Why do leadership styles need to be adapted

The style you choose depends on your organizational environment, employee competencies, employee commitment and your characteristics. The best situational leaders possess the following traits:. Why Become a Situational Leader?

With its emphasis on adaptability, situational leadership offers profound benefits for the organization, managers, and employees:. No one leadership style fits every situation. The best style will be the one you match with particular circumstances and people. They also believe in solving conflicts in a harmonious and calm way. To ensure that this method of problem-solving happens, leaders will strategically build their teams so that there is proper chemistry.

Typically team members will feel connected and happy to work with one another. There should be no animosity at the beginning stages of a team under an affiliative leader. Employees tend to enjoy working under an affiliative leader because of the comfortable low-stress atmosphere. However, a downfall with this leadership style is that poor work ethic and performance may get swept under the rug in order to keep the team peaceful and content. A democratic leader essentially shares their leadership with their employees.

It is a style in which the team members are able to share their thoughts and participate in the decision-making process of the group. This process works well to make employees feel appreciated as well as an important asset to their team. In a democratic led group, discussions are encouraged among all team members. No team member is higher-ranked than the others.

And, all diverse opinions are welcome to the table. Though this may seem as if the leader in this situation is not a leader at all, that is just not true. The leader must remain in control of the team for this style to be successful. But, in order to be a good democratic leader, a person must be honest, respectful, creative, and fair. A pacesetting leader has high standards when it comes to the performance of their team because they have the same standards for themselves. They are goal-drive and productivity-based.

This style can work well when the pressure is on and a team must be challenged. For example, if a deadline must be met quickly or there is a competition with another company. However, Goleman warns his followers about this style because of its ability to make people feel as if they are failing, which is not something you want your team to be impacted by. A pacesetting leader wants to challenge their employees. A commanding leader lives at the top of the totem pole and delegates tasks onto their employees.

They make decisions on their own, rather than encouraging a collaborative and participatory work environment. This helps to save time during high-stress situations because it cuts out the discussion. Commanding leaders are often respected highly because they demand respect and they take the lead on every situation. Leaders who use the commanding leadership style are oftentimes politicians and high-ranking military men.

Though it is important as a successful and efficient leader to learn all six, there may be one or two that you lean toward. Being able to properly adapt to different situations and the problems that arise will help you to become the best leader you can be.

And, it will help you remain calm, cool, and collected when unexpected roadblocks pop up. Adapting your leadership style is important in order to successfully problem-solve depending on the given situation. Daniel Goleman is an internationally-known psychologist, famous for his studies and works on emotional intelligence, the brain, and leadership styles. The six leadership styles are visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and commanding.

A visionary leader is one that creates a vision for the whole team to follow. A democratic leader is in charge of leading a team full of free-flowing yet respectful idea-sharing. A pacesetting leader has extremely high standards for their team.

They believe everyone should be better and faster. A commanding leader sits on the top, makes decisions, and delegates tasks to the team members. For a fuller understanding of leadership styles and when to use them check out our complete guide , which has been designed to compare leadership styles for different situations.

You can successfully change your leadership style to respond to any new situation that may arise in the workplace. Accepting the need to change can be daunting, and making the change can feel disorienting. We can help you focus on the benefits, and to make the transition seamlessly. The most effective leaders have an in-depth understanding of themselves, their teams, and the leadership styles available to them.

They have a willingness to move between styles as the situation demands, and the knowledge to make this transition effectively. I enjoy and specialise in teaching leadership skills, how to create winning strategies, how to build high performance cultures. Outcomes and results are the most important measures for me! Our Privacy Policy. Website Design by Luminate Digital. A Digital Growth Agency. Contact: The answer: It depends.

Maybe your team have stopped achieving targets, or milestones are being missed? By accepting this possibility, a leader opens the door to solutions. Advantages and disadvantages of changing your leadership style The benefits of adaptive leadership should be clear already. But is it really as simple as just switching from one leadership style to another?

The advantages of changing your leadership style First and foremost, the willingness and ability to change allow you to get the most out of your team in every situation. Thinking About Changing Your Leadership style? The impact of different leadership styles on motivation. The relationship between leadership style and employee retention You can successfully change your leadership style to respond to any new situation that may arise in the workplace.