Your guide to leadership styles in management
While many of us strive to work for companies with a flat hierarchy, that doesn’t mean that there’s no room for leadership. A good leader can help set direction and build an inspiring vision, as well as help steer the ship during turbulent times – all crucial qualities that can make or break an organisation. If you’re a leader or are aspiring to one, this Pacific Prime UK article gives you the best leadership styles to ponder over. Which one are you naturally inclined to? Do you feel like you should change leadership styles? Let’s find out!
Manager vs. Leaders: What’s the difference?
Before we delve into leadership styles in management, it’s important to clarify the difference between ‘leaders’ and ‘managers’. Often used interchangeably, these two terms are indeed different. To begin with, a leader can be anyone on the team that has a vision or expertise and shares their ideas with the team. Conversely, managers have senior positions and often the term ‘manager’ in their job title.
In many ways, the best managers enable and facilitate different leaders to emerge in their teams to inspire others (and themselves). This is because managers recognise the importance of putting collective minds together to come up with the most innovative and out-of-the-box solution(s). Particularly when dealing with changes and challenges (*cough* COVID-19 pandemic *cough*), doing so is often the best way to go.
6 best leadership styles in management
You might be inclined to one type of leadership style over the other, but you should know that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to leadership styles. The best leadership style in management is one that is suited to the particular situation and, similarly, the best types of leaders are those that are able to adapt and change their approach to suit the needs of their team.
If a team member is struggling with personal issues, a good leader can offer a sympathetic ear and a warm hug. Or maybe they require someone to motivate them, someone to lead the way, or even, on occasion, someone to give them the benefit of the doubt. As such, a good leader chooses their leadership style like a workman chooses their tools. They ask themselves: what is the end goal and the best way to get there?
So without further ado, here are the 6 best leadership styles in management to consider.
Note: The types of leaders outlined below were recognised by Daniel Goleman in his study of over 3,000 middle-level managers.
1. The pacesetting leader
This type of leader models excellence and self-direction above all, and expects the same high standards from their team. This leadership style works best when the team is already motivated and skilled, and when quick results are needed. But over longer periods of time, it can overwhelm team members.
2. The authoritative leader
This type of leader focuses on a common vision and end goal, and leaves each team member to get there using their own means. This leadership style works best when a new vision is needed (i.e. due to a change in circumstances) or when explicit guidance isn’t required. It doesn’t work as well when the team is made up of experts who know more than the leader.
3. The affiliative leader
This type of leader has an uncanny ability to create emotional bonds and help team members feel a sense of belonging in the organisation. This leadership style works best in stressful times or when trust needs to be rebuilt, but should not be used exclusively as it can result in mediocre performance and a lack of direction.
4. The coaching leader
This type of leader develops team members’ personal strengths. This leadership style works best to develop the organisation’s future success through its human resources. That said, a potential obstacle to this plan is if the leader lacks the capability to do so or if the team members are unwilling to learn or change.
5. The coercive leader
This type of leader demands compliance from their team members and is most effective during crises. This leadership style keeps everything in control, but should be avoided unless absolutely necessary because it can very easily alienate people and stifle creative thinking and fresh ideas.
6. The democratic leader
This type of leader is all about building consensus via participation. This leadership style works best when group decision making or brainstorming is needed over a certain plan or goal. As expected, it’s not the best idea during a critical situation or if the team members aren’t sufficiently informed to offer guidance.
Get in touch with Pacific Prime UK today!
Planning to unlock your team’s potential through the best leadership styles? That’s a sign that your organisation values its human resources. So if you’re not already offering employee benefits to your team, why not offer them via a corporate health insurance broker and employee benefits specialist like Pacific Prime UK? Using a tailored, technology-driven approach, we can help you design, implement, and optimise a suitable employee benefits program that meets your organisational goals.
Arrange a FREE consultation with a member of our corporate team today!
With over 5 years of experience in the field, Suphanida spends the majority of her day synthesizing complex pieces of insurance-related information and translating this into easy-to-understand, engaging, and effective content across a variety of media such as articles, infographics, whitepapers, videos, and more.
Suphanida is also responsible for planning and publishing three whitepapers released annually by Pacific Prime: The State of Health Insurance Report, The Cost of Health Insurance Report, and The Global Employee Benefits Trends Report. Additionally, she handles the LinkedIn profiles of Pacific Prime’s Founder and CEO, as well as Global HR Lead.
Suphanida’s strengths lie in her strong research and analytical skills, which she has gained from her BA in Politics from the University of Warwick and Erasmus Mundus Joint MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City, University of London.
Being of Thai-Indian origin and having lived, studied, and worked in Thailand, the UK, and Denmark, Suphanida also has a unique, multicultural perspective that helps her understand the struggles of expats and globetrotters.
Outside of work, she enjoys traveling to new places and immersing herself in different cultures.
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