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SERVANT LEADERSHIP
THE MOST BALANCED AND EFFECTIVE
LEADERSHIP STYLE
Coercive
Leadership
Style
Coaching Authoritative
Leadership Leadership
Style Style
Servant
Leadership
Pacesetting Affiliative
Leadership Leadership
Style Style
Democratic
Leadership
Style
Jessy Barabas
SERVANT LEADERSHIP: THE MOST BALANCED AND
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP STYLE
By
Jessy Barabas
Report Summary...............................................................................................................................................................................................iv
Introduction..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Purpose ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Management............................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Leadership ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
The Eight Main Characteristic of Servant Leadership and Their Relation to the Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, and Coaching
Styles of Leadership .................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Servant Leadership in Relation to the Coercive and Pacesetting Styles of Leadership .............................................................................. 14
Conclusions..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
ii
List of Illustrations
Figure 1: The Six Leadership Styles All Relate to Servant Leadership .......................................................................................................7
Table 1: Leadership Style Quick Reference ..............................................................................................................................................4
iii
Report Summary
This report discusses the difference between management and leadership and highlights the greater
importance of leadership in the workplace. Explored will be the six different leadership styles used by
business leaders around the world. Evidence shows that the best leaders are the individuals who have
mastered multiple styles.
In particular this report will look at servant leadership and show how this style of leadership encompasses
and combines the different styles of leadership. The eight main characteristic of servant leadership and
their relation to the authoritative, affiliative, democratic, and coaching styles of leadership will be covered
as well as how servant leaderships relates in general to the coercive and pacesetting styles. Basically, it is
argued that a servant leader would be able to engage in any one of the six leadership styles.
Conclusions
This report, based on the findings, concludes that:
Evidence shows that leaders who use multiple styles of leadership while cultivating relationships with
their employees, have successfully moved away from just managing to truly leading and have experienced
a positive shift within their organizations (Goleman 79). Simply put, if businesses want results then
servant leadership is the most balanced and effective leadership style capable of providing those results.
iv
The Methods of Investigation Used in Creating This Report
By relating the findings in James C. Hunters book, The Worlds Most Powerful Leadership
Principle, with the information gathered by Daniel Goleman in his article, Leadership That Gets Results,
this report will show how effective servant leadership is in combining different leadership strategies while
never losing sight of the individual person. Further information gathered for this report comes from a
mixture of print and online sources, each augmenting the results found in the two secondary sources
mentioned above. Brigitte Scott, the president of C.U.P.E. local 2268, and Lis Mack, the Acting Manager
for the Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin, were the participants interviewed to supplement the
secondary research findings.
v
Introduction
Businesses need results and only effective leadership can provide those results. But what is
effective leadership? Management is not true leadership for management is the process of doing things
the right way, while leadership is doing things that are considered right (Leob and Kindel 27). Despite the
benefits provided by true leadership, leadership seems to have garnered the reputation that it is too soft
to deal with the realities of day to day operations within an organization. Many individuals who are in
positions of authority believe that the only important element in business is the bottom line (Hunter 123).
Yet evidence shows that leaders who use multiple styles of leadership while cultivating relationships with
their employees, have successfully moved away from just managing to truly leading and have experienced
a positive shift within their organizations (Goleman 79).
Methods of Investigation
By relating the findings in James C. Hunters book, The Worlds Most Powerful Leadership
Principle, with the information gathered by Daniel Goleman in his article, Leadership That Gets Results,
this report will show how effective servant leadership is in combining different leadership strategies while
never losing sight of the individual person. Further information gathered for this report comes from a
mixture of print and online sources, each augmenting the results found in the two secondary sources
mentioned above. Brigitte Scott, the president of C.U.P.E. local 2268, and Lis Mack, the Acting Manager
for the Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin, were the participants interviewed to supplement the
secondary research findings.
Purpose
This report will briefly discuss the difference between management and leadership and highlight
the greater importance of leadership in the workplace. Explored will be the six different leadership styles
used by business leaders around the world. In particular this report will look at servant leadership and
show how this style of leadership encompasses and combines the different styles of leadership. Basically,
a servant leader would be able to engage in any one of the six leadership styles. Essentially, the purpose
of this report is to suggest that if businesses want results then servant leadership is the most balanced
and effective leadership style capable of providing the results that business seek.
1
Leadership and Management
Management
Management in and of itself is not true leadership. Management is the process of doing things
the right way, while leadership is doing things that are considered right (Leob and Kindel 27). Brigitte
Scott, the president of C.U.P.E. local 2268 states that, Management is about directing and controlling
according to established principles. Management is about the things we do (Hunter 32).
Leadership
Leaders, on the other hand, inspire people to go beyond what they think they are capable of
(Leob and Kindel 10). Leaders help others to do more than they ever thought they could (Scott).
Leadership is about unlocking individual potential. It is not about telling people what to do, but inspiring
them to see what they are capable of, then, helping them get there (Scott). Brigitte Scott says that her
leadership style is based in the philosophy that nobody can do everything, but everyone can do
something. Lis Mack, the Acting Manager for the Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin states that,
leaders are seen as strong and supportive. Leadership is the skills of influencing people to
enthusiastically work towards goals identified as being for the common good, with character that inspires
confidence (Hunter 32).
2
It must be understood that management and leadership, while different, are complimentary. For
the best business leaders are individuals who have good management skills as well as good leadership
skills. Fundamentally a great business leader is an individual who has both the ability to understand and
efficiently implement the processes of an organization (management) while also providing the direction
and motivation the workforce needs in order to attain organizational goals (leadership). John Kotter,
professor of leadership at the Harvard Business School, argues that leadership is a compliment to
management, not a natural extension of it. Leadership is not advanced management, but calls for a new
shift in awareness that requires a different set of skills and behaviours (Hatala and Hatala 4). For
Leadership can and must be learned (Hunter 42). The trick to becoming a leader is to be able to elicit
cooperation, to listen to the needs of others, and to put other peoples needs ahead of your own with
great consistency (Leob and Kindel 11).
3
The Six Styles of Leadership
Daniel Goleman wrote an article called Leadership That Gets Results. This article was featured in
the March-April 2000 issue of the Harvard Business Review. In this article Goleman articulates the six
leadership styles used in business today. There are Coercive, Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic,
Pacesetting, and Coaching leadership styles. Coercive leaders demand immediate compliance.
Authoritative leaders mobilize people towards a vision. Affiliative leaders create emotional bonds and
harmony. Democratic leaders build consensus through participation. Pacesetting leaders expect
excellence and self-direction. And Coaching leaders develop people for the future (80). What follows is a
summary of each of Golemans leadership styles by Bill Sharlow, editor of Money-Zine.com. For a quick
reference on each style and its impact in the workplace see Table 1 below.
4
Authoritative Leadership Style
If your business seems to be drifting aimlessly, then the Authoritative Leadership Style can be
very effective in this type of situation. The authoritative leader is an expert in dealing with the problems
or challenges at hand, and can clearly identify goals that will lead to success. This leader also allows
employees to figure out the best way to achieve those goals. (Sharlow http://www.money-
zine.com/Career-Development/Leadership-Skill/Leadership-Style/)
5
Coaching Leadership Style
In the Coaching Leadership Style the leader focuses on helping others in their personal
development, and in their job-related activities. The coaching leader aids others to get up to speed by
working closely with them to make sure they have the knowledge and tools to be successful. This
situational leadership style works best when the employee already understands their weaknesses, and is
receptive to improvement suggestions or ideas. (Sharlow http://www.money-zine.com/Career-
Development/Leadership-Skill/Leadership-Style/)
Each of these styles however, is not used in isolation. Research indicates that leaders with the
best results do not rely on only one leadership style (Goleman 79). Brigitte Scott, the president of
C.U.P.E. local 2268, and Lis Mack, the Acting Manager for the Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin
were both asked if they used multiple styles. Brigitte Scott indicated that she uses the Coaching,
Affiliative, and Democratic leadership styles. Lis Mack also used a number of styles. They were Coaching,
Affiliative, and Democratic. She also indicated that she uses the Coercive leadership style when situations
demand that she resort to ordering commands.
Leaders use all six of these leadership styles. Of the six styles only four have a positive impact on
the workplace (Goleman 82). The four styles that have a positive impact on the workplace are the
Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, and Coaching styles (Goleman 87). Leaders who used styles that
positively affected the climate had decidedly better financial results than those who did not (Goleman
81). However, few leaders have mastered all six of the styles. Even fewer still, know when and how to use
the ones they already know (Goleman 89).
6
Servant Leadership
Not mentioned as one of the six styles of leadership is servant leadership. This particular
leadership strategy is all-inclusive, as those who practice it engage in most, if not all of the leadership
practices. See Figure 1 below.
A servant leader is an individual who is patient, kind, humble, respectful, selfless, forgiving,
honest, and committed. They exemplify excellence in the workplace and provide direction for their
employees during times of difficulty and upheaval. Servant leaders serve those they lead by seeking out
their greatest good. For,
Figure 1: The
servant leadership is
Six Leadership Coercive
predicated on the fact Styles All Leadership
Relate to Style
that anyone who wishes Servant
Leadership Coaching Authoritative
Leadership Leadership
to be the leader must first Style Style
7
The Eight Main Characteristic of Servant Leadership and Their Relation to the
Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, and Coaching Styles of Leadership
8
Evidence of kindness in relation to the:
Authoritative style: Kindness does not seem to be important when a leader is trying to guide a
business through difficult times. Yet without displaying kindness towards their employees
authoritative leaders could not give their people the freedom to innovate, experiment, and take
calculated risks (Goleman 84). If a leader is unkind employees will not feel free to innovate,
experiment, or to take risks. Once again, kindness is essential.
Affiliative style: Employees cannot come first if a leader is unkind. For this style revolves around
people its proponents value individuals and their emotions more than tasks or goals (Goleman
84). Kindness is essential.
Democratic style: Without solid relationships democracy in the workplace cannot operate
effectively. Kindness reinforces the relationships needed in order to foster an environment that
will allow democracy to thrive. By spending time getting peoples ideas and buy in, a leader
builds trust, respect, and commitment (Goleman 85).
Coaching style: Coaching leaders must build relationships with their employees in order to
understand their strengths and weaknesses. Coaching requires constant dialogue, and that
dialogue has a way of pushing up every driver of climate (Goleman 87). A leader could not coach
effectively without expressing kindness towards their employees.
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89). Also a leader may become overbearing while implementing this style, which could
undermine the egalitarian spirit of an effective team (Goleman 89).
Affiliative style: As with all styles a humble leader, who is able to keep things in perspective,
would understand that along with the benefits there are some major deficiencies of the affiliative
style. Simply put, the affiliative style should not be used alone. Its exclusive focus on praise can
allow poor performance to go uncorrected; employees may perceive that mediocrity is
tolerated (Goleman 85). Furthermore when tough challenges arise in a workplace that is solely
focused on employees, an organization will not be able to face challenges with any sort of
direction (Goleman 85). Faced with the deficiencies afforded by this style, and yet knowledgeable
of its strengths, a humble leader would be comfortable in seeking solutions that could work in
conjunction with this style. The humble leader knows they do not have all the answers and would
be open to the opinions of others in order to find solutions for this styles deficiency.
Democratic style: Once again humble leaders know their strengths and limitations. Humble
leaders know that despite all of the benefits of democracy there are downfalls. If used in the
wrong way the democratic styles can lead to number of bad consequences. One of the
democratic styles more exasperating consequences can be endless meetings where ideas are
mulled over, consensus remains elusive, and the only visible result is scheduling more meetings.
In reality, their people end up feeling confused and leaderless. Such an approach can even
escalate conflicts in the workplace (Goleman 85). A humble leader would, despite his or her
commitment to their employees, recognize that the democratic style also fails when the
employees themselves are not competent enough to make the informed decisions needed for
the system to run effectively (Goleman 85). A humble leader would not let pride and arrogance
get in the way of making the right decision.
Coaching style: Humble leaders know their strengths and limitation and can keep things in
perspective. They know when to coach and when they themselves need coaching. Coaching
flops if the leader lacks the experience to help employees along (Goleman 87). Humble leaders
know when to engage in a leadership style and when to back out.
10
Evidence of respect in relation to the:
Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, and Coaching styles of leadership: This characteristic of
servant leadership is the same across all of the leadership styles. If a leader does not show
respect can they truly help their employees. For leadership is about people, without respect you
lose the people you are leading. Respect is a must.
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their careers because their feelings and pride got in the way and they could not forgive others
and let go of their resentment (Hunter 102).
12
The Eighth Characteristic: Commitment
Leaders are committed for leadership development is not a quick fix, but a long term
development process and a lifelong journey (Hatala and Hatala 18). Servant leaders are committed to
doing the right thing to continually improve themselves and their organization. Servant leadership
requires a passion for doing what you say you are going to do, following through on promises, and
finishing what is started. It requires a passion for helping others along their journey to be the best they
can be. Indeed, leaders should not ask others to be the best they can be unless they are committed to
being the best they can be (Hunter109).
13
Servant Leadership in Relation to the Coercive and Pacesetting Styles of Leadership
14
Conclusions
1. Organizations must accept that the old command and control style of leadership no longer
works, except in certain situations.
2. Organizations must make a commitment to developing leadership.
Evidence shows that leaders who use multiple styles of leadership while cultivating relationships with
their employees, have successfully moved away from just managing to truly leading and have experienced
a positive shift within their organizations (Goleman 79). Simply put, if businesses want results then
servant leadership is the most balanced and effective leadership style capable of providing those results.
15
Works Cited
Bennis, Warren, Gretchen M. Spreitzer, and Thomas G. Cummings. The Future of Leadership: Today's Top
Leadership Thinkers Speak to Tomorrow's Leaders. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001. Print.
Goleman, Daniel. "Leadership That Gets Results." Harvard Business Review Mar. - Apr. 2000: 79 - 90.
Print.
Hatala, Richard, and Lillas Hatala. The Business Case for Leadership Development. Saskatoon: University
Hunter, James C.. The world's most powerful leadership principle: how to become a servant leader. New
Loeb, Marshall, and Stephen Kindel. Leadership for Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 1999.
Print.
Sharlow, Bill. "Leadership Style." Careers, Finance and Investing : Money-zine.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13
Style/>.
Wright, Walter C. "Leadership and Forgiveness." The TEAL Trust. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2011.
<www.teal.org.uk/Trainingbox/Leadership%20and%20Forgiveness.pdf>.
The original copy of this report was initially submitted June 22, 2011 as part of the completion
requirements for Business Communications 121 offered by SIAST.
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