Different leadership styles bear different results
Published on August 1
Give the same task and conditions (time limit, sense of urgency) to three different teams, one led by an autocratic leader, one by a democratic leader, and one by a laissez-faire leader, and you will see three contrasting results.
The autocratic leader, being aware of the time limit, and knowing that the first team to complete the task wins, imparts orders, minimises team participation and rejects advice from the other team members. And sure enough, the task is completed in a blink of an eye … a blank face – but a face nonetheless. Mission accomplished.
The democratic leader involves everyone, asks, answers, listens, motivates, and delegates tasks while filling the gaps left by the teammates. The result? Finishing second with the most creative and artistic avatar. But who cares if they do not finish first? What matters most is the sense of purpose, belonging and comradery.
The laissez-faire leader abdicates and lets the rest of the team wander and wonder! Everyone in the team feels lost, purposeless, helpless. They solicit their leader’s guidance, which never comes forth. The time is up, but the team is (morally) down. The avatar? What avatar?
This is what happened during a training session I conducted recently at the Microsoft Innovation Centre (Malta). The course participants witnessed the consequences different leadership styles may have in a given context.
Do you have a preferred leadership style? Or do you adapt according to the circumstances?