“Which personal style should managers adopt to ensure success? What is the most effective approach to managing the work of subordinates? These questions have been extensively researched and debated over the last century, and while the general consensus has moved away from ‘command and control’ management and leadership towards more consultative and participative approaches” (CMI 2013)
Leadership and management are complex as many people are both managers and leaders. The Manager has the unfortunate paradox of controlling standards, resource and systems, and to keep it all together. Running the task of leading teams to achieve unchartered boundaries.
The key in differentiating leaders and managers is how they motivate teams and how people achieve objectives. Leaders are the ones who challenge the status quo where as managers have to maintain it. Leaders have followers where as managers have subordinates. (eba 2016)
“From Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill, to Martin Luther King and Steve Jobs, there can be as many ways to lead people as there are leaders.”
Looking at a few leadership style frameworks.
Lewin’s framework of leadership has 3 major styles which are
- autocratic leaders who makes decisions without consulting with their team members
- democratic leaders who male the final decisions but include team members in making decision.
- Laissez-faire leaders provide a lot of support and freedom to team members in how they work and set deadlines.
In most businesses transformational leaders is often most effective. It has integrity and also high emotional intelligence. Their motivational influence lies with shared vision of the future, they are authentic, humble, emphatic and self aware. Also they have a good communication skill with their teams or people.
Transformational leaders with their influence inspire the team to perform at their best and often hold themselves accountable for action performed. With good conflict resolution skills these leader’s posse’s clear goals are set and all of this to high productive and engagement. (mindtools 2016)
Speaking of Bureaucratic leadership, rules are being followed rigorously and makes sure the team follows procedures precisely. This style is most suited when work involves with large accounts and also serious safety risks. Employees who perform routines tasks need this managing style.
Charismatic leadership resembles transformational leadership as both styles of leaders motivate and inspire their teams but the difference lies in their goals. Transformational leader’s goals are to transform its team and organization whereas charismatic leaders are more focused on themselves and their own ambitions and have very or any intentions of changing anything. Charismatic leaders believe that they are no wrong in their tasks even when others warn about the path that are following. (mindtools 2016)
there is no single ideal, as the best approach may vary according to circumstances and individual characteristics (CMI 2013).
“If you want to do something new, you have to stop doing something old” – Peter Drucker. (Spahr 2015)
An example of a transformational leader is Peter Drucker, a management consultant and professor. His predictions about the rise in Japanese world economic power wherein the people have to learn to keep their jobs or get ahead, and also the importance of marketing and innovation. He called for balanced management, balance between short-term and long-term plans and also innovation and probability in businesses. He believed that entrepreneurship was a tool of innovation.(Spahr 2015)
Requirements for a transformational leadership style :
- well-organized and team expectation to be creative.
- team-oriented and collective effort of team to work together.
- respected and intern respects members.
- team driver and motivates the team to reach its goals.
- takes responsibility of the teams.
Advantages of transformational leadership .
- excellent communications of new ideas.
- balancing short term vision and long term goals.
- establishing trust and building strong coalitions.
- integrity and high emotional intelligence.
The best benefit of this leadership style is in an organisation that is sort of outdated and which requires serious structuring. Moreover this style is preferable for a small company with high goals and which wants to change and adapt. The board in these two circumstances should get in an transformational leader who can structure and implement this change.
I fell transformational leadership style is most convenient, well of course according to circumstances, at times we need a blend of more than one style to get the most productivity. I prefer transformational as it focuses on change in system and finding ways by experiences that shows the old system does not fit.
References
eba, (2016) Leadership Versus Management: What Is The Difference? [online] available from <http://www.educational-business-articles.com/leadership-versus-management/> [21 March 2016]
mindtools, (2016) Leadership Styles: Choosing The Right Approach For The Situation [online] available from <https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_84.htm> [21 March 2016]
Spahr, P. (2015) Transformational Leadership: Definition, Examples, Future [online] available from <http://online.stu.edu/transformational-leadership/> [20 March 2016]
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