As an experienced manager, you likely grasp that strong leadership requires flexibility and people skills just as much as vision or authority. Each member of your team is motivated a bit differently, and every new goal calls for its own strategy.
The good news is that you can expand your skills to masterfully suit nearly any situation. Let‘s explore the most critical leadership styles so you can assume the right approach at the right time. With the ability to shift gears while staying true to your core values, you will max out on trust and performance.
Leadership Style Matters – The Proof is in the Data
Before diving in, it helps to ground ourselves in the tangible impact leadership styles have. A comprehensive McKinsey & Co. study of over 300 public companies found that:
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Firms with the most adaptable executives outperformed 4X more than the least agile on profitability and overall financial performance.
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Companies with inclusive and empowering leaders scored 20-30% higher on diversity, innovation, and employee satisfaction markers than more directive-focused peers.
Indeed, leadership style goes beyond philosophical preference to greatly sway organizational outcomes. Now let‘s break down the methodologies proving most and least effective so that you can shift accordingly.
1. Democratic Leadership unlocks greater commitment
Our first style, democratic leadership, distinguishes itself by drawing expertise from the many rather than the few. As Google engineers like to say, "None of us are as smart as all of us."
Democratic leaders thus facilitate active debate, feedback exchange, and consensus building across all levels rather than dictating policies. This empowers individuals and makes them more invested in new directives.
Consider how engineering firm WSP USA leans into democratic practices through extensive working groups. Employees help shape internal mobility programs, parental leave policy, and flex work standards way beyond usual surveys. The collaborative process bears fruit in 97% worker participation and a mere 5% average turnover rate.
While the alignment-building benefits seem clear, democracy admittedly has downsides…
Pros
- Fosters deeper buy-in and accountability
- Channels collective wisdom for smarter choices
- Boosts workplace satisfaction through inclusion
Cons
- Consensus building eats time
- Too many voices risks losing coherence
- Groupthink can override needed critique
So when does pure democracy work best? It thrives when fresh strategic direction is needed from an engaged workforce. But keep top-down influence ready for expediting urgent decisions.
2. Transformational Leadership accelerates change
While we just discussed a very grassroots approach, the opposite holds true with transformational leaders. Here progression depends on a persuasive, intellectual elite at the helm, namely the CEO and their vision.
Rather than seeking compromise, the emphasis falls on motivation, shared purpose building, and empowerment through quality mentorship. You paint a bold objective and then develop employees to reach the associated skill level.
A famous exemplar is Lee Kun-Hee, the Korean billionaire behind Samsung. He revolutionized the traditionally slow, hierarchical chaebol model by immersing himself on factory floors. Lee trained workers in quality control and product philosophy while preaching urgency. The company then realized massive electronics upgrades that established global prominence.
Transformational leadership truly transforms. But beware of its great power centralization…
Pros
- Ignites widespread motivation and cohesion
- Wins devotion through vision and development
- Suits companies needing deep renewal
Cons
- Totally dependent on the leader‘s caliber
- Without two-way dialogue, may miss key flaws
- Hard to self-correct from overly fixed ambitions
Use this style to actualize innovation but counterbalance via other means like staff polling.
3. Coaching Leadership accelerates capability
If any approach emphasizes skill building, it is the coaching model based on hands-on mentoring andFeedback grounds the learning while providing psychological safety to push boundaries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus practices such leadership in mobilizing unprecedented global coordination amidst the COVID crisis. He listens to health ministries worldwide, advising them based on insight into their resources. Officials call his approach instructional rather than commanding.
This role – wise counsel rather than authoritative decision maker – defines coaching effectiveness. It shines when tackling novel challenges or nurturing young talent.
Pros
- Accelerates employee capability development
- Deepens commitment through care and trust
- Allows decentralized autonomy
Cons
- Time intensive to execute
- Risks over-dependency on coach
Apply coaching techniques to expand leadership pipelines within your teams. Guide self-correction before simply commanding change.
4. Strategic Leadership – the Vision to Pick Directions
While coaching focuses on human capital refinement, strategic leadership zooms out to the bird‘s eye view. These methodical, conceptual thinkers absorb market signals and craft data-backed visions to then enlist others behind.
Strategic leaders consider diverse futures, make sense of uncertainty, and spot options invisible to most. Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne exemplified this in urging big-picture rethinking amidst recent car market disruption. While rivals focused on tweaks, Marchionne pushed an audacious merger with Peugeot. His willingness to remap terrain proved wise.
Always taking the long-range perspective, these leaders guide organizations where they need to go, not just where they are heading.
Pros
- Steers company strategy through uncertainty
- Weighs multiple alternate realities/trajectories
- Instills measured risk-taking
Cons
- Can overlook urgent short-term duties
- Vision may exceed proper timing
Embrace strategic practices when fresh direction is needed. Combine them with decisive delivery via other means.
5. Inclusive Leadership raises collective potential
While we have covered directives that inspire through urgent vision or personal guidance, this next approach utilizes a diversity and empathy mindset to motivate.
Inclusive leaders see varied employee identities, perspectives, and strengths as an asset rather than a challenge to overcome. They respect and harness this diversity through belonging-raising practices like cultural celebrations, antidiscrimination policies, and promoting underrepresented groups.
The results speak volumes – one Catalyst study found that employees with minimally inclusive managers were 100X more likely to leave within a year than those with strongly inclusive leadership.
Make applying this empowering cultural approach second nature.
Pros
- Reduces inequalities and employee friction
- Boosts innovation from diverse ideas
- Strengthens recruitment and retention
Cons
- Requires advanced emotional intelligence
- Frequent adaptation across groups strains leaders
While clearly beneficial, utilize inclusive leadership as one of several techniques rather than whole reliance.
6. Pace-setting Leadership – the Discipline Driver
Let‘s now discuss the first of our more single-minded, results-driven leadership styles – pace-setting leadership. Here progress happens through leaders defining extremely steep expectations and then working relentlessly to achieve them.
Your Google executive perhaps comes to mind – brilliant but rather curt in outlining standards and dissatisfaction with anything less. They motivate through challenge rather than encouragement per se. And they exemplify needed behaviors through their own non-stop drive.
This pushes the performance envelope but has consequences. One Stanford study found that while pace-setting leaders excel early on, irritability and demands often overwhelm team members over time leading to burnout. So use this style thoughtfully.
Pros
- Drives higher individual and group productivity
- Leaders model aspirational performance
- Builds a culture of excellence and urgency
Cons
- High risk of employee burnout and churn
- Slows idea generation reliant on trust
Rely on pace-setting to realize intermittent stretch goals but avoid as an everyday approach.
7. Commanding Leadership – clarity amidst mayhem
We now trade exhausting demands for firm coordination. Commanding leaders take total control in a crisis through quick, decisive action. These realists rapidly assess situations, initiate priorities, and direct teams clearly while expecting full compliance.
Wartime leaders like Dwight Eisenhower model such effectiveness – issuing third party orders but also fair, predictable standards so subordinates know precisely where they stand. Results matter over niceties, yet human dignity stays protected.
This approach shines when disaster strikes or opportunities unexpectedly arise. But it also risks demoralization if used constantly.
Pros
- Instills order amidst chaos
- Rapid mobilization powers
- Crisp course correction
Cons
- Discourages wider inputs and innovation
- Overuse fosters toxicity
Employ commanding tactics sparingly rather than an ego trip. Restrict to only truly urgent scenarios.
8. Servant Leadership – empowering by backing off
This approach flips hierarchical tendencies upsidedown with leaders relinquishing substantial authority to the frontlines. Rather than overseeing tasks, servant leaders focus fully on providing resources, tools, and development opportunities so groups can self-direct.
The method builds accountability and autonomy. While seeming counterintuitive to some Alpha executives, it often best meets today‘s desire for purpose and flexibility.
Software giant Salesforce uses such servant leadership to nurture an acclaimed "ohana" culture. The CEO and managers rally workers around a vision but then let engineers drive solutions paired with ample creativity incentives. 3/4 of employees in surveys attribute their retention specifically to the empowerment they feel.
Pros
- Boosts employee ownership and engagement
- Accelerates decentralized decision-making
- Fosters bottom-up innovation
Cons
- Demands steady leader restraint
- Success reliant on team motivation and skill
Use servant leadership to tap local insights and ingenuity, balancing it with occasional steering guidance.
9. Pace-setting Leadership – the Discipline Driver
Let‘s now discuss the first of our more single-minded, results-driven leadership styles – pace-setting leadership. Here progress happens through leaders defining extremely steep expectations and then working relentlessly to achieve them.
Your Google executive perhaps comes to mind – brilliant but rather curt in outlining standards and dissatisfaction with anything less. They motivate through challenge rather than encouragement per se. And they exemplify needed behaviors through their own non-stop drive.
This pushes the performance envelope but has consequences. One Stanford study found that while pace-setting leaders excel early on, irritability and demands often overwhelm team members over time leading to burnout. So use this style thoughtfully.
Pros
- Drives higher individual and group productivity
- Leaders model aspirational performance
- Builds a culture of excellence and urgency
Cons
- High risk of employee burnout and churn
- Slows idea generation reliant on trust
Rely on pace-setting to realize intermittent stretch goals but avoid as an everyday approach.
10. Coaching Leadership supports capability building
Similar to pace-setting methods, coaching leadership alsospotlights progressachievement but through intensive guidance rather than intimidating demands.
These leaders mentor employees 1:1 to establish growth goals, share tactical advice, facilitate peer exchanges, and track development. You help people maxi¬mize strengths while improving areas of weakness through tailored feedback.
Famously, executive coach Sir John Whitmore helped Formula 1 racer Sebastian Vettel go from frequent crashes to four championship titles via extreme preparation. Elsewhere, Goldman Sachs credits manager coaching for a full letter grade rise in average employee performance.
Pros
- Customization accelerates skill building
- Deepens employee confidence and engagement
- Develops leadership pipeline
Cons
- Not scalable like group training
- Poor coaches foster dependency
Apply coaching techniques to expand leadership and talent within your teams. Guide self-correction before simply commanding change.
Key Takeaways as You Expand Your Leadership Skill Set
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Embrace leadership style flexibility rather than just defaulting to habitual preferences. Analyze contexts, teams, and goals to determine optimal fits from democratic to commanding approaches.
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Consciously strengthen lesser used muscles like coaching capabilities or strategic envisioning skills. Well-roundedness drives consistent success.
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Gather feedback from both peers and subordinates. It provides vital input for accurately diagnosing situations and choosing appropriate responses.
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Remember that how you lead proves just as material as where you lead people to. Employee health, innovation levels, and organizational resilience ultimately stem from leadership culture. Foster these.
The coming year likely has exciting visions but also unforeseen stumbling blocks. Preparing your leadership repertoire for either scenario will prove wise indeed. Consider which styles you must channel a bit more of and then target growth in those domains. The options await!
