Is Your Leadership Training All About Power and Style?

People sometimes confuse leadership with power. Leaders are often portrayed as hard-driving, hardnosed, and headstrong. And many good leaders have those qualities, to be sure. But it takes both force and influence to lead others effectively. The two approaches complement each other and create a powerful, yet adaptable force for action. Good leadership always balances power and influence.

For example:

• Good leaders must be both commanding and understanding. A leader must know how to take command and run a department or work group. At the same time, he or she must be understanding and take the needs of each group member into account.
• Leaders must direct as well as consult. They have to be able to direct operations and activities, but they also must consult those they lead and listen to their ideas and opinions.
• Leaders must develop a balance between ordering and asking. They have to know how to give orders when necessary and when it is more effective to ask for cooperation.
• Leaders must be striving yet yielding. They need to strive for success, but they must also know when to go around a barrier rather than try to break through it.
• Good leaders are both strong and flexible, just like the best athletes. Leaders must know when to stand firm and when to bend.
• Sometimes leaders need to be controlling and sometimes they must rely on influence. They have to be able to control situations and groups, but they also need to know how to influence, facilitate, and work from within the group—or even from behind the scenes.

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Leadership Styles

Train your managers and supervisors on different leadership styles. Any one of these styles can be effective, depending on the circumstances and the employees involved. Here are four basic leadership styles.

1. The authoritative style is often effective when dealing with new and inexperienced workers or in times of crisis when employees need to feel reassured by a strong leader at the helm. Authoritative leadership:

• Communicates from top to bottom;
• Provides solid direction;
• Wastes no time getting things done;
• Consolidates decision making in the hands of the leader;
• Provides a secure position for dependent employees; and
• Offers a tightly organized and efficient work environment.

2. The laissez-faire style works well with experienced, well-trained, self-directed employees. Laissez-faire leadership:

• Draws ideas from employees;
• Usually communicates upward; and
• Often places responsibility for outcomes on employees.

3. The social leadership style is inclusive and supportive. It is:

• Action-oriented;
• Participative;
• Encouraging of innovation and creativity;
• Supportive and forgiving;
• Positive and upbeat; and
• Reward-oriented.

4. The team leadership style also encourages employee participation and initiative. Team leadership:

• Maximizes employee efforts;
• Encourages two-way communication;
• Creates an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect, and understanding;
• Involves employees in decision making and problem solving;
• Encourages creativity and initiative; and
• Fosters enthusiasm and a sense of belonging.

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Encourage your managers and supervisors that the most effective leaders create their own style by combining and blending different styles to suit different challenges and situations.

The information in today’s Advisor is adapted from BLR’s presentation “Leadership Skills: What New Supervisors and Managers Need to Know.”

In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll explore how leaders can build credibility and trust—plus examine an effective new leadership training resource.