People who get into management without much formal leadership training may not give a lot of thought to their style of management. However, there are different management styles, and being a successful business leader typically involves adopting a definitive style.
It’s important to note that some people take on a hybrid approach, adopting parts of different styles. Also, some styles work better in certain situations. For instance, in an emergency situation, it may not make sense to build consensus among employees before making decisions.
If you don’t know your management style, it is important for you to decipher it. Below is a list of management styles, and one of which ought to feel quite familiar to you. Reviewing these management styles can also give you inspiration or even cause you to adopt a new approach to management.
If you do know your management style, congratulations, hopefully it is working well for you. If not, consider the different styles of management below.
Authoritarian
An authoritarian leadership style is the easiest to understand. It’s also not a great long-term approach, as people are resistant to being constantly told what to do.
An authoritarian style works best when employees need to follow instructions precisely because of safety or critical business risks. If your team is up against a deadline that it cannot miss or if your employees are doing something that could cause serious injury or even death, taking on an authoritarian approach makes a lot of sense.
Employees are also more willing to accept an authoritarian approach if they understand the rationale. If you can provide solid reasoning for a “do as I say” approach, your team will be much less likely to question your style.
Consensus Building
Built around bringing employees together and engaging everyone in the decision-making process, a consensus-building approach to management is also pretty easy to understand.
When you lead by building consensus, employees are more likely to buy into the decisions that are made. Also, because employees participate in making decisions, they will feel a greater sense of ownership over the outcome and be more motivated as a result.
The main problem with this approach is that it can be slow and tedious. Also, if you have to get input from your team before every decision, it will erode your credibility, and they will start to question why they even need you to lead them.
Delegatory
A leadership approach built around delegation is very empowering and can be quite popular with employees. this approach Involves delegating various tasks and responsibilities to employees. This approach requires a strong set of employees for it to be successful. The key to this approach is also being able to ultimately accept responsibility if things go wrong.
Coaching
The main concern of a coaching or educational leader is the development of employees. This approach works best when employees are not highly experienced or deep into their respective careers. While this approach can be time-intensive, it can be extremely rewarding. It also adds value to the workforce over time.
We Can Make You a More Effective Leader
At Jarvi Group, we’ve empowered business leaders with many different approaches and styles. If you are a business leader who is looking to be more effective, contact us today to find out about our custom talent acquisition solutions and services.