or direct responsibility of the employees. Note that this style of leadership is not
recommended for leading in cooperation with a team that consists of experienced
workers. The leader may seem to be too dominant, which could decrease the quality
of the relationships between colleagues.
In the third style of leadership, theaffiliativestyle, the focus is clearly placed on
those you work with and their feelings. Here the major task of the manager is to
foster harmony and strong emotional connections. The employees are greatly
appreciated and receive positive feedback. The drawback of this style is that under-
achievement remains largely uncorrected, and there is no quick process for perfor-
mance improvement or leadership assistance available for managers. Yet they
should implement the affiliative style if they need to produce harmony, improve
communication, or strengthen their team’s fighting spirit.
The fourth style of leadership is thedemocraticstyle, which has a number of
advantages. Utilizing this style, upper-level managers spend considerable time with
their employees building trust, respect and commitment. The dangers of this style
are that endless discussions can go in circles without resulting in firm agreements,
and postponing decisions can result in conflicts. The democratic style is ineffective
if managers and employees are not qualified or sufficiently informed to make the
right decisions. This style obtains the best results when new ideas and guidelines
are needed from other employees, e.g. with regard to implementing the corporate
vision.
The fifth kind of leadership style,achievement-orientedleadership, should be
used rather sparingly. When highly demanding bosses implement this style,
employees can easily be crushed by over-planning and unrealistic goals. At the
same time, flexibility and responsibility are reduced to merely carrying out assigned
tasks. This style of leadership is appropriate only for highly motivated, competent
employees who do not need guidance or coordination (Fig.2.3).
The sixth type, thecoachingstyle, is rarely used, as it can be extremely time-
consuming and take a great deal of energy. According to Goleman, “It aims
primarily at the personal development of the individual and only indirectly at the
completion of concrete work tasks. Coaching nevertheless improves results, because
it allows a sequential dialog and improves the working climate” (Goleman 2000,
p. 35). Coaching is particularly successful when employees are aware of their
weaknesses and want to improve their performance. Later on in this book, I will
place greater emphasis on the possibilities presented by the coaching style of
leadership.
Goleman’s studies indicate that a manager’s success increases with the number
of styles of leadership he or she is able to utilize effectively. A manager’s effec-
tiveness depends on the particular situation and which leadership style he or she
chooses. Highly competent upper-level managers correctly align their behavior to
the situation not by behaving mechanically, but by reacting flexibly. Within
minutes they recognize what style of leadership will have the most influence on
others in the given situation, and adapt their style accordingly to obtain optimal
results. Unsuccessful managers in contrast give the impression of pursuing a “just
do what I do” approach.
2.1 The Craft of Leadership 51