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http://www.managementparadise.com/article/6495/what-039-s-your-ideal-management-leadership-style
Category: Management / Strategy
Published on Friday 30 May 2014

What's Your Ideal Management / Leadership Style?
By Adri Mitra (M.Phil, M.Com, PGDM)


There are many different kinds of managers / leaders,
some who inspire people, and others who inspire
people... to hate them.
If you asked few managers / leaders about
which management / leadership style they found the
most effective, you'd likely come back with all
distinct answers, each as unique as the entrepreneur
that provided them. While no one management /
leadership style is ideal or applicable to every
business, it's important to be mindful of
what management / leadership style is used in yours.
Identifying your management / leadership style
means taking inventory of how you approach your
business / operations, especially in regards
to employee interaction and crisis management.
Knowing your management / leadership type can
help you change it if necessary, as certain
circumstances may call for such a shift.
Below we discuss few of the most common types of
managers / leaders or management / leadership style.
While most entrepreneurs might relate to one type,
the ideal manager should be able to move from one
to another as the situation warrants. Keep reading to
learn which style is right for specific situations and
when you should set some of your managerial habits
aside and adopt a different one.

The Dictator
Dictators make all decisions, basing them on what
they feel is best for the business / operations. Rarely
will they ask for input from their employees, and
they may or may not make final decisions with their
employees in mind. They will usually "go it alone"
when establishing new product lines, creating
partnerships or considering new ventures without
consulting others in the organization. Dictators
largely rely on their own experiences and knowledge
to set agendas they feel best answer their business' /
operations' needs.
When being a dictator works: If you are faced with
an immediate crisis or other urgent business matter,
you will often need to step up and make the decision
that is in the best interest of the business without
consulting your team first. Sometimes quick action is
critical, and asking everyone to weigh in or come up
with solutions could waste precious time you just
don't have.
When being a dictator may not work: While this
management style often leads to efficient business
operations because only one person is involved in the
decision making, it can also lead to costly oversights
and mistakes that wouldn't have occurred had
frontline employees been consulted. Managers and
executives, no matter how smart or well-reasoned
their decisions, are still susceptible to errors in
judgment.

The Collaborator
Collaborative managers are conscious of their entire
organization and acknowledge the utility of feedback
from employees, investors, partners and vendors used
to reach business objectives. Collaborators will
regularly call meetings to brainstorm ideas. They
compel employees to offer feedback on business
proposals and may even go as far as designating a
devil's advocate to pinpoint problems with a
plan.
When being a collaborator works: Involving
employees in the decision-making process is almost
always a good idea because you benefit from insight
gleaned from different perspectives. Collaboration
also boosts employee morale, as employees feel
valued because their ideas are requested and
respected. This also provides employees with a real
sense of commitment to projects they are actively
involved in. It's also a great strategy when time is
abundant, giving you plenty of time to hash out
ideas. J ust be sure you aren't using collaboration to
stall when you are pressed to make an important
decision.
When being a collaborator may not
work: Collaborators can often be seen as indecisive
or even weak because they spend so much time
talking about ideas and not enough time executing
them. Employees can become frustrated if all the
discussion leads to nowhere. Also, beware of
instances where an employee may not have enough
knowledge about project details to provide relevant
or useful advice. Bad advice can be costlier than no
advice at all.

The Micromanager
Micromanagers need to control everything and feel
it's necessary to constantly be in the loop, even in
seemingly trivial discussions. They check in with
employees too frequently and expect constant
updates on the status of projects. They operate with
the expectation that each employee must complete
every assignment exactly as the micromanager
would. Employees have little freedom to be creative
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or to use their own intuition and knowledge to solve

problems.
When being a micromanager works: When you have
just hired a new employee, or you are trying to turn
around the performance of a struggling employee,
watching them closely is ideal. You want to ensure
that they are on the right track and help them
overcome any challenges before they exacerbate.
Another time to micromanage is when you must
follow specific rules or guidelines for regulatory,
legal or compliance issues. Remember to let
employees know that your constant attention is to
ensure compliance and does not reflect a lack of trust
in them or their abilities.
When being a micromanager may not work: As a
result of working under constant dictation,
employees may feel boxed in and controlled. This
can have an extremely detrimental effect on morale,
which increases turnover and breeds dissatisfaction.
For those employees who have proved their
competence and trustworthiness, ease up and give
them the space to do their jobs the way they see fit.

The Delegator
Delegators take a hands-off approach and allow their
employees to run the business. They divide and make
assignments based on whom they think can best
handle a given task, and they spend the bulk of their
time generating new business and crafting long-term
strategy instead of focusing on the minutiae of
business operations. Because they have built a strong
team trusted with managing the business, they can
focus on generating revenue. Employees may also
feel affirmed by the confidence shown in their ability
by trusting them with these operations, which
increases their commitment to the business.
When being a delegator works: If you have enough
competent staff, it's almost always a win-win
situation to delegate work to employees. J ust be sure
to regularly consult with employees about their
workload and regularly confirm their comfort level
before you unload new assignments on them. Also,
be sure to step in from time to time to cover the grunt
work and to show employees that you are still part of
the team. Finally, make certain that employees fully
understand how the work you do each day
contributes to the bottom line.
When being a delegator may not work: Problems
occur if there aren't enough employees to cover all
the work, and employees become resentful as they
struggle while the boss is out entertaining clients
with golf, sporting events and lunches. It can also be
extremely upsetting for hardworking employees to
not get any credit for delegated work they completed;
as such, be sure to always acknowledge all
contributors when projects are successfully finished.
And even though you may have a pool of employees
to delegate to, they may not yet have the skills to
handle that type of work. If possible, take time to
train your potential delegate on the finer points of the
job to ensure it's done right.

The Coach
Coaching managers believe in a team-oriented
atmosphere, where everyone contributes to the goals
of the business. Because of that, coaches are
committed to training employees and providing
regular and frequent feedback. They praise
employees when they deserve it and constructively
correct them when they slip up. Much like the
collaborator, they believe everyone should provide
input and be involved in decisions that affect the
team. Employees typically feel a great deal of loyalty
to managers who invest so much time and effort in
helping them succeed.
When being a coach works: Effective coaching of all
of your employees helps them grow and advance
their careers. However, don't forget to acknowledge
your best employees. Rewarding employees who
deserve it sets an example and motivates
underperformers. It also drives friendly competition
that can raise everyone's performance.
When being a coach may not work: Because coaches
want everyone to succeed, they'll often treat their
lowest performers the same way they treat their stars.
Top performers could resent that their outstanding
efforts aren't setting them apart from the rest of the
team, and they might either begin to perform at an
average level or take their talents elsewhere, which
can bring down productivity. Conversely, lower-
performing employees might begin to see their
subpar performance as adequate, which stifles
productivity even further. If this is the case, make
sure to temper your encouragement with pragmatism
by specifying where an employee may need to
improve.

According to the view-point of few other
management experts or corporate professionals the
styles are:

The Coercive Manager / Leader: This person rules
by fear. My way or the highway! The leader
takes charge and invites no contrary opinions. This
style had the most detrimental impact on climate in
this study. The correlation between coercive
leadership and climate was -.26, i.e., as coercion
increased, quality of climate declined. But don't rule
out your coercive candidate. This is the leadership
style of choice when a company is in crisis. If your
organization is in serious trouble, you may want to
hire this person. Remember, though, that once the
crisis resolves, coercion can create its own crises
unless your leader can shift to another style.

The Authoritative Manager / Leader: This leader
has a powerful ability to articulate a mission and win
people to it with enthusiasm. He makes a clear path
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for followers, cutting away the confusion that exists

in most organizations. Followers do not work at cross
purposes because a commitment to a common vision
is created. This leadership style had a +.54
correlation with climate, the highest correlation of
any leadership style. As authoritative behaviors
increased, so did the quality of the climate. This style
will be particularly effective if your organization
needs a new vision. Before making a final
determination, however, give yourself the chance to
look at the other styles, their impact, and when they
work best.

The Affiliative Manager / Leader: This leader is a
master at establishing positive relationships. Because
the followers really like their leader, they are loyal,
share information, and have high trust, all of which
helps climate. The Affiliative leader gives frequent
positive feedback, helping to keep everyone on
course. The correlation of this leadership style with
climate is +.46. Consider your Affiliative candidate if
your organization primarily needs team harmony,
improved morale, or if previous events have created
an atmosphere of mistrust. The downside of this style
is that poor performance of followers sometimes is
tolerated out of loyalty.

The Democratic Manager / Leader: This leader
focuses on decision making by winning consensus.
With consensus comes intense commitment to goals,
strategies and tactics. Trust is a major feature of this
leadership style as well. The correlation with climate
is a healthy +.43.This style works particularly well
when the leader is genuinely not sure what to do and
has talented employees who can and will make
excellent input. In assessing your democratic
candidate, consider the talent level of direct reports.
If they have had time to grow into their jobs and
work well as a team, the democratic candidate might
be a good choice. Drawbacks of this style include the
fact that it works poorly during crises that need rapid
action.

The Pacesetter: This leader sets high performance
standards for everyone, including himself. He walks
the talk. This sounds admirable and has been widely
believed to be effective. The data, however, indicate
otherwise, with a -.25 correlation with climate. Why?
Pacesetters tend to have trouble trusting their
followers. Their self esteem rests on being smarter,
faster and more thorough than everyone else. They
unintentionally undermine the efforts and morale of
those around them. Before dismissing your
pacesetting candidate, however, look at the
followers. If they are already highly motivated, with
strong technical skills, a pacesetter can be effective
because the followers' styles and competence already
fit with the pacesetter's expectations.

The Coach: This leader develops people. He is able
to recognize talent and how best to develop it. He
offers developmental plans, including challenging
assignments that push people to cultivate new skills.
This leader can see the future and bring out the best
in followers. This style has a +.42 correlation with
climate. It works best when followers are receptive to
personal growth. If your organization is characterized
by individuals who are waiting for retirement, don't
hire the coach candidate. If your employees are
excited about learning, give the coach a good look. If
you hire this candidate, recognize that coaching is
time consuming, meaning that this leader will devote
less time to other activities.

Conclusion
Determining your management / leadership style is
the first step to understanding its impact on your
Superiors, Colleagues, Subordinates and other kind
of direct activities. Knowing your management /
leadership approach helps you recognize your
organization's strengths as well as highlight its areas
for improvement in whatever situation may arise. It's
also worth noting that no one style is set in stone and
managers should feel free to implement and test a
given style as they see fit.
Also remember people must consider following
questions and expecting positive answers.
1) Does the person fit the business in terms of
success and profitability?
2) Is the person open to learning and flexible
enough?
3) What are the nature & character of concerned
organization or operation?
4) Is he or she followable'?

But remember, the very best manager / leader is he
/she / them, who has / have learned how to shift from
one leadership style to another as circumstances
demand.