Leadership Styles

There have been many, many theories on leadership and the various styles that leaders utilize given their personality, environment, followers and other variables. In an HBR article, Dan Goleman assess six that are connected to emotional intelligence:
1. Coercive-demanding compliance
2. Authoritative-mobilize toward a vision (more transformational than transactional)
3. Affiliative-building bonds, empathy
4. Democratic-consensus through participation
5. Pacesetting-setting high standards for performance
6. Coaching-develops people for the future


Of the 6, 2 are negatively viewed by employees and are not beneficial in most situations, those are coercive and pacesetting.


Effective leaders will improve their emotional intelligence and choose a style dependent on the situation. They have learned how to utilize the various styles effectively to lead others and generate results.


Research has demonstrated that leaders with strong emotional intelligence perform better than those with limited EI. Those that possess it are better able to communicate with individuals and a team, create a feeling of shared responsibility for success and motivate each individual in the team to contribute with what they do best. Since every person and every situation is different, the more tools that a leader has at their disposal, the more effective they will be. If you struggle with any of these styles, seek out a trusted colleague, mentor or coach who can help you identify where you need improvement and work with you to improve. As you continue to learn more about how you respond to situations and how your employees respond to you, your leadership ability will continue to grow and thrive. As a result, your team will function at a high level with a shared purpose.


To learn more about the styles and how to best utilize them, visit the HBR website:
https://hbr.org/2000/03/leadership-that-gets-results