Unlocking Leadership Potential: A Comprehensive Guide to Effective Leadership Styles

In the dynamic landscape of leadership, mastering the art of adapting and selecting the right leadership style is one of many important keys to steering teams towards success.

It is worth working on (and reading this article) if you encounter these situations:

1. You have to keep track of too many of your team members and  regularly follow up to see if they are doing things on time.
2. You delegate tasks and get the wrong results back.
3. You have to explain in detail how to do tasks and this is costing you too much time.
4. Whenever there is a “crisis” situation: All eyes turn to you to resolve it.

There are five distinct leadership styles, each of which can be strategically leveraged across various organizational contexts. Whether leading a small team or an entire organization, understanding these styles can enhance leadership strategies and help achieving goals.

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT LEADERSHIP STYLE

Leadership styles encompass a spectrum of approaches that dictate how leaders engage with their teams. From directive to cooperative, each style offers an unique blend of support and autonomy tailored to individual needs.

We’ll introduce a simple yet powerful model that empowers leaders to decide on the most effective leadership style in a matter of seconds. Effective leadership hinges on mastering the balance between the „what“ and the „how.“ Leaders must define clear objectives (WHAT) while empowering employees to chart their own path to success (HOW). Each style corresponds to different levels of employee experience and offers a roadmap for fostering growth and autonomy. By aligning leadership approaches to the experience level of each employee individually, leaders can create a supportive yet empowering work environment.

Directive or Autocratic Leadership Style:

Typical situations:

1. A newer employee who has little to no experience for a task you want them to complete. In this situation, you the leader, will need to define the WHAT, the goal to be achieved and    HOW to achieve the goal. Then explain HOW to the employee in all details.
2. There is a process in your organisation that needs following. Again here you the leader pass the WHAT on to the employees and ensure they know exactly the steps to follow

Coaching Leadership Style:

Leaders adopting this style prioritize the personal and professional growth of their team members. They offer guidance, feedback and support to develop employees‘ skills and strengths, fostering a positive and motivating work environment conducive to continuous learning and development.

The employee has already some experience and you are there to offer guidance, support, and give instructions. At the same time, you give as much freedom as the employee can handle, to utilize their skills, growth and learning.

This leadership style will typically be used for many months to years until the employee has enough knowledge, skill and experience to take over tasks all by themselves.

The process starts by giving more of the HOW at the beginning and as the employees’ experience grows, they can define and plan more and more of the HOW and one day completely take over the full ownership for their tasks.

As soon as the employee starts being autonomous and generating successes, it’s time to move on to the next leadership style.

Delegating Leadership Style:

In this style, leaders delegate ownership & decision-making authority to team members. It is most effective when the team is competent, motivated and capable of working independently. Delegating builds trust and empowers employees, but requires leaders to give up some control and be comfortable with others making decisions.

Let’s have a look at the most common leadership style. In this style the employee is taking ownership for every step and generates great results. You as a leader can do little and the employee has their own area in which they can excel. The leader still provides the WHAT, but the employee is responsible for the HOW.

Cooperative Leadership Style:

Cooperative leaders focus on collaboration and consensus-building among team members. They value the input and perspectives of everyone in the group, aiming to make decisions that reflect the collective interests of the team. This style cultivates unity and teamwork, ideal for environments prioritizing cooperation and coordination.

In this leadership style the WHAT is discussed and negotiated between the leader and the employee. Commonly the employee is at least the same or more experienced with the task than you are and they can judge the situation better. The two of you can define the goal, the time frame, the conditions and the budget together. But the employee works out the HOW all by themselve.

Agile-Methodologies: The Cooperative Leadership Style is the basis for most agile frameworks. In these frameworks the Product Owner defines part of the WHAT: the epics and the user stories and the teams define the 2nd part of the WHAT: the time lines. This is often organized in 2 week sprints.

Entrepreneurial Leadership Style:

This style is marked by leaders who are innovators, risk-takers and visionaries. They are driven to create and seize opportunities, inspire their teams with their ambitious vision and are not afraid to make bold decisions. Entrepreneurial leaders thrive in dynamic and fast-paced environments, where adaptability and flexibility are crucial.

If you find yourself in a situation where the employee is above your level of expertise, the entrepreneurial leadership style might be the right choice. Here the employee defines the tasks and the goals, they define the WHAT and work out the HOW. This leadership style can be used with extremely experienced employees.

Agile-Methodologies: Technical debt is often delt with in the entrepreneurial leadership style. The teams are given a certain amount of time per year, a budget and they define WHAT the goals are and the timelines per goal.

THE RIGHT LEADERSHIP STYLE WILL EVOLVE YOUR TEAM

For leaders, the ability to adapt their leadership styles to meet the diverse needs of their individual employees is paramount. By mastering the art of leadership, leaders can cultivate a culture of empowerment, motivation and success.