Pathways: Leadership strategies By Sig Nordal, Jr.

Pathways: Leadership Strategies

There is no magic wand that can ensure someone is an effective leader – the characteristics of an individual may be more successful in some leadership areas and weaker in others. But, you can still lead effectively if you understand the variety of approaches. The following theories of leadership can provide a good foundation.

Trait theories, although originally stating that good leadership was instinctive, now looks at how we can identify our personal traits such as empathy, assertiveness, decision making, organisational skills and develop our internal beliefs in a proactive way to be an effective leader.

Behavioural theories explore whether a leader gives orders expecting others to obey or whether they encourage teamwork to maximise results. According to Kurt Lewis in the 1930s there were autocratic leaders (who, for snap decisions, do not include other opinions for success), democratic leaders (who consult the team in varying degrees about all decisions) and laissez-faire leaders (who sit back and let the team get on with their work – a successful strategy if all the team are highly motivated and skilled).

All three styles of leadership can be appropriate at certain times but, in order to be a truly successful leader it is knowing which strategy to use in a given situation. Need a quick decision? Perhaps an autocratic style is most apt. Need the support of your team? That could result in a combination of democratic and laissez-faire styles – the key to effective leadership is knowing when to be task-oriented and when to be people-oriented.

Power and Influence Theories explore how a leader achieves results. There are legitimate, coercive and reward forms of positional power and then there is your personal power using your natural appeal and charm Your personal power is key but without expertise in your job you cannot rely upon this alone.

Contingency Theories create a more fluid way of thought for leaders. Although a possible future event may occur it is not  a foregone conclusion and does need to be factored in by team members so that “Plan B” can be actioned should matters in the project change.

The realization that there is no one correct type of leader led to theories that the best leadership style depends on the situation. These theories try to predict which style is best in which circumstance. For instance, when you need to make quick decisions, which style is best? When you need the full support of your team, is there a more effective way to lead? Should a leader be more people-oriented or task-oriented? These are all questions that contingency leadership theories try to address.

Another leadership approach assumes that the greatest motive for people are rewards and little else and thus creating a reward based task system has its uses. Despite this to be seemingly rather a dispiriting concept for some this approach can increase motivation within the workplace.

And finally,  a transformational leader who leads by example is a highly effective and  influential individual by creating inspiration for the future. By having high principles and integrity leaders build more robust and effective teams.

As with most strategies and techniques, never assume one way is the only way . Be versatile in your approaches and use the strategy that is going to be the most successful with any given project.

By Sig Nordal, Jr.