Leadership is a bit like playing ‘good cop, bad cop’, but with a twist – you’re the whole cast. Some days, you’re the cheerleader rallying the troops with pats on the back and pizza Fridays. Others, you’re the drill sergeant demanding to know why deadlines haven’t been met. Being a truly great leader means knowing which hat to wear and when. According to Daniel Goleman’s leadership styles, there are six distinct styles every leader should understand and master. These six leadership styles create a versatile toolkit for managing teams made up of diverse personalities and skillsets. The six styles are:

  1. Coercive
  2. Authoritative
  3. Affiliative
  4. Democratic
  5. Pacesetting
  6. Coaching

All of these are effective leadership methods, at the right time and in the right place. Knowing when to use each style requires emotional intelligence in leadership. If you get it right, it can have a big impact on morale, productivity and turnover.

Coercive Leadership – ‘Do What I Say, Now’

There are times when you need to live up to the stereotype of ‘the boss’. Often linked to the military, this style demands unquestioning obedience, total control and compliance. It means being a strong and decisive force in high-pressure situations, leaving no room for doubt and inspiring total confidence.

But if you use this when the situation doesn’t warrant it, you risk alienating yourself from your team. Creative people who like a challenge and want to feel involved and invested will not thrive under this style of leader.

Authoritative Leadership – ‘Come With Me’

This one is a lot like good parenting – balancing clear guidance and firm boundaries with encouragement and trust. The authoritative leader paints a clear vision, guiding the team towards shared goals (eg a new product launch or strategy) – empowering but also focusing them. It’s less effective when managing highly experienced or independent people. Much like parenting, it can backfire if rules are too rigid or you assume too much control.

Affiliative Leadership – People First

This style cares most about relationships, harmony and emotional wellbeing. Key concerns are dealing with conflict, forming strong bonds and building team morale. But this could mean that concerns are overlooked in order to ‘keep the peace’, which can lead to long-term performance issues.

Use of this approach should be targeted rather than standard, as over-fixation on people’s emotional wellbeing can be smothering and get in the way of productive work. It’s great when dealing with sensitive issues, but it’s not needed in the normal day-to-day. Too much focus on people can steal attention from strategy, outcomes and performance.  

Democratic Leadership – ‘What Do You Think?’

As the name implies, democratic leaders seek input and consensus from those they lead. This is a great way to get buy-in for a project or decision, and useful when there is valuable expertise and creativity to be drawn on. It can also be a blocker, with lots of competing ideas to discuss, which can give rise to ‘analysis paralysis’ and slow decision-making. As such, it’s best saved for early-stage concept discussions, rather than time-critical decisions

Pacesetting Leadership – ‘Keep Up!’

The pacesetting leader aims to drive high performance and high standards, but working alongside the team as a role model and peer rather than barking orders from a distance. It’s great for motivating highly skilled teams that are driven to achieve and want to push themselves.

The key is not to set unrealistic or unsustainable standards. For example, presenteeism is often fuelled by leadership doing things like emailing out of hours or not taking enough leave. Balancing this with a well-structured leave management system helps set a positive example, ensuring team members understand the value of rest and recuperation. While this kind of leadership is ideal for driving a tight deadline or critical project, it has to be balanced with slower pace and lower priority periods.

Coaching Leadership – ‘Try This…’

The coach is all about developing people and supporting their long-term growth. It’s ideal for training new talent or guiding someone towards a promotion, but it won’t get you far with those not interested in career development. If someone gets too used to being coached and demands more and more of your attention, it can limit their growth and also lead to claims of unfair treatment if they’re monopolising your time and energy.

Key Takeaways

Leadership is not a singular role, and the best leaders can switch between different styles as required. The secret is in awareness of yourself and of your team. Who are they? What do they need from you today? Adaptability is key to getting the best out of most people, so be prepared for a lot of hat swapping!

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts
Phil Norton, Co-founder of Leave Dates

Phil is the co-founder of Leave Dates, the employee annual leave planner. He loves problem-solving and making life easier for small businesses. If you book a Leave Dates demo, he will give you a warm welcome and show you everything that you need to know.

www.leavedates.com