Leadership style develops from the leader's experience, education, and training, as well as their pattern of behavior, as perceived by others. Today, the model of the tough, demanding leader in the eyes of "their" staff has been abandoned, at least conceptually. Demands are transformed into pressure, and the leader expects obedience without question, much less participation.
One of the classifications of leadership styles emphasizes the degree of freedom the leader grants to his or her followers. While there is no pure style, one predominates over the others:
» Autocratic style: Focused on the leader's personality, it is a closed style that gives orders and expects obedience. Communication is top-down, and rewards and punishments are granted. Decision-making is limited to senior management. Participation is nonexistent.
» Democratic style: It is an open style, with common objectives and goals to achieve. Group participation is encouraged, and consultation occurs on some decisions; however, trust is not total. Communication is both downward and upward.
» Liberal style: It is an open style whose distinctive quality is total trust in the group, which has a high degree of operational independence.
» Participatory Style: It is an open approach, with a more dogmatic style than the liberal style. There is trust and interaction with all members, and the group is encouraged to participate and offer opinions on various issues and decision-making. Communication is both upward and downward.
Like this classification, we can find many others that divide styles according to other variables, such as the leader's emotional intelligence or the degree of results-orientation, etc. The important thing is that beyond any classification, we must keep in mind that when someone adopts a leadership role within an organization, much of their style depends on how they manage their skills, both technical, human and conceptual.
Regarding technical skill, we refer to the ability to utilize, to one's advantage or for the group, the resources and relationships necessary to perform specific tasks and address problems. Human skill is the way in which a leader influences people, based on motivation and the effective application of group leadership to achieve specific goals. Finally, conceptual skill corresponds to the ability to understand the complexity of the organization as a whole and understand where one's personal influence fits within it. By thoroughly understanding these elements and reflecting on them in relation to oneself, leaders can perform more optimally and, through practice, perfect these skills, shaping their own leadership style.
The result of the above is a form of leadership called situational leadership, which is based on the idea that there is no single leadership style that is best for you: leaders who are able to positively impact performance and satisfaction are those who are able to adapt their style to the situation.
But it's important to keep in mind that if we focus our attention on technical or operational issues based on current circumstances, we run the risk of achieving minimal improvements. According to Stephen Covey, the key to moving forward is changing our way of seeing the nature of people.
This author argues that we must manage leadership by focusing on principles, which implies seeing people as a whole, as integral beings, not just as resources or investments of the organization but also as "spiritual beings" who need to feel that their work is important and contributes to the organization's success. This way of viewing people in the workplace emphasizes the need for work to be motivating, stimulating, and satisfying.
Thus, following Covey, we can understand how important it is to change our perspective on people: “The scientific management paradigm (stomach) says, ‘Pay me well.’ The human relations paradigm (heart) says, ‘Treat me well.’ The human resources paradigm (mind) suggests, ‘Make good use of me.’ And the principle-centered leadership paradigm (the whole person) says, ‘Let’s talk about vision and mission, roles and goals. I want my collaboration to be meaningful.’”
Cultivating the principle-centered leadership paradigm not only involves making better use of people's talents by increasing efficiency, but also leads to revolutionary leaps in personal and organizational effectiveness.
In this way, we understand that to develop an effective leadership style, it is essential to keep in mind two distinct but equally important aspects: on the one hand, the characteristics surrounding the situation; and on the other, human nature's perspective on people's behavior and feelings about their work.
