifts in a team , motivate during stressful times , or strengthen connections |
When changes require a new vision , or when a clear direction is needed |
In a crisis , to kick-start a turnaround , or with problem employees |
TIP FOR SUCCESS |
Be authentic and listen first before reacting or giving feedback . |
This must be combined with the leadership competency and empathy |
Successful use of this style utilizes competencies of empathy , teamwork & collaboration . |
Try combining the Visionary approach with the caring of an Affiliative leader . |
Practice emotional self-awareness to allow people to see who you really are . |
Practice emotional self control . A leader must keep their anger and impatience in check . |
– working as a team member rather than top down leaders . A Democratic Style knows how to quell conflict and create a sense of harmony .
A Democratic Style can have its drawbacks . This style can tend to overly rely on endless meetings to find consensus and runs the risk of letting decisions be put off . This can cause confusion and project a lack of direction for the company which can erode enthusiasm and cause staff members to lose credibility with their leader .
AFFILIATIVE
An Affiliative Style tends to value people and their feelings . Their emphasis is on a person ’ s emotional needs more than tasks and goals . An Affiliative Style has an open sharing of emotions . This style should be used to heighten team harmony , increase morale , improve communication and repair broken trust .
While this style is limited as a direct driver of performance it has a huge impact on a group ’ s climate . Affiliative leaders garner great loyalty and strengthen connections among their staff .
This style should not be used alone for the following reasons : focus on praise can allow poor performers to go unnoticed and an employee may think mediocrity is ok . This style should be used in conjunction with the Visionary Style to be most effective .
VISIONARY
A Visionary leader drives the emotional climate upward and transforms the spirit of the organization . Visionary leaders state a mission , set standards and let people know what behaviors further the group ’ s goals .
A Visionary leader articulates where they are going , not how they are going to get there . They give people the opportunity to innovate , think and then apply their ideas to reach the vision . People need to know the big picture and how their job fits into that vision in order to give them clarity .
Visionary leaders are better at retaining talented people . They excel at helping people understand the ‘ why ’. Visionary leaders understand that distributing knowledge is the secret to success . When Visionary won ’ t work - if a leader becomes overbearing while calling it visionary .
COMMANDING
This is a style that has to be used sparingly and with sound judgment . This is the least effective leadership style as it is sometimes called the ‘ coercive approach ’. With that said , it does have its place in a company at very specific times and for specific reasons .
This style was used most frequently in the military and is a hold over style from the 20th century when most companies were based on a ‘ command and control ’ mentality .
It ’ s a style that can work when there is an urgent need for a turnaround or to unfreeze useless or unproductive business habits . It can be used to literally ‘ shock ’ people into action . It can be effective when dealing with problem employees .
In Summary
There is never a one size fits all situations . That ’ s why it ’ s critical to use a combination of leadership styles . We must be able to assess each situation and each employee and determine the right style to fit at the right time . These styles are akin to having different tools in your tool belt .
Here ’ s your opportunity for greater impact . As you face different situations today , think about which leadership style is most appropriate to garner the results you desire . There is a best choice .
And have patience with yourself as you are practicing each style . Your leadership abilities are cultivated one interaction at a time !
Terri Norvell works with forward-focused property management organizations and supplier partners to grow and achieve extraordinary results . Contact at Terri @ Terri- Norvell . com 303-475-5456 or www . TerriNorvell . com www . aamdhq . org NOV / DEC 2017 • TRENDS | 25