At the risk of placing substance over style, all leaders must understand this simple truth: Style does matter. It is not about matching your belt to your work boots or accessorizing appropriately for the occasion, but, rather, understanding the way you go about leading.
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At the risk of placing substance over style, all leaders must understand this simple truth: Style does matter. It is not about matching your belt to your work boots or accessorizing appropriately for the occasion, but, rather, understanding the way you go about leading.
Here's a quick example: Allen rose through the ranks of the military with great ease and retired young with a high rank. Seemingly prepared for his transition into civilian life, Allen was able to land a great opportunity with a high-end wood flooring manufacturer with global aspirations. Everyone was confident Allen's previous leadership performance would translate to the battlefield of business. Within months, however, it became obvious that the members of Allen's team were not responsive to the command-and-control leadership style that Allen was comfortable exercising.
What Style Are You?
Allen's story is not uncommon. Effective leadership in one field or with one team does not always translate to effective leadership with another team or in another field. The distinctions of leadership styles could be endless; however, the following six styles are the most prominent in the workforce today.
Charismatic. This is leadership by infusion of energy often embodied in the personality of the leader. This leadership style may encompass a wide swath of personalities, but the common ingredient is that the energy ushered in by the leader is closely connected to the leader himself. Once Elvis leaves the building, so does some of that infectious energy!
Technician. This is leadership by displaying both knowledge and skill. This style is highly valued in cultures where competence is high in economic value. It is leading by simply being the best producer of what your organization produces. This leadership style can influence a person's arena with an impeccable reputation, and it sets the bar for the standard of work quality.
Strategic. This is leadership by connecting the dots. This style is embodied in people who tend to be global and conceptual thinkers. They not only are able to see the end destination, but they know the path to get there must be identified and paved. Tragically, this style can be marred by the blues; not only do strategic leaders see what could be, but they see what cannot be.
Team Builder. Here, leadership is by roles and unity. This style recognizes that you can't just assemble any group of people and claim you have a team. This style is employed by leaders who look at people individually and find certain roles for them to fill. At the same time, they align these individuals into a cohesive whole.
Managerial. This is leadership by systems. This style focuses on doing things right. Processes and systems are designed and understood so that current operations function consistently. Though some would argue that managers are not leaders, you have to acknowledge that effective managers have a profound influence on those that surround them. In fact, they have the capacity to lead a culture that prizes management, even at the expense of effectiveness.
Directive. Here we have leadership by control, which was popular during the industrial revolution. In recent years, though, it has been stated that command and control managers are no longer cherished. However, any organization in crisis would love to have a directive leader step forward and bring order to chaos. In certain instances today, there is still a need for directive leaders.
Picking the Right One
The most important thing when examining the concept of leadership styles is to recognize that there are circumstances where certain styles flourish or flounder. As a leader, not only should you know your natural style, but you should also know the "shadow side" of that style, or how your winning formula might undermine your effectiveness. There is an old saying that if the only tool you have is a hammer, then the whole world looks like a nail. Some of the biggest mistakes in leadership occur when you use a hammer when sand paper is required.