Of course, this can be a stifling environment for employees where there is little
opportunity to exercise initiative. Temporarily, in task-oriented situations, an
authoritarian approach will appear to work but it is very damaging to the future
growth of the organization and people with ideas and energy will go where
their talents will be used and appreciated.
An Authoritarian should be very aware that even a benevolent dictator finds it
exceedingly difficult to groom a successor!
The PacesetterPPPaaaccceeessseeetttttteeerrrsss feels that nobody can do it as well as they can but they also view
themselves as a point man—a Field General whose job it is to lead by example.
This style of management is commonly (but not exclusively) seen in sales
organizations where typically the manager was promoted from the field sales
force.A downside of the Pacesetter style of management can be:
Û This type of manager frequently burns out from trying to carry the
organization on his or her own back.
Û The organization can become too dependent on the efforts of one
individual.
Û Administratively, Pacesetters are often a disaster because they are too
busy to attend to details.
Û They usually only survive if supported by a strong team of people to
make them look good while they are off leading the charge.CCoommmmoonn ppaacceesseetttteerr ttrraaiittss aarree::
Pacesetters tend to be high-energy individuals.
They can be very successful in pulling an organization up by its
bootstraps.
They are hands-on managers who enjoy being on the front line
dealing with field problems.
They will try very hard to help others to do it their way.
They are not content with only giving direction.
They frequently get impatient and jump in to show how it's done.