What leadership styles are the worst and the best for effective team management

Leaders, among other merits, have the magic ability to shape a group of people into long-lasting teams, which in the end has a huge positive impact on the overall success of the business including its revenue. How to avoid the destructiveness and learn to address problems, not people, to make sure that and your team move forward?

How to become a leader whose vision is marked with clarity and precision?

Not understanding a difference between a leading and bossing manager might cost a company quite a lot in the long run, because after the bad compensation plan, bad bosses are considered to be the second biggest reason the workers feel unhappy and reluctant. There is a strong correlation between having a horrible boss and losing the interest to a job.

An estimated amount of cost of bad bosses in terms of lost productivity reaches $360 billion.  How not to finish as a bad boss?

Check on what types of managerial behavior we give zero points to, thus, strongly advising against practicing it to keep the leadership positions.

So, a boss  of ‘zero-worth’ typically does the following:

A bad boss takes zero responsibility

Instead of sharing the vision with the employees, the bad boss prefers to motivate with fear, and in case the project fails, there is no analysis but search for the guilty one. The team does not get the feedback it needs and stays in the vicious cycle, which means it is doomed to lose time and highly likely to make the same mistakes again.

A bad boss demonstrates zero predictability

You sense that you have to be a kind of psychic and be able to read your boss’s mind, but it changes so often that even Nostradamus would feel desperate. Working with a fickle boss can be rather frustrating, to say the least. The team goes around on tiptoes preferring ‘hibernation mode’ and being afraid to show any initiative in case the boss happens to be in a bad mood.

A bad boss has zero rationality

In the business surrounding, letting emotions take over you is a bad decision, and if you are a boss then the risks increase, and discarding rationality becomes the worst possible scenario. When the boss tends to see any project as the arena for dire and dramatic scenes, then the team might turn into a soap-opera cast.

If you can tag the boss on ‘emotional’, it is definitely a flaw: knowing how to handle a potentially ballistic situation is a must-have for a good leader. A boss who does not feel like harnessing his/her own energy cannot expect to earn much respect.    

A bad boss has zero impartiality

His/her skills as an impartial judge are non-existent, which usually results in displaying favoritism to some team members. You might say that tolerance for unfair treatment might last for some time. Well, it eventually runs thin, and the team disrupts. It causes the huge and costly turnover, destroys the team spirit so the first commandment of the wise leader is ‘be impartial’. Estimating people on their effectiveness, not on their loyalty, is the only recipe for success.      

A bad boss has zero respect for his employees’ time

Unfortunately, the bad bosses are oftentimes prone to chasing targets instead of hitting them, which translates into long meetings and overdue projects. The employees caught on their boss’s lack of vision tend to extend the deadlines and skip the tasks to compensate the hours they spent on meetups, conferences, gatherings, etc.  

A bad boss gives zero credit

No need to say that undermining the team success drastically decreases the overall productivity because not recognizing the efforts is a number one killer for employees’ motivation.

When measuring success, one can see that the biggest achievements belong to the teams where employees get incentives for professional development and where everybody feels valued for their work.  Celebrating the team efforts is a winning strategy and the bosses who fail to recognize it are not likely to manage resources and time efficiently.

Based on research on leadership, the efficient leaders have multiple styles in their toolkit, and they know how to use them at the right time. Most leaders generally navigate between one or two preferred styles with which they feel comfortable.

There are 6 important styles for all good leaders to apply.

A good leader demonstrates 100 % accountability

Being responsible for making decisions is half of the deal. It is crucial that a leader felt accountable for the team and the outcome of the project.

Displaying a tendency toward micromanaging is welcome but only in urgent cases. A good leader sets an example of self-management skills for the whole team.

A good leader has a 100% strategic vision

Acting strategically means that the leader raises the bar of the expectations on a constant basis. It implies setting clear goals and demonstrating perseverance in achieving them. Clarity of objectives is crucial for success. Getting the concise directions when it comes to the project management allows the team to concentrate on high priority tasks, timeline their progress, and track their time, which eventually increases self-awareness and the enhances productive mindset. Teams don’t expect the bosses to know answers to all the questions, but they do expect them to mark the destination on the road map.

A good leader shows 100% participation  

Speaking less and doing more are two golden rules of success. Team building and promoting teamwork is easily achieved through being participative. When teams are managed exclusively by instructions the process gets mechanical and slow; the team members should be able to invest their energy and have considerable involvement both in making plans and implementing them. It does not mean that a leader delegates his/her authority but listening to the team members’ suggestions certainly helps strengthen their commitment.

A good leader is always an effective communicator

This skill is invaluable because using it is helpful for accomplishing the team objectives and providing timely feedback on problems or mistakes. The way to success is quite long so it is very important that there is someone who says ‘We are one step closer to the goal’ and knows how to show support and motivate to move forward.

A good leader is influential

The truly innovative approach to hiring and firing is applied by those who know how to be influential. The influential leader acts according to three scenarios: he/she either rewards or coaches or releases the employee. The good leader gives the employees a realistic preview of the job beforehand including the company culture. Fostering creativity is a great way to keep people who are a good fit for the team. Another important thing is sticking to positive emotions because they are going to drive good behavior and facilitate progress.

A good leader is passionate about his/her work

Last but not least, a good leader focuses on results but at the same time shows full confidence in the ability of individual employees and teams. The ‘perfect leader set’ incorporates ‘passionate leadership’, which means that a leader can touch the hearts and minds of his/her team and encourage others to be on the path of continuous improvement. The good leader knows how to shift the borders of comfort zone without being destructive. The good leader feels that being in the position of authority is a privilege, not the means of exercising unlimited power.

To wrap it up

It is one thing to be a boss, and it is another thing to be a leader. Leaders inspire trust and reach beyond expectations. Opt for choosing the effective leadership style, and your team will never have to say they’d rather have a new boss over a pay raise.