Leadership Styles and Behaviors

What is Leadership?

  • Leadership is defined as the quality or ability that makes a person a leader, or the position of being a leader.
  • It encompasses guiding and impacting outcomes, enabling groups to achieve more together than they could individually.
  • Leadership is not an innate trait but a developed ability.

Key Aspects of Leadership

  • Leadership is a transactional and reciprocal communication process.
  • It is context-dependent, exercised in specific situations.
  • Leaders influence the attitudes and behaviors of others.
  • Leadership facilitates the attainment of goals.
  • Effective leaders develop other leaders.
  • Leaders act as teachers, setting high expectations with a "Dream Big" mentality.

Poor Leadership Behaviors

  • Failing to listen to teammates and colleagues.
  • Not embracing or utilizing the talents of those being led.
  • Failure to acknowledge work.
  • Withholding information.
  • Not forwarding information, content, ideas, suggestions, and proposals.
  • Engaging in toxic leadership.
  • Micromanaging.
  • Being unavailable.
  • Avoiding conflict.
  • Stealing credit.
  • Lacking empathy.
  • Being unable to acknowledge errors.

Goleman’s Leadership Styles

  • These styles are situational and based on emotional intelligence, which includes:
    • Self-awareness
    • Self-management
    • Social awareness
    • Relationship management

Daniel Goleman's Six Leadership Styles

  • Coercive (Dissonant)
    • Leader Modus Operandi: Demand compliance; "Do what I tell you."
    • Core Competencies: Authority & control.
    • Works Best When: In an emergency.
    • Climate Impact: --
    • Traits: Provides clear direction; compliance expected.
    • Weaknesses: Uncaring.
    • How To Improve: Use very sparingly.
    • Don't Use When: Not an emergency.
  • Authoritative (Resonant)
    • Leader Modus Operandi: Mobilize team toward vision; "Come with me."
    • Core Competencies: Self-confidence, empathy.
    • Works Best When: New vision or direction needed.
    • Climate Impact: ++
    • Traits: Motivational and open.
    • Weaknesses: Compliance expected.
    • How To Improve: Use data to create your vision.
    • Don't Use When: Your team knows more than you.
  • Affiliative (Resonant)
    • Leader Modus Operandi: Build bonds and creates harmony; "People come first."
    • Core Competencies: Relationships, team building.
    • Works Best When: You need to repair trust & build morale.
    • Climate Impact: ++
    • Traits: Harmony and collaboration.
    • Weaknesses: Avoids difficult decisions.
    • How To Improve: Use with authoritative style.
    • Don't Use When: Poor performance needs to be fixed.
  • Democratic (Resonant)
    • Leader Modus Operandi: Build consensus; "What do you think?"
    • Core Competencies: Collaboration.
    • Works Best When: You want deep team buy-in.
    • Climate Impact: +
    • Traits: Everyone offers something of value.
    • Weaknesses: Slow; may result in indecision.
    • How To Improve: Set deadlines to avoid wasting time.
    • Don't Use When: When team members won't agree, ever.
  • Pacesetting (Dissonant)
    • Leader Modus Operandi: Set and keep high performance standards; "Do as I do, now."
    • Core Competencies: Focus on results.
    • Works Best When: You need fast results from a motivated team.
    • Climate Impact: --
    • Traits: Show and expect excellence.
    • Weaknesses: Team members have to second guess leader.
    • How To Improve: Give people more flexibility.
    • Don't Use When: Whenever you can avoid.
  • Coaching (Resonant)
    • Leader Modus Operandi: Develop people for the future; "Try this."
    • Core Competencies: Team development.
    • Works Best When: Employee wants to advance their career.
    • Climate Impact: ++
    • Traits: Connects employee desires to vision.
    • Weaknesses: Takes time; not focused on the short term.
    • How To Improve: Think long term; give people space to fail.
    • Don't Use When: Employee doesn't want to be coached.