Discover The Effective Leadership Styles Used By High Performance Leaders

Ready to discover the most effective leadership styles for creating high performance?

If you have visited other pages on the site you'll have guessed by now that I am biased towards leadership styles that are inclusive and inspire people to be at their best. But that style doesn't suit every situation. And so being flexible enough to use other styles of leadership, as the situation demands, means you'll be a better leader and your career will benefit.

During my career I've been lucky enough to work as a leader within a couple of high performance organizations and since hanging out my shingle as a high performance leadership development consultant/coach in 2001, I've worked with many more organizations that are high performing (or on the track to becoming). With this experience, the one thing I am sure of is that leadership styles which are based in command and control generally deliver the poorest results, the worst customer service experience and the least happy people.

Don't get me wrong - there is a place for command and control -- if there is an emergency situation you do want someone to take control, make decisions, mobilize resources and people to get through the crises. The problems arise if this model is used in all places at all times!

The series of articles below help you explore the impact of the various leadership styles on the culture of your workplace and understand that all types of leaders can be successful.

Articles on Effective Leadership Styles

Blake & Mouton: Blake and Mouton studied leadership behavior and described two extremes of leadership concern: Concern for Production and Concern for People. Read more about Blake and Mouton ...
Reactive vs Proactive: A Proactive Leader tends to be much more focused on achieving performance objectives. Whereas finding and fixing problems is the forte of the Reactive Leader ...Read more about Reactive vs Proactive
Leadership vs Management; We've had a lot of change in the past 20 years and the speed of change is increasing. There are some distinctions between leadership and management that you may like to grasp ... Read more about Leadership versus Management
Rule Based To Principle Centered Leadership:Is your organization over-burdened with rigid policies, rules and procedures that stop team members from meeting customer needs? Learn how to create a more effective workplace ...Discover more about Principle Centered Leadership here
Transactional Leadership: Transactional Leadership suggests that people are only motivated by rewards and punishment. If you are going to use this style of leadership make sure you implement the tips in the article Read about Transactional Leadership here
Autocratic Leadership: The Autocratic Leadership style enables the people running organizations to meet their instinctive needs (even though) they may not recognize or admit to them. Read aboutAutocratic Leadership here
A Different Leadership Style: The old command and control style is dead. A different leadership style is needed if you really want to connect with your people. Take Some Leadership Lessons From Horses ...
Charismatic Leadership: Charismatic leadership is certainly one of the styles of leadership that can enhance organizational effectiveness. The trick is to use the positive aspects of this leadership style and avoid the traps See how to get the most from using a Charismatic Leadership Style ...
Situational Leadership: Use these resources to help you identify your prominent leadership style (which can be your downfall if you do not use it with care). (Please note these resources are only available to members of the Align-Lead-Inspire Club.) Use the Situational Leadership Resources

Use the surveys on the Assessment Tools page to help you discover your most preferred leadership style.

General Comments on Effective Leadership Styles

Certainly to be a successful leader you will need to develop leadership skills, knowledge and aptitude, however, it's your leadership style that really gives your business unit (no matter how big or small) its flavor.

An effective leadership style for one individual or one organization may not work for you and your situation:

• How well do you think Southwest Airlines or Virgin would run with Jack Welch at the helm?
• How much would Herb Kelleher struggle (internally at least) if he were to find himself a leader in The Ford Motor Company?
• It is well documented that Winston Churchill was a great leader during World War 2. Yet in peacetime his style was found lacking by the nation that had so recently held him in esteem as a hero leader.

Your style as a leader will be largely influenced by two things:

1. The culture of the organization you find yourself in
2. The quality of leadership, coaching and mentoring you experience as you move through your career

When you inherit a style from the culture or are overly influenced by another person, you may find yourself feeling frustrated and on-edge. You may have the feeling that you are trying to be someone you are not. You will do well to remember that leadership isn't something that you do, it is an expression of who you are.

Learn about and then try applying the various styles to find the a style that works best for you, your team and your organization.

A word of caution. Do not try to make your preferred/(natural) style fit all circumstances. Remain flexible enough to alter your style to fit the particular situation you find yourself in.

If you are ready to be at your best, take a peek at why leadership coachingwith me may help you fast-track your career and enhance the quality of your life.