The 6 Leadership Styles: Affiliative (Part 3 of 6)

he Six Leadership Styles: A Six Part Series

Leadership Style 3 of 6: Affiliative

In weeks 1 & 2, we launched our six part series on The 6 Leadership Styles, and provided an overview of the first 2 styles: Directive and Visionary. We learned that the style(s) a leader deploys shapes 70% of the climate and the climate accounts for 30% of the results. We also learned that a one-trick pony doesn’t cut it as a leader, rather the most effective leaders utilize 4 or more of the Six Leadership Styles and can shift gears seamlessly as different situations arise. This week, in the third part of the series, we explore the Affilitative Style

Overview

For some, the Affiliative Style may create a picture of softness, hand holding, group hugs, and talking about feelings (and too much Affiliative Style is exactly that). When used in the right way however, it’s really about taking a sincere interest in employees as people with lives outside of work, and making an effort to remember little things about people (asking about Dave's recent vacation, asking about Debbie's son's sports tournament on the weekend, checking on how Diane is doing caring for her aging parents, etc.). The right amount of Affiliative is a leader building positive working relationships and rapport with people versus just treating them as resources that complete tasks. It's also about making the rounds on Monday morning and making some small talk with people versus coming into work, heading straight to your office and beginning work without connecting with your team. Affiliative is really about letting people get to know you, and you making an effort to get to know them. 

Pros

This style is based on the idea that if you get people to like you, they will go to the wall for you. It is symbolized by: team first, task second. Affiliative leaders make regular investments in the care and feeding of the team and truly value workplace relationships and harmony.

A classic leadership quote characterizes this style, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Affiliative leaders model this well by taking an interest in you as person, making the time to make small talk, remembering the names of people’s children, asking about your weekend, etc. They are constantly and consciously adding relationship credits into the relationship bank account and are seen as approachable by others. Anyone who opens a meeting with some brief small talk or by asking about people’s weekends before diving into task has used the Affiliative Style.

If you are leading a team of professionals who are experts in their field, you would be wise to invest some time in getting to know them and exploring synergies instead of trying to overly control/direct them. It can also be a helpful style to use in times of change to help people through the initial pain, although it will do more harm than good if used for too long as it will let people overly dwell on things and not move forward.

Cons

Some leaders have a high need to be liked and popular. When overused, too much Affiliative Style can become the disease-to-please. The daily goal of “Who can I please today?” results in a lack of decisions, or constant changes in direction, as they try to please each person who comes through their door.

Sometimes, when people like you they will go to the wall for you. However, other times, you may instead become the world’s doormat when some take advantage of the goodwill for their own benefit. Leaders with an abundance of affiliation may struggle with, or even avoid, giving difficult feedback or making tough decisions in cases where it won’t be possible to please everyone. They may give up their position in a discussion even when they are right, to preserve the relationship.

Overly Affiliative leaders need to remember that what’s right is not always what’s popular and what’s popular is not always what’s right. Ironically, in spite of their valiant attempt to please everyone, they instead end up with everyone displeased!

Finally, if overused, the Affiliative Style can create demotivation, underperformance, and eventual disappearance of high performers frustrated by a lack of recognition for their efforts and a lack of accountability for those not pulling their weight. The Affiliative Style is typically best deployed as a role player in your leadership toolbox, not the star of the show. Too much affiliation may well make a better next-door-neighbour than people leader.

Summary

Every leader should strive to have a full toolbox of leadership styles. Outstanding leaders use four or more of the six styles. The more leadership styles you have command over, the more situations you can manage effectively. Like each of the Six Leadership Styles, every leader needs to be comfortable using the Affiliative approach. Leaders with a technical background are often particularly well advised to incorporate more of this style into their toolbox. Overall, the Affiliative Style is positively correlated to engagement.

Application

There are many practical applications of leadership styles including:

• Recruitment: Asking behavioural interview questions that discover which style(s) a leader prefers.
• Leadership Development: Embedding leadership styles into formal programs via assessment tool, program content, an e-learning module, and coaching.
• Culture Assessment: Aggregate data provides insights into organizational strengths and blindspots. Is your organization overly directive? Overly participative? Implications?
• Succession Planning: Programs can be strengthened by using objective assessment data and comparisons to global standards of leadership.

Every leader should strive to have a full toolbox of leadership styles. Outstanding leaders use 4 or more of the 6 styles. The more leadership styles you have comfort with, the more situations you can manage effectively. Next week we’ll explore the 4th of the 6 styles, the Participative Style.

Brent Pederson is a Senior Client Partner with the Hay Group division of Korn Ferry and can be reached at 1.306.359.0181 or [email protected].