Leadership Styles: Which One to Use and When

There is no single "best" leadership style. The leaders who get the best results switch styles depending on the situation and the person in front of them, the way a good golfer picks a different club for each shot. This lesson gives you the most useful style models, real phrases for each style, and a simple way to decide which one a moment calls for.

Where style models come from

The first well-known study of leadership styles came from psychologist Kurt Lewin and his colleagues Ronald Lippitt and Ralph White in 1939. They compared groups led in an autocratic way (the leader decides everything), a democratic way (the group participates) and a laissez-faire way (the leader steps back almost entirely). Democratic groups tended to be friendlier and more engaged, autocratic groups showed more hostility or passivity, and laissez-faire groups got the least done. The labels are still useful, but modern models are more practical because they tell you when to use each approach.

Goleman's six leadership styles

In "Leadership That Gets Results" (Harvard Business Review, 2000), Daniel Goleman drew on research by the consulting firm Hay/McBer to describe six styles, each rooted in different emotional intelligence skills. In the later book Primal Leadership, Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee renamed two of them, so you'll see both sets of names. His key finding: the leaders with the best results did not rely on only one style; they used several, fluidly.

Goleman reported that the visionary style had the most strongly positive effect on team climate, while the commanding and pacesetting styles tended to hurt climate when overused. That doesn't make them "bad." A kitchen fire calls for commanding; a deadline sprint with experts can call for pacesetting. The problem is making them your default.

What each style sounds like at work

• Commanding: "Everyone out the back door now. We'll talk about what happened later."
• Visionary: "By summer, I want us to be the place people recommend for brunch in Midtown. Here's why that matters and here's what it'll take."
• Affiliative: "That was a brutal week. Before we talk numbers, how are you doing?"
• Democratic: "We need to cut 20 minutes from close. You do it every night. What would you change?"
• Pacesetting: "Watch how I set up this station. I need all of them looking like this by 4:30."
• Coaching: "You said you want to run a shift someday. Want to lead tonight's pre-shift huddle? We'll debrief after."

Situational Leadership: match the person, not the team

Goleman's styles help you read the situation. The Situational Leadership model, developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in the late 1960s (and later refined by Blanchard as SLII), helps you read the person. Its idea is simple: adjust two dials, directive behavior (telling people what, how and when) and supportive behavior (listening, encouraging, involving), to the person's competence and commitment on a specific task.

SLII pairs each quadrant with a development level: the enthusiastic beginner (low competence, high commitment) needs directing; the disillusioned learner (some competence, dipping commitment) needs coaching; the capable but cautious performer needs supporting; and the self-reliant achiever needs delegating. The same person can be an expert at customer calls and a beginner at building the schedule, so diagnose by task, not by person.

Two philosophies worth knowing

Bass contrasted transformational leadership with transactional leadership, which runs on exchanges: hit the target, get the bonus. Transactional tools still matter (people need fair pay and clear expectations), but they rarely produce extra effort on their own.

Real case: one Saturday shift, six styles

Jerome Bell manages Saturday shifts at a 140-seat restaurant in Atlanta's Midtown. For one shift he jotted down every leadership "moment" (a decision, conversation or instruction) and tagged its style. He logged 20 moments:

His three commanding moments were all during the 7 p.m. rush: a grease spill, a guest with an allergic reaction and a walk-out on a bill. His six coaching moments were spread across the slower afternoon. That's the pattern you want: commanding reserved for urgent moments, and the most time spent on styles that build the team's ability.

Common style mistakes

Summary

• Goleman's six styles are commanding, visionary, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching; the best leaders use several.
• Reserve commanding for real emergencies and pacesetting for short bursts with skilled teams.
• Situational Leadership adjusts direction and support to each person's competence and commitment on a specific task.
• Transformational leaders inspire beyond self-interest; servant leaders measure success by how much their people grow.
• Keep your values fixed and flex your behavior; diagnose by task, not by person.

Next lesson: Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence. You'll learn the five components of emotional intelligence and practical tools to manage your reactions under pressure.