SO, WHAT SORT OF LEADER ARE YOU ANYWAY?
A good dose of self-reflection goes a long way in assisting and supporting our personal growth and development. An off-shoot of essential humility hones and strengthens our own self-awareness, that lynch-pin of superior emotional intelligence that is often overlooked, even by the most emotionally intelligent people we know. We lose sight of the importance of our own self-awareness when everyone around us seems to be saying that empathy is the key - fellow-feeling; compassion; feeling what others are feeling. Yet how can we know how others are feeling if we are not in touch with our own feelings and emotions??Daniel Goleman was adamant in spelling out that we cannot show empathy until we consciously know and make our own emotions explicit.
Reflecting properly and effectively on how we go about our leading is a basic leadership competency. Knowing how we are coming across to others as we lead them each day ought to be second nature. It ought just to happen, without too much conscious self-examination.
Indeed, Dana Miranda and Kelly Main remind us that effective management, effective leadership, of any size team requires a specific set of skills that go well beyond the skills we might have developed as an individual contributor in an organisation (in10 Management Styles Of Effective Leaders, in Inc 27 Apr 23). A moment’s self-reflection will tell you that your job as a leader is to motivate your staff to do their best work and inspire them to get engaged in the successful accomplishment of your organisation’s goals and objectives.
In order to be an effective leader, understanding and adapting your preferred leadership style is the key to effective leadership.
What Do We Mean by Leadership Style?
Miranda and Main tell us that our leadership style is the way we work in motivating and ?supporting our team members to achieve the goals of their designated project, or of their team. It goes to how your leading influences the way your entire organisation achieves its designated goals and objectives. Your management style, your way of leading, includes how you interact with your team members, how you motivate your team members and exercise your oversight of them, as well as how you relate to other stakeholders – your clients, your customers, or in your case as a school leader, your students and their parents. It describes how you plan projects, delegate work, set and measure goals, and make decisions for the project and team.
What Do Different Leadership Styles Look Like?
Understanding your own leadership style can help you communicate more effectively with your team members, and thus help them work more effectively as a team. As a leader yourself, identifying the management style of your subordinate leaders early on, even at the hiring stage, can also help you determine whether the person you are considering is a good fit. Moreover, Miranda and Main suggest, knowing and communicating your leadership style to the members of your team can help them and you together to improve and enhance how you communicate with one another, and assist in developing effective and efficient work processes and work flows as well as fostering communication among team members and harmonious, respectful, productive relationships.
How do you determine your preferred leadership style?
Miranda and Main indicate that you should observe the characteristics that make up the way you – and your team members – actually lead. Observe:
10 Management Styles of Effective Leaders
Miranda and Main go on to outline a number of different leadership styles, from charismatic to transformational leadership, and they are quick to point out that any or all of them can prove to be effective. Not all leadership styles are effective in any or every situation. The same leader may adopt different leadership styles to suit contextual factors. Most leaders manifest a preferred style – the one that fits them and their personality best – but effective leaders recognise that sometimes, they need to step out of their preferred style and adopt another which seems more appropriate to the situation they are dealing with. As school leaders, we may tend to project different preferred leadership styles and leadership behaviours than we might expect to observe in commerce or business.
1. Autocratic
An autocratic management style puts the leader at the top of the pyramid on a team. They make decisions and control projects without soliciting input from team members or other stakeholders. This is a nineteenth century style of leading that most contemporary organisations eschew. While it was once commonly observed in schools in previous generations, it is not highly regarded as a go-to style of leadership in contemporary educational settings.
How to identify an autocratic leader
An autocratic manager is likely to take complete control of projects and teams, Miranda and Main advise, making decisions without input from others. They’re more likely to give directions than to inspire team members toward solutions, and they might be more focused on details than the big-picture vision. They aren’t likely to elicit feedback, especially from subordinates, and the feedback they give might be more critical and punitive than constructive.
When autocratic leadership works best
In most cases, autocratic management isn’t productive for a team, because it takes a top-down approach that leaves employees feeling disempowered, under-valued and on edge, the authors claim. Team members’ personal and professional growth is stunted, and there is a danger that group-think will prevail because there is no opportunity for individual creative thinking. However, autocratic leadership can be useful temporarily when a business faces a crisis. Autocratic leaders are skilled at making decisions fast and moving forward, which is incredibly valuable when you don’t have time to seek input and weigh options, but effective school leadership ought not rely upon autocratic leadership behaviours.
2. Democratic
A democratic management style, the opposite of autocratic, puts the voice of the team at the forefront of decision-making and project management say Miranda and Main. The leader seeks input from subordinates and other stakeholders to drive and enhance the vision and expedite innovative and creative new directions for projects.
How to identify a democratic leader
A democratic leader is likely to solicit and implement feedback and input from members of their team, midlevel leaders and other project stakeholders before making final decisions. They might even designate decision-makers other than themselves for various projects to ensure variety and diversity of opinion. They’re not prone to snap decisions; instead, they foster an environment of consideration and debate to give everyone a voice in every step of a project. The result is deep and lasting ownership of the project, and it secures buy-in from participants and stakeholders.?
When democratic leadership works best
Democratic leadership has a place on most teams, because it ensures team members have their voices heard and have a stake in the work they do every day. Opening decisions up to multiple voices also ensures projects and goals are seen from diverse perspectives, deepening a team’s ability to innovate, adapt and serve a broader client base. In schools it works particularly well when the competing interests of staff, students, the parent community and alumni need to be balanced, prioritised and met.?
However, true democracy is a slow way to make decisions, and it can sometimes result in stalemates that keep projects from moving forward, the authors caution. Democratic leadership is best for the early stages implementing a major change of some kind, so that all stakeholders can have a say in the vision and direction. It’s best to designate decision-makers for the minutiae of projects as a change process begins to ensure efficiency and progress, as well as stakeholder buy-in.
3. Laissez-faire
A laissez-faire management style is a hands-off approach to leadership that lets team members work independently and make decisions for themselves. This style of leadership suits experienced, creative teams who do not thrive when their thinking is channelled and structured.
How to identify a laissez-faire leader
A laissez-faire leader is likely to spend their day focused on their own work without paying much attention to what team members are doing, Miranda and Main assert. They don’t seek or offer feedback, and they don’t offer direction unless a team member asks for it. They don’t make or guide decisions for the team or projects; instead, they let individual team members make decisions as they see fit. They might have a vision for projects but might not communicate those clearly to team members. In small, highly specialised and highly experienced teams, laissez-faire frees up exciting and innovative thinking. It is a style of leadership that especially suits small organisations employing a small number of creatives.
When laissez-faire leadership works best
Laissez-faire leadership can cause problems for many teams, and is not often a feature of highly effective schools. Team members working under a laissez-faire principal might feel rudderless and without support, and projects might lack cohesion because of lack of direction or communication. However, some teachers might thrive under the lack of oversight, which could help them discover their own leadership skills as well as honing their problem-solving skills, and leave them room to innovate.
As an overall management style, laissez-faire leadership should be reserved for high-level teams of highly skilled and experienced employees, such as experienced executive staff, Miranda and Main suggest. But you could temporarily employ this style at select points throughout a project, according to the authors — you might ease up on oversight and feedback when you want team members to strengthen their own decision-making and problem-solving skills, teaching them to cope with challenges on their own and expand their creativity and innovation. In schools, this one probably should be applied sparingly!
4. Bureaucratic
A bureaucratic management style relies on rules, policies and standard operating procedures, rather than a leader’s personality, interests or charisma. Team members are evaluated on standard criteria, projects are planned according to procedure and goals are meticulously measured and reported. Some school systems, schools and school leaders prefer to work this way.
How to identify a bureaucratic leader
A bureaucratic leader is likely to document everything — processes, goals, evaluations, communications – and insist that you do so too. They’re inflexible to varying employee needs and work styles, because they evaluate everyone according to the same standards and communicate with everyone according to protocol. They make decisions through established practices, soliciting input only through approved channels and evaluating options according to predetermined criteria. Box-ticking is more important than effectiveness for many bureaucratic leaders.
When bureaucratic leadership works best
Bureaucratic leadership is common in large organisations or in government departments, where a company has to accommodate thousands of employees and projects and avoid the appearance of favouritism or bias. It can be particularly important in government organisations, where work is subject to public scrutiny and accountability, but this very preoccupation stifles innovation and creative thinking. Old ways are always the best ways, according to bureaucratic leaders, and indeed, often the only ways. Within a team, bureaucratic management can help keep team members on the same page and streamline communication, however.
?Miranda and Main assert that bureaucracy is only effective at facilitating equity if its goals and procedures are designed equitably. Bureaucratic leadership can cause a leader to overlook an employee’s unique circumstances and needs and inadvertently foster a work environment that favours certain types of employees—especially those who think and work like the leader, and who are compliant, unadventurous and timid.
5. Servant leadership
A servant leadership style puts team members’ needs, growth and professional development ahead of the needs of the manager, company or project. It prioritises internal coherence and staff well-being, as well as nurturing trust and fostering empathy among team members. Servant leadership is frequently observed to work extremely effectively in organisations such as schools.
How to identify a servant leader
A servant leader is most concerned with the ongoing growth and development of those whom they lead. In an educational setting, of course, this is an appropriate priority. Schools are communities of learners, and everyone – staff and students – comes to school every day to learn something. The emotional intelligence servant leaders project, and the value they place on individual worth and individual contributions mean that nurturing the quality of their relationships with their team members is a priority, and their commitment to ensuring their team members are satisfied and fulfilled in their work is a key focus. A servant leader – highly self-aware – asks at the end of the day, How did those whom I lead grow and develop today as a result of my leading? They place prime value on the human relationships that a school environment requires, securing trust and openness so that staff team members feel safe and supported as they advance their ideas and suggestions as to how best to accomplish the institution’s goals.
?When servant leadership works best
A servant leader makes employees feel heard, seen, valued and cared for, which can foster strong internal cohesion among team members as well as strong commitment to shared goals. It also fosters an attitude of service and care among colleagues. Effective servant leaders motivate staff toward ongoing professional development through focusing on staff well-being as well as on broader school objectives.
?6. Coaching
A coaching management style focuses on employee professional development. It incorporates regular feedback, training and day-to-day support to develop and hone employee skills and strengths, Miranda and Main explain. It occurs a lot in schools, where leaders at all levels, executive staff and mid-level managers, all engage in coaching other staff on a regular basis.
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How to identify a coaching leader
A coach-manager might share traits with a servant leader, because they put employees’ needs and strengths at the forefront. They are in tune with how employees’ strengths, needs and skills can serve the goals of the business, and they use business objectives to help employees recognise their own strengths and hone their skills. They provide regular feedback, guidance, advice and resources to help staff team members to succeed within their tasks for the company as well as develop professional skills that can help them beyond the company.
?Coaching leaders involve employees in decision-making while offering clear guidance on the purpose and criteria for making a decision as well as how an employee’s stance fits in with the overall vision. Those being coached become more confident in their own self-efficacy and judgment as a result.
When coaching leadership works best
Coaching leadership is the best fit for leaders who are in a position to help employees develop professionally. The style is best suited for leaders in people-focused roles, such as learning and development. Mid-level managers who oversee inexperienced team members can use a coaching style to help staff develop within the projects their team is tasked with. At some point in every leader’s career, they will resort to coaching to bring out the best in their team members.
7. Charismatic
A charismatic management style relies on a leader’s personality and energy to inspire, engage and motivate employees. Many senior school leaders project charisma in their leading.
How to identify a charismatic leader
A charismatic manager is in tune with and in charge of how their energy affects people around them. They tend to have contagious personalities, make friends easily and effortlessly command attention when they enter a room. They know how to relay information and speak with each team member based on that person’s communication style and mood, and they’re known to perk up anyone in a bad mood. They can deliver critical feedback in a tone that leaves employees feeling motivated.
When charismatic leadership works best
Charismatic leaders tend to rise to the top in traditional businesses, because they naturally exhibit traits our culture favours, such as extroversion, congeniality and positivity. Leaders who lack charisma and presence who aren’t naturally charismatic might burn out trying to mimic these traits, the authors warn.?Charisma can be an asset when it’s your job to inspire staff and set a broad vision, as most school principals have to do. Being present in the moment in one-on one conversations is one of the most positive manifestations of charisma in a school leader. Presence – a judicious combination of self-awareness, self-confidence and poise – on public occasions is a leadership trait that can be extremely effective in a school leader.
8. Transactional
A transactional leadership style rewards and recognises employees for meeting specific milestones and objectives. It sets clear expectations and relies on the promise of a reward to motivate employees. In a school setting, it sometimes seems a little hollow, if not crass. Few people working in schools ae there for the money or for tangible, material rewards. The vast majority of teachers and school leaders transcend transactional relationships with each other and even with their pupils. Being engaged in education brings its own rewards – intangible rewards that gratify, fulfil and deeply satisfy.
How to identify a transactional leader
Transactional leaders do exist in schools. They are often bureaucratic leaders, likely to document, track and report on goals, timelines and objectives meticulously where everyone can see them. They communicate clear timelines and expectations to team members and offer incentives to reach milestones on or ahead of schedule. They might offer regular feedback to help employees achieve objectives, though employees will always be aware of where they stand without a manager’s input. They make decisions based on defined objectives and incentivise employees to do the same. But this approach does not work in schools.?
When transactional leadership works best
Miranda and Main do not give up on transactional leadership, suggesting it can be an asset for some teams. Competitive team members might be motivated by rewards even if those rewards are as small as a pizza party or a plaque, because they like to cross milestones, they say. Teachers find this sort of thing pretty twee, on the whole. Miranda and Main aver that transactional management suits commercial and business settings, where you have the authority and resources to deliver meaningful rewards, such as commissions, bonuses and other benefits, because those offer motivation while honouring the relationship between the employee and the company.
9. Transformational
A transformational leadership style focuses on inspiring and motivating staff to think outside of the box to raise the bar, both to achieve shared goals and reach their full professional potential. Many contemporary school principals claim they are subscribers to transformational leadership.
How to identify a transformational leader
A transformational leader might see inspiring, motivating and developing team members as their highest priority. They thrive in constant change and rapid growth and get bored with stability and stagnation. They’re big thinkers, always pushing their vision forward (regardless of their role), and they encourage team members to do the same. These managers question the status quo and provide as much feedback to their own bosses as to their subordinates.
When transformational leadership works best
Transformational management is important in rapidly growing companies, according to Miranda and Main, such as start-ups, and those within fast-changing industries. Managers need to be skilled at steering their teams through change and developing team members according to a company’s changing needs, they point out. Too much focus on growth and change can be detrimental to day-to-day success, however. Transformational leaders need to balance setting clear expectations and stable milestones to keep employees from feeling like they can never cross a finish line. For various reasons, this kind of transformational leadership does not particularly suit schools, where learning is the core business, and of its very nature, learning is a long and cumulative game.?
10. Situational
A situational leadership style is a mix of all of them: the momentary leadership style is determined by and adapted to the situation and team members’ needs in the moment.
How to identify a situational leader
A situational leader understands the pros and cons of various management styles, when each works best, and how to apply them to different team members and situations. They might adopt an autocratic style in a crisis, employ democratic leadership to name company values, employ coaching with inexperienced employees and use bureaucratic tools with indolent workers.
When situational leadership works best
Leaders with large, diverse teams and varied projects need to adopt a situational leadership style to meet the various needs of their staff – and it is probably true that most school principals might project a different leadership style several times a day in dealing with the vast complexity that is a contemporary school!
How To Adopt a New Management Style
Adopting or incorporating new management styles requires not only changing your behaviours and protocols but also evaluating your values, beliefs, attitude and personality type.
If you identify your predominant management style and realise some of its characteristics aren’t the right fit for your role within your organisation or for the people on your team, Miranda and Main suggest you follow these steps to adapt and incorporate characteristics of a more fitting management style:
1. Name the problem
No management style is inherently always good or always bad. You don’t have to change your style just because it’s perceived as the wrong way to manage—your management style might be a great fit for the environment you’re in and the people you manage.
If you’re feeling friction or having trouble achieving your team’s goals, start by identifying the problems. Do you have an unmotivated team? Are you missing deadlines? Are they? Is communication inconsistent? Do team members feel left out of conversations or in the dark about expectations?
Once you identify the real problems, consider how your management style might contribute to them. If you’re missing deadlines, for example, is it because you’re being too democratic with decision-making and extending the time it takes to make progress on a project? Or is it because you’re too hands-off and team members don’t have enough milestones to hit before a final project deadline?
2. Understand other leadership styles
Once you identify the characteristics of your leadership style that aren’t working, discover the characteristics of others that might address your problems.
If you’re being too democratic, for example, how might you introduce some autocracy or bureaucracy to streamline decision-making? If you’re too hands-off, how might you be more of a coach to guide your team toward milestones?
3. Know your strengths
Not everyone is suited for every management style. Understand your professional and personal strengths and weaknesses and how those intersect with the characteristics of various other leadership styles.
For example, you might be suited for autocratic leadership if you’re highly analytical and introspective, but democratic, coaching and charismatic management might not come easily to you.
4. Manage big changes with your team
Some changes in your management style might only happen within you—adjusting how you respond to feedback or letting go of beliefs about your relationship with colleagues, for example. But often, a change in management style means changes to protocols and procedures for your team. Even if this change is for the better, you’ll need buy-in from your team to implement it effectively.
Employ the basic principles of change management to involve your team in decisions about new processes, motivate them to want to make changes, appeal to their individual needs and guide them through changes.
5. Communicate clearly
Don’t assume team members will naturally adapt to changes in protocols or procedures. Clearly communicate any changes you’ll make, when they’ll take effect, any new expectations you have for employees and what they can expect from you going forward.
Communicating about changes is also an opportunity to get feedback and suggestions from team members to ensure your new management style is in line with their needs.
Bottom Line
Understanding various leadership styles is important to effective leadership in any team or organisation, Miranda and Main conclude. Recognising the style of management you’re most drawn to can help you seek roles you’re best suited for and understand how to adjust when you face challenges. Identifying the pros and cons of other leadership styles can help you adapt to each situation you face, and then to adopt the characteristics of the management style that‘s best suited to those particular circumstances.