The phenomenon of leadership refers to the influence of a person (leader) on the rest of the members of the group. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, leadership is “the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors used to influence people to achieve a desired mission.”
If you read the following Psychology-online article you will be able to identify the characteristics of a leader, know the leadership styles according to Daniel Golemanknow who the best leaders are and know some traits that can promote good leadership.
A boss can take success personally, imposes his position and opinion and often inspires fear. Instead, a leader shares success with his team, listens, generates enthusiasm and inspires to improve. We could say that the leader has a work team that is his followers, while the director has subordinate employees.
One of the most interesting contributions to leadership theory has been that developed by the well-known American psychologist and Harvard professor, Daniel Goleman. Below are exposed the 6 types of leadership according to Goleman:
1. Coercive leadership
“Do what I say”
The leader orders and commands. Seek immediate fulfillment of tasks through precise instructions. No one can question it and neither does it ask for opinions. It is recommended to use it only when it is essential, since in the long term this style breaks the work environment and is negative for the achievement of the company’s objectives, since the workers become demotivated, not They collaborate, they stop transmitting ideas for fear of being rejected, etc.
It works well in crisis situations, when immediate reaction is a determining factor, or with problem workers for whom everything else has already failed.
2. Guidance style
“Come with me”
The orientation leader is a visionary; He has a clear long-term vision and with his enthusiasm he mobilizes people towards that vision. Guidance leadership generates a great commitment to the organization’s objectives and strategy. This style improves the work environment. The standards for success are set on the table equally for everyone, giving them the freedom to experiment and innovate.
In general, it works well in most situations, although it fails if the team is made up of experts who have more experience than the leader. Generates a great capacity for motivation.
3. Affiliative style
“People come first”
This leadership style revolves around people. He strives to ensure that the relationship between people is harmonious. Their emotions take precedence over tasks and objectives. Employees have the freedom to do their work in the way they consider most effective.
It is an appropriate type of leadership if you want to build harmony in the team, improve communication, when the team is new or when you need to motivate them during high-stress situations. On the other hand, it may give the impression that poor performance is tolerated. It should be combined with other styles, such as the orientation style.
4. Democratic style
“What do you think?”
Workers have a voice and vote in decisions, thus increasing the flexibility and the responsibility. The participatory leader always seeks to make decisions by consensus; people who find themselves in a democratic system tend to be very realistic about what can or cannot be achieved.
This works very well when the leader is unsure about the best direction to take or when they need to generate fresh ideas to achieve objectives. This style loses its meaning when employees are not trained or do not have enough information to provide valid opinions.
5. Exemplary style
“Do what I expect without me telling you.””
The leader implements very high standards of performance marking some very specific guidelines. Work rules are usually clear to the leader, but he does not explain them clearly, but rather he expects people to know what they should do. Many employees feel overwhelmed by the standards-setting leader’s demands for excellence. Flexibility and responsibility do not exist and work becomes task-focused and very routine. If the leader is absent, people feel directionless since they are used to the leader setting the rules.
The exemplary style should be used rarely since it destroys the atmosphere of a team. It can be useful when we have a great expert in the field and we seek to learn by imitating their ways of working.
6. Training Style
“Try it …”
The main objective of this leadership style according to Goleman is the development of people’s talent. They help employees identify their strengths, weaknesses and professional aspirations, helping to establish development goals. These leaders give challenging tasks to their employees and are willing to endure short-term failure as they focus on personal development primarily. It motivates them to take initiatives and creates an environment of joint growth. This leadership works well if employees are aware of their weaknesses and want to improve their performance. It makes little sense if, for whatever reason, they are resistant to learning or improving.
If you want to know what your leadership style is, we recommend taking this one.
Goleman asserts that the best leaders do not use just one type of leadership. The effectiveness of a leader lies in having the ability to flexibly change from one style to another depending on the circumstances.
Putting it into practice, each of the six styles has its own place. Goleman emphasizes that the business climate and situation is in constant movement, therefore a leader must know when to exercise one type of leadership or another, for greater efficiency.
However, we could say that leaders who have managed to master four or more styles – especially the indicative, democratic, affiliative and formative– have the best business climate and performance. They encourage the development of professionals’ capabilities and the generation of commitment. On the other hand, we must keep in mind that we can be pleasant and committed, but if we do not achieve the objectives, we will not be leaders.
Even if we do not have people in our charge, knowing the different leadership styles can be useful for work groups, groups of friends and even for your personal relationships.