There are many leadership styles and virtually all get things done. However, as important as to getting the desired results can be, the bigger question for me is, at what cost? We all want our objectives to be met and our goals to be successful, yet the best leaders have a greater purpose than just getting things done. They always know that it’s the people they lead (and for whom they are responsible) who are the most important part of their job, far more than mere results. I just concluded a couple of courses for my doctoral program, one of which was an overview of leadership styles as they specifically pertain to the leader-follower relationship, so let’s take a quick look at many of the more prominent leadership styles so that we can identify the kind of leader we may be now, and more importantly, the kind of leader we would like to become. Please keep in mind that self-awareness is a vital quality of good leaders. By taking a look at the different types of leadership styles out there, you may find a quality within yourself that you don’t really want to have in your leadership toolbox, and another from a different style to which you can change. It’s a process in which all leaders should be continually involved. We’ll take a look at just a few of the styles.
A prominent leadership style of the 20th century was an autocratic, command-and-control one in which leaders got things done mostly because of the use of their positional power. It was their way or the highway, and these leaders were effective, though not well-loved! In this military-type structure, these commanders made the decisions, then directed subordinates to carry out their orders. This style still exists today, though the workforce is less and less willing to blindly follow this kind of leader. Similar to this style is a transactional leader, who primarily functions from the standpoint of “you do this, and I’ll respond with that.” It is very reward based and often still administered by an autocrat. One other version of the command-and-control leader which is more from the “the dark side” is the narcissistic leader – one who also gets results, however is motivated more by personal gain than the organizational objective. These leaders can be effective, but are highly self-focused. The rank and file under these leaders usually display low morale, a lack of trust, and absence of team spirit.
A more positive style is the transformational leader, which began to make its appearance in the latter part of the 20th century. In this style, the leader uses a much more emotionally intelligent manner to influence followers through vision casting, buy-in, empathy, common purpose, and team orientation. This leader literally is able to “transform” the organization to be what it needs to be for the common good. Another positive style is the servant leader, whose major attribute is that they put the needs of their followers first, even sometimes before the needs of the organization. Servant leaders build relationships, foster collaboration, develop a high level of trust, and create a high degree of team spirit and mission focus. Another version of servant leadership is a relatively new style called authentic leadership. This style is much like servant leadership in its focus on the needs of team members and usually manifests itself in leaders who are highly relational, trustworthy, collaborative, approachable, and highly self-aware. Often someone becomes an authentic leader in response to a significant personal life experience or societal crisis. Today’s followers are drawn to authentic-servant leaders.
As said, virtually all leadership styles provide results. You may choose to be any of the ones described, or one of their many variations, but I would encourage you to really think through the legacy of leadership you want to leave. When people gather at your memorial service, do you want to be remembered as a kick-butt, get-it-done kind of leader, or one who inspired their followers to come together and make things happen for a common mission (all while everyone is enjoying the process!). It’s your choice. As for me, I choose and strive to be a hybrid of several styles, mostly authentic-servant.
Lead well.