Navigating Leadership: Adapting Styles for Success

Having a leadership style means you've got a go-to approach for leading others. It’s about how you communicate, motivate, and guide your team. Your leadership style shapes how you handle challenges, make decisions, and interact with your team. It's a reflection of your values, personality, and experiences, but it should also be flexible enough to adapt to different situations.

One resource that I found incredibly valuable when thinking about leadership styles is Daniel Goleman's HBR case study, "Leadership That Gets Results." Goleman identifies six distinct leadership styles, each with unique impacts on organisational performance.

Six Leadership Styles:

1. Coercive: Command and control style effective in crises but damaging long-term.
2. Coaching: Develops individuals, fostering skills and long-term growth.
3. Authoritative: Visionary, inspiring commitment and adaptability.
4. Affiliative: Prioritises harmony, nurturing relationships and morale.
5. Democratic: Involves team input, enhancing collaboration and innovation.
6. Pacesetting: Sets high standards, driving performance but risking burnout.

Key insights from “Leadership that Gets Results” for your leadership journey

There's a lot to take away from Goleman's research, but here are a few insights that always stick with me:

1. Leadership Style and Personality: Your leadership style isn’t fixed by your personality. Instead of sticking to one style that feels most comfortable, think about which style best fits the situation. Flexibility is key to effective leadership.
2. Impact on Work Environment: The way you lead has a direct impact on how your team works (or doesn’t work 🙂). While Coercive and Pacesetting styles can work in short bursts, they can harm the atmosphere if overused. On the other hand, Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, and Coaching styles can create a more positive and productive work environment.
3. Adapting Leadership Styles: The best leaders know when to switch styles. Goleman found that leaders who master four or more styles, especially Authoritative, Democratic, Affiliative, and Coaching, achieve the best results. Your ability to adapt your style is closely tied to your emotional intelligence.
4. The Coaching Style: Coaching is often under utilised because it seems time-consuming. However, investing time in coaching can have a hugely positive impact on both the work environment and performance. Once you get started, it often takes little extra time and can yield significant benefits. (Find out more about my Essential Coaching Skills for Product Leaders Courses to get started.)

When I coach clients, many are eager to explore and identify their leadership style. While having a common vocabulary for how we lead as Goleman proposes is extremely helpful, naming a style isn’t as crucial as finding alignment with our values and core beliefs about leadership. It's more about figuring out how you can lead in a way that feels genuine to you while still meeting the needs of the situation.

Here are a few coaching questions to help you start the work

1. Which leadership style do you naturally gravitate towards, and why?
2. How does your preferred leadership style align with your core values?
3. Can you think of a situation where a different leadership style might have been more effective? What would you have done differently?
4. How do you adapt your leadership style to meet the needs of your team?
5. What steps can you take to develop flexibility in your leadership approach?

Ready to Elevate Your Leadership?

If you're a product or technology leader looking to deepen your understanding of leadership styles and find authentic ways to lead your team, let's work together. My 1:1 coaching sessions are tailored to help you navigate your unique challenges, enhance your emotional intelligence, and develop a flexible leadership approach that aligns with your core values. Get in touch to find out more.