Think back to the earliest days of this century. In the year 2000, e-mail inboxes were still (mostly) under control, we were all still using floppy disks, and working from home meant planning ahead and packing a briefcase.
In those halcyon days before the Internet and the cloud changed everything, Daniel Goleman, best known for his work in emotional intelligence, published a piece in The Harvard Business Review that examined how leaders can get results. Based on findings from a study of over 3,000 leaders, Goleman and his team identified six leadership styles and tied them to emotional intelligence traits that drive business results.
The office environment may have changed, but what makes an effective leader has not. Goleman’s findings are more relevant than ever, and leaders who want to succeed in the modern business world can still leverage all six styles to drive business results and people results.
The coercive leader is exemplified by the phrase, “Do what I tell you.” This leadership style demands immediate compliance, and if taken too far, this style will have an overall negative impact on the organization.
However, a coercive leadership style does have a place in business—even in the more casual and friendlier office environment of the 2020s.
During an office emergency or crisis, leaders should be able to take control quickly and make decisions that keep the staff and the business functioning. Leaders can also use a coercive style sparingly to jumpstart a turnaround or to help a challenging employee get back on track. These circumstances often require the quick thinking and firm messaging of a more coercive style.
Goleman’s research found that the authoritative leader has the most strongly positive impact on an organization. Authoritative leaders mobilize people toward a vision. They exhibit self-confidence and empathy both, and they drive their teams to “come with me” in creating results.
In the modern office environment, authoritative leaders can leverage storytelling skills to create vision and purpose for their teams. In fact, this style of leadership may be in a unique position to drive results with a modern hybrid or remote workforce. Authoritative leaders can be confident in setting a purpose and vision and then trusting their teams to drive toward results. This style is best used when teams need clear direction or when changes demand a new vision.
The affiliative leadership style is best summed up by the phrase “people come first.” This style is strongly empathetic and has excellent communication and relationship skills. With its emphasis on relationships and interpersonal bonds, this style is ideal for healing rifts on a team or motivating people during stressful circumstances.
As the workplace still struggles to adapt to hybrid and remote work in this post-pandemic era, it’s likely that there are many strained relationships, burned-out managers, and struggling employees across organizations. In this environment, a leader who understands the value of flexibility and the need for connection is ideally suited to help teams recover and build new bonds for the future.
A democratic leader builds consensus through participation. This leadership style is excellent at collaboration, team leadership, and communication. A democratic leader uses the magic phrase “What do you think?” to stimulate conversation and promote buy-in.
In an era of digital transformation, increased project-based work, and rapid general change, organizations likely need more leaders who can ask, “What do you think?” and then listen when people offer feedback and input. Change management requires a collaborative style that listens well and is open to feedback.
This leadership style is exemplified by the phrase, “Do as I do, now.” These leaders set high expectations for themselves and their teams. They expect excellence, self-direction, and strong initiative. These leaders might be the kind to set very high standards for performance and then turn their people loose to meet them.
The pacesetting leadership style does have a negative impact on the climate of an organization, so it must be used sparingly. However, highly motivated sales or development teams might be ideal for this style of management, especially during a push for quick results or during an agile sprint. It is important to note that there is no room for micromanagement under this style of leadership; teams need to have clear results in mind and then must be allowed to go full steam ahead without pause to justify every move.
Just as the title implies, coaching leaders develop people for the future. This style is especially helpful for developing direct reports who have clear long-term goals or unique talents and strengths or to help struggling employees improve performance. Every leader, however, should be able to pivot to “coaching mode” periodically.
In today’s environment, some employees may need extra support as they navigate the new hybrid and remote options available—or as they return to the office and rebalance their home and work obligations. In addition, with an ongoing talent shortage, actively coaching and guiding direct reports in their individual careers can help keep employees longer and create a strong bench of talent for the future.
None of these leadership styles should be the “go-to” style for every situation. Rather, leaders need to learn to pivot between them according to the situations they face. During interactions with employees one-on-one, a leader could pivot toward more of a coaching style, whereas taking the team in a new direction will require more of an authoritative or democratic style. Smart leaders with high emotional intelligence will be able to move between styles as needed, creating a picture of a holistic leader who knows just what to say and when to say it.
To learn more about our coaching services and leadership development programs, contact us. The experts at Stewart Leadership are ready to help your team deliver business results and people results.
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