?? What Sort of Leader Are You?

How Is That Working For You?

I’m going to use a tried and trusted questionnaire this week to get you started.

For your questionnaire just drop me an email to [email protected] , with the words LEADERSHIP STYLES QUESTIONNAIRE PLEASE.

Now, this questionnaire was originally devised by a man called Daniel Goleman and he defined 6 key leadership styles way back in the year 2000.? According to Goleman successful leaders don’t just stick to one leadership style, they are well versed in multiple styles and can alternate between them depending on the circumstances.?

What you will probably find is that there are at least 2 that you lean towards.? This is your natural default position.?

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If you want to be a different kind of leader to what you are now then by understanding where your preferences lie – you can become more aware of that and it’s impact.? Also, it will help you to identify what you might need to dial up or down in your behaviour to be the leader you want to be.

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So, I’m going to do a whistle-stop tour of the 6 styles now.

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??? The Coercive (Directive/Commanding) Leader

This style can be summed up by the phrase – Do what I tell you.?

These leaders use threats and rewards to get what they want.? They make all the decisions and issue orders.? Normally communication flows just one way from them to the team.?

What can go wrong?

This can have a negative impact on moral.? They tend not to listen well and can create uncomfortable cultures. They also tend not to empower their people.

Where they shine……

They are great at fixing problems quickly and effectively especially in high-pressure situations.

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??? The Authoritative (Visionary) Leader

This style can be summed up by the phrase – Come with me.?

These leaders are enthusiastic and future focused.? They have a clear vision and inspire the team to achieve it.? They provide the end goal but leave it up to the team to devise the means.? They offer guidance and feedback along the way to maintain enthusiasm and to keep up momentum.

What can go wrong?

They can be too overbearing while driving their team members to achieve goals.

Where they shine…………..

The provide a clear vision for the company and they give their team direction and goals to achieve.

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??? The Affiliative (Friendly) Leader

This style can be summed up by the phrase – People come first.?

These leaders put people first, being supportive and helpful, resulting in trust and loyalty.? They build strong bonds first and then reap the rewards later.? They are relationship builders – they are the ones that buy the cakes when it is someone’s birthday or takes them out to lunch just to see how they are doing.

What can go wrong?

The team rarely receives actionable advice or constructive feedback.? This can stifle employee growth.

Where they shine………….

They create a positive work environment and are great at giving praise.

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??? The Democratic (Participative) Leader

This style can be summed up by the phrase – What do you think?.?

These leaders take time to listen to employee ideas and get their buy-in.? By involving them in decision making processes they earn respect and commitment.? Team members will see them as a facilitator rather than a dictator.

What can go wrong?

Meetings are abundant and longer where everyone can voice their opinions.? These can decrease productivity and burn employees out.? With a loss of authority final decisions are not easily made.

Where they shine…………

They give a voice to team members and create a culture of trust, flexibility and collaboration.

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?? The Pacesetting (Role Model) Leader

This style can be summed up by the phrase – Do as I do.?

These leaders set a very high-performance standard and expect everyone to follow their lead.? If you can’t match their high standards they will find someone else who can.? The focus is all on doing things faster and better.

What can go wrong?

They set the bar so high that employees feel overwhelmed or unable to meet unrealistic expectations.? They can also end up taking control more than they should which weakens employee trust and autonomy.

Where they shine……………

They set a good example for the team and have high standards.? They walk the talk.

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??? The Coaching (Nuturing) Leader

This style can be summed up by the phrase – Try this.?

These leaders develop their teams through 1:1 interaction and coaching.? They understand you can’t build a high-performing team overnight so they invest the time to develop the team over the long term.? By understanding the teams strengths and weaknesses and linking them to their career aspirations they can help set goals and build plans, giving constructive feedback and guidance along the way.

What can go wrong?

This style often gets overlooked as leaders don’t have the time or skills to coach.? If a poor attempt is made then it can seem disingenuous, rushed or be unproductive.

Where they shine………..

They develop their team, optimise individual potential and give plenty of feedback.? Overall they help to build a really positive culture with a growth mindset.

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Four leadership styles are considered resonant (authoritative, democratic, affiliative, and coaching), meaning they drive teamwork and loyalty. The other two are dissonant, focusing solely on reaching a goal and getting results rather than creating happy teams or individuals.

??? What’s your dominant style?

??? Are you happy with that?

?? What are you going to change?

How Coaching Can Help

Coaching provides a safe space to explore your natural leadership preferences.

Together we can determine what is working well for you, what you might want to dial up and what is working less well that you want to dial down.

I can offer practical strategies and tools to learn more about how you see yourself and how the team see you.?

Ready to dive in and grow your leadership skills?? Drop me a DM or email [email protected] .

#Coaching #Leadership #InclusiveCulture #BelongingMatters