Three Reasons Why Leadership Styles Get in Our Way

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Leadership styles are a major part of many leadership development programs. It is a popular way to train leaders. It gives them a sense of who they are and how they can be most effective in their important and complex roles. The modern concept of leadership styles has been around since the late 1930’s. It is typically traced back to Kurt Lewin’s study that identifies three core leadership styles.

Lewin’s work began to change the way people thought about leadership. Today, you can find hundreds of leadership models and most with accompanying styles. Styles can help leaders understand themselves and how to better lead. But there are some common problems with all these leadership style models.

The problem isn’t the models themselves, but how we use them. Here are three major mistakes that occur because of reliance on leadership styles.

We Use Them to Rationalize Our Behavior

“Since this is my leadership style, you can’t expect me to be good at that.” Unfortunately, the “that” being referred to is likely an important task or role the leader must play. By rationalizing “that’s not my style,” leaders convince themselves not to worry about it. Rationalizing is telling ourselves a “rational lie.” We don’t know it, nor do we need to learn it, because it isn’t included in our “labeled leadership style.” When we rationalize, we have no reason in our mind to change our behavior.

We Use Them to Excuse Our Behavior

“I’m sorry, but that isn’t my style. I’m not a very <insert style description> leader.” Perhaps even more challenging than rationalizing, this is excusing behavior (or lack thereof) as acceptable, even if the approach or behavior didn’t work.

We Use Them to Oversimplify Our Work

The point of a model is to take something complicated and make it simpler to understand. This is why leadership style models are so helpful. They give us clues, cues, and mental handles to deal with complex and complicated situations and ideas. But danger arises when we mistake the simplicity of the model for the truth itself. Appropriate responses only come from a deep familiarity and understanding of the reality of any situation.?

I see all these mistakes made all the time. The problem with each is that the style becomes a substitute for continuing to learn how to lead more effectively. When we rationalize or excuse ourselves, there is no reason to learn anything new. (After all, “What is the point? We are <x> style of leader, not <y> style.”) And when we oversimplify, we don’t see the need to learn either because “we understand leadership.”

As a guideline or a starting point, leadership styles are a beneficial tool to preliminarily understand behaviors or tendencies. It’s when we lean into them too hard that they can become a hindrance. And not only to ourselves, but to those we are developing as leaders. Just like any other label, we must be careful not to:

• Rely on them too much.
• Teach them too early.
• Treat them as static truths from which people cannot evolve or grow.
• Apply too many different models.?

We should treat our leadership style as a temporary landing spot, not a permanent residence. Just until we master the next skill.

It’s Your Turn

How have the use of leadership styles gotten in your way?

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A version of this article first appeared in our blog .

Looking Back

Keys to Team Success

So often when people think about creating more effective teams, they focus on relationships. The thinking goes like this…?

If they like each other, they will be more effective in working together.?

That is true, to a point.

But there is more to building a highly effective team than good relationships. While books have been written on this topic, here are a few ideas for you to consider.?

• Expectations. Are there expectations of working together, and if so, what do those expectations look like? As some people work from home some (or all) of the time, this is a bigger deal than you might realize – but it doesn’t just apply to hybrid or remote teams. In short – do people know what the expectations are of them as a teammate, not just an employee??

• Culture. Does your culture support teamwork? Are the systems, rewards, and processes in alignment with the creation of team success, or do they point back to individual contributions?

• Commitment to the team and each other. It is one thing for people to like each other and get along. It is another to have high levels of trust and mutual respect. Are people committed to each other and the work that is required? The stronger these commitments are felt, the more successful the team will be.?

• Goal alignment. A team can look like they are doing great and being productive. But if the work of the team isn’t aligned with the larger goals of the organization, they aren’t as effective as they need to be. Keep teams clearly focused on the organizational goals. Help them tie their collective and individual efforts to those goals. Combined, these things will make them, by definition, more effective.

• Collaboration skills. Don’t forget this one. Do the members of the team have skills to collaborate with others? Some people know “their job,” but don’t know how to work well with others. Think about the skills that people might need help with – including communication, listening, and brainstorming (to name just a few).?

Now, read these again and think about the teams you are a member of today (including the ones you might lead). Which of these factors could you improve to help the team be more effective?

How Teams Can Achieve Remarkable Results

Check out my recent conversation with Jones Loflin about helping teams succeed.