Carved and painted by psychologists and experts, there are a number of leadership theories stemmed from different perspectives.
- What type of individual makes a good leader? – Trait theories argue that leaders inherit certain traits and qualities that make them an effective leader. Some common traits linked to great leadership include extraversion, adaptableness and conscientiousness.
- What leadership style is required in a situation to be a good leader? – Situational theories argue that different leadership styles are required based on situational variables such as the existing business context or the people whom the leader is dealing with, in order to be effective.
- How does a good leader act? – Behavioural theories are established based on the belief that effective leaders are made, not born. It emphasises on how leaders behave and act.
- What is the type or source of the leader’s power? – Power and influence theories highlight how leaders adopt different power and influence sources to lead, which in turn suggest their leadership styles. Examples include expert power, reward power, and coercive power.
If you were asked to name a few admirable business leaders, what may be your responses? You might come up with Jack Welch, Richard Branson, Tony Fernandes and Steve Jobs. There is no question that these individuals are (as for the late Steve Jobs, was) effective business leaders. Nonetheless, their leadership styles differ markedly, signifying that “one size fits all” thinking does not exist.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. —Thomas Jefferson”
There appears to be no single leadership style that magically provides a winning formula. While there is also no specific combination of styles identified, we urge to drive home the point that more than one leadership styles are demanded to be an effective leader. As in the quote “swim with the current”, leadership style needs to be flexible and suited to the current demand, may it be fitting to the needs of individual, task, business context or situation.
“Spongy” leaders are flexible in their leadership approach
Effective leaders are comparable to sponges, flexibly and easily shaped in their approach based on the surroundings. They understand the significance and necessity for contingency leadership tailored to the circumstances. On the other hand, “my way or the highway,” i.e. rigid leadership is like a hard rock which exemplifies the style of toxic leaders. Such styles do not work well in today’s business world as it results in an autocratic and fractured culture, and ultimately impacts organisational productivity.
Experienced leaders may question the validity of flexible leadership styles since they have probably been relying on one style as they climbed up the leadership ladder, and who are likely to still be relying on the single style.
A 7-year longitudinal research report published by Hay Group clarifies the doubt – UK leaders are creating demotivating working culture for their employees due to their leadership rigidity. While a flexible and situational-based tailored approach symbolises good leadership, findings have indicated that only 2% out of 14,000 leaders surveyed adopt a range of four or more styles. Additionally, over 38% have mastered none or only one leadership style. Referring to the statistics, it is unsurprising to observe just over one in six leaders are able to create a high-performing environment which is motivating to their employees while more than half of the leaders are generating demotivating working climates.
Leaders who are adaptive and flexible hold the potential to contribute to enterprise agility, primarily through their sensitivity towards differing needs in the continuous process of improvements and talent work commitments. The capability and responsiveness of leaders enable them to tackle problems swiftly, fulfilling to the criteria of each demanding situation. Under effective leadership, the organisation, in the long run, is able to achieve enterprise agility, which is a competitive advantage deemed as key to success in the global business world and turbulent times. Research at MIT has further corroborated the criticality of agility in business world: in comparison to non-agile firms, revenues of agile firms grow 37% faster and generate 30% higher profits.
“Hard rock” leadership can contribute more toxic to your organisation than what you can imagine
A quote from Peter Drucker says “leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations”. Agreeing to him, a good leader can quickly recognise and adapt their approach to various demands in order to boost their team to accomplish greater victory and actualisation. These leaders, unlike the single approach leaders, take their people from ordinary to extraordinary heights by recognising individual’s work preferences and distinct behaviours, fitting into the circumstances, and adapt their leadership styles to effectively lead their people to be successful over the long haul.
