This chapter dives into leadership styles. Just like all
intellectually intelligent people are not smart in the same areas, emotionally
intelligent leaders vary a bit as well in the way they demonstrate their EI. The
authors go on to say that truly successful leaders have varying degrees of
success at utilizing more than one style and can pick the one that is needed as
the situation dictates.
There are a total of six styles. The first four, according
to the authors, are solidly successful EI styles. The last two can be useful in
some scenarios, especially when combined with some of the first four, but on
their own, they can actually be damaging to the organization (causing
dissonance).
This chapter covers just the first four (resonant) styles,
leaving the last two for the next chapter.
The Visionary Leader-
This is the
leader who not only creates a vision for an organization, but is adept at
motivating the masses to jump on board that vision, take ownership of it and
help to move it forward. They are willing and enthusiastic about sharing
information. “While some managers might have the misimpression that withholding
information gives them power, visionary leaders understand that distributing
knowledge is the secret to success; as a result, they share it openly and in
large doses.” (p. 58-59). They go on to say that their research suggests this
style is the most effective of the six. Getting people to follow a vision
reminds people of the larger purpose of their work, which lends powerful
meaning to an otherwise boring experience at work.
The Coaching Style
The
foundation of this style is personal conversations which build relationships
with individuals. The on-going conversation that exists between leaders and
employee helps the employee to view the leader’s constructive feedback as
helpful, rather than punitive. The empathy and rapport that the leader
demonstrates has a very positive impact on the employees state of mind and
their performance. Their actions say “I believe in you and I expect your best
efforts.” Employees who work for this type of leader have an inherent desire to
succeed so as not to let the leader down. The authors caution that when
executed poorly, this style of leadership can move into the realm of
micro-managing.
The Affiliative Style
These
leaders , place a lot of emphasis on keeping harmony within the group, and less
emphasis on accomplishing specific tasks and goals. They want to keep people
happy and create harmony, or resonance. This style is particularly successful
when trying to mend fences on a team with damaged relationships or broken
trust. While this type of leader builds esteem, relationships and good will
within an organization, it is best used in conjunction with another style, such
as visionary. When used on its own, leaders will often fall short in the areas
of holding people accountable for their tasks.
The Democratic Style
These
leaders like to talk through ideas with their teams. They value consensus and
the buy-in that it brings. They give an example of a nun tasked by the
archdiocese with shutting down the local school that she runs. Rather than just
shutting it down, she held community meetings with local parents over the next
several weeks to brainstorm ways that it could stay open despite the financial
loss it was incurring each year. At first the parents were extremely upset. By
the end of the sessions, they had come to the conclusion on their own that
there really was no way to save the school. When it finally shut down, the head
nun, sister Mary, received none of the backlash from the community, as she had
taken her time to allow them to come to the decision on their own. The authors
caution that you have to be thick skinned to use this style. If you ask for feedback,
you need to be prepared to get it. The most important competencies for this
style are: teamwork and collaboration; conflict management; and influence. The
inherent danger with this style is that things can take a long time when you’re
unable to act without having discussion about every topic.
Again, a healthy combination of the above leadership styles,
adjusting to the needs of individual situations and people, is the ideal way to
be a resonant leader.
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