Leadership Styles

A few months back I wrote about the differences of Business Leaders vs Managers.  I received some good feedback, so this week I wanted to dive into a few different types of leadership styles.   The two styles I want to cover are a “power” leader and a “servant” leader.  Either one of these styles can be effective in driving change within a company, although one of them may capture the hearts of your team along the way whereas the other one may create dissension. In my companies, I have tried to use a blend of the two styles as they each have their strong points.  One experience I had with a 100% servant leader led to this person being taken advantage of consistently because he/she wasn’t respected as a leader, but viewed more of a buddy in the organization.

There is a fine line as leaders of both styles still want accountability, yet the difference is the way in which each one goes about it.  A “power” leader is about hierarchy and that you are accountable to him/her as the one in charge.  A “servant” leader tries to understand the needs of the employees and views their “boss” status as their obligation to help you be accountable.  

In my experience, “power” leaders are typically type A personalities who control the flow of information to maintain their power position.  They tend to be very competitive, and some even use intimidation to maintain control.  These leaders tend to do a great job at cutting costs or firing employees quickly to improve the bottom line.  The issue with being 100% a “power” leader, one typically destroys the culture of the company. Decisions tend to be unilateral and sprung on the employees at the last minute with no notice.  This leader also creates  dissension among vendors/partners and the supply chain, among other things.  They operate by the concept of “do what I say because I am the boss”. 

“Servant” leaders are typically highly collaborative and openly share information.  These leaders don’t care about getting the credit as much as they care about sharing the victories. To this style of leader it is all about how to make the whole team perform as effectively as possible. They operate under the concept of “how can I help you do your job the best you can do it”. These leaders share and distribute power instead of using it as a weapon. However, being 100% a “servant” leader, sometimes one lets the emotions and empathy of the situation dictate the decision-making process.  This can be catastrophic if decisions that need to be made swiftly are delayed due to the potential impact on employees or the community. This is why I have always tried to use a blend of these two styles, as they each have their pros/cons.