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1. The Directive Style. The directive leadership style is the style most people equate with 'strong' leadership. When people say they want more leadership, they usually mean they want more direction. In military terms, this is leading from the front or by example. Although the directive, -- or command-and-tell -- style, is out of favour today, it is still the style you must use in new, unfamiliar, or critical situations when the team face a threat.
So, if the directive style is not your natural style, how do you become more effective at it? Here are 7 quick clues: One other useful pointer: it is easier to start with a hard impression and soften it later than to start with a soft impression and harden it later. 2. The Consultative Style. If the directive style puts task before team, the consultative style puts team before task. This is the style you'll use when you need to talk to the team, hear what they have to say, understand them, and take them with you. If the directive style calls for a typically masculine approach, the consultative style calls for a typically feminine approach: hard versus soft.
To master the consultative style, you need to master team meetings. Use the following approaches: 3. The Problem-Solving Style. The problem-solving style of leadership goes under various names. Ken Blanchard calls it the 'selling' style (in contrast to 'telling'). Other writers call it the participative style or negotiating style or the win-win style. If the directive style is top-down (ie from you downwards) and the consultative style is bottom-up (ie from them upwards), then the problem-solving style is sideways: us together as equals working things out. The problem-solving style is the right style to use when there is conflict in the team.
Here are some techniques to use to make you a better problem-solving leader: 4. The Delegated Style. For those who are not used to the delegated style of leadership, it first looks like an abdication of leadership. It's the style where you take a back seat and appear to do nothing. In reality it is one of the hardest of styles to use. It means letting go of control so that the team can make their own decisions. You trust them and first time round that can be hard.
Here are some ways to develop your delegating style:
Your ability to move around these four styles, and the shades in-between, will tell others just how good a leader you really are. You won't always get it right. Sometimes, you'll call the team for a chat when they want decisiveness. Sometimes, you'll try to sell your ideas when what they want is for you to leave them alone. But as you develop your reading of situations, you'll come to know instinctively just what your best action should be. |
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