The phenomenon of leadership refers to the influence of a person (leader) over the rest of the group members. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, leadership is "the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors used to influence people to achieve their desired mission."
If you read the following Psychology-online article you will be able to identify the characteristics of a leader, know the leadership styles according to Daniel Goleman, to know who the best leaders are and to know some traits that can favor good leadership.
A boss can take success personally, imposes his position and opinion, and often inspires fear. Instead, a leader shares success with his team, listens, generates enthusiasm and inspires to improve. We could say that the leader has a work team that is his followers, while the director has subordinate employees.
One of the most interesting contributions to leadership theory has been developed by the well-known American psychologist and Harvard professor, Daniel Goleman. Below are exposed the 6 types of leadership according to Goleman:
1. Coercive leadership
"Do what I say"
Leader order and send. Seeks immediate fulfillment of tasks through precise instructions. No one can question him and he does not ask for opinions. It is recommended to be used only when it is essential, since in the long term this style breaks the work environment and is negative for the achievement of the company's objectives, since workers are demotivated, do not collaborate, stop transmitting ideas for fear of being rejected, etc.
It works well in crisis situations, when immediate reaction is a determining factor, or with problem workers with whom everything else has already failed.
2. Orientative style
"Come with me"
The Mentor Leader is a visionary; He has a clear long-term vision and with his enthusiasm he mobilizes people towards that vision. Guiding leadership generates a great commitment to the objectives and strategy of the organization. This style enhances the work environment. The rules for success are put on the table equally for all, giving them the freedom to experiment and innovate.
It generally works well in most situations, although it fails, if the team is made up of experts who are more experienced than the leader. Generates a great capacity for motivation.
3. Affiliative style
"People come first"
This leadership style revolves around people. He strives for the relationship between people to be harmonious. Your emotions are above tasks and goals. Employees have the freedom to do their jobs in the way they see fit.
It is a suitable type of leadership if you want to build harmony in the team, improve communication, when the team is new or when you have to motivate them during high stress situations. In contrast, it can give the impression that poor performance is tolerated. It should be combined with other styles, such as the orientation style.
4. Democratic style
“What do you think?"
Workers have a voice and vote in decisions, thus increasing the flexibility and the responsibility. The participatory leader always seeks decision-making by consensus, people who are in a democratic system tend to be very realistic about what can or cannot be achieved.
East type of business leadership it works very well when the leader is unsure about the best direction to take or when he needs to generate fresh ideas to achieve the objectives. This style loses its meaning when employees are not trained or do not have enough information to provide valid opinions.
5. Exemplary style
"Do what I expect without having to tell you”
The leader implants very high standards performance marking a very specific guidelines. The work rules are usually clear to the leader, but he does not explain them clearly, instead he expects people to know what to do. Many employees are burdened by demands for excellence from the leader who sets the tone. Flexibility and responsibility do not exist and work becomes task focused and very routine. If the leader is absent, people feel without direction as they are used to the leader setting the rules.
Exemplary style should be used rarely as it destroys a team's mood. It can be useful when we have a great expert in the field and we seek to learn by imitating their ways of working.
6. Formative Style
"Try it …"
His main objective of this leadership style according to Goleman is the development of people's talent. They help employees identify their strengths, weaknesses and professional aspirations, helping to set development goals. These leaders give their employees challenging tasks and are willing to endure short-term failure as they focus on personal development primarily. It motivates them to take initiatives and creates an environment for joint growth. This leadership works well if employees are aware of their weaknesses and want to improve their performance. It makes little sense if, for whatever reason, they are resistant to learning or improving.
If you want to know what your leadership style is, we recommend doing this leadership test with results.
Do you want to know how to be a good leader? Now that you know the leadership styles according to Goleman, we offer you this list of traits that favor good leadership:
- Emotional intelligence: we define the emotional intelligence like the sensitivity to notice the mood and general climate of the group.
- Self-confidence: do not depend on the approval of others.
- Accept your own limitations: know and respect one's own limitations and those of others.
- Contain and defer action: prioritize reflection over impulses, postpone decisions. Cultivate a strategic vision.
- Modesty: learn from the criticism of others.
- Generosity: apply it especially when there are problems, avoid blaming others.
Goleman claims that the best leaders do not use just one type of leadership. The efficiency of a leader is in have the ability to flexibly switch from one style to another under the circumstances.
In practice, each of the six styles has its own place. Goleman emphasizes that the business climate and situation is in constant motion, therefore a leader must know when to exercise one type of leadership or another, for greater efficiency.
However, we could say that leaders who have mastered four or more styles - especially the orientative, democratic, affiliative and formative- have the best business climate and performance. They promote the development of the skills of professionals and the generation of commitment. On the other hand, we must bear in mind that we can be pleasant and committed, but if we do not achieve the objectives, we will not be leaders.
Even if we do not have people under our care, knowing the different styles of leadership can be useful for work groups, groups of friends and even for your personal relationships.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
