Every organisation needs a leader and each leader has their own style of management. What defines leadership? We all have in mind the qualities and skills needed to be a leader and are almost always rigged to a particular style of exercise that encompasses leadership. Among the most repeated include communication skills to convey confidence, determination, commitment, proximity, passion or responsibility.
Negative leadership styles
Ultimately, each leader has to find their own style a - the key in any case goes through to find a style that works best for you. However, the five that follow are generally those that do not succeed.
Micromanagement
It is easy to fall into micromanagement, a style that is characterised by absolute control of what happens in your work environment. It is something to be avoided because it means extra pressure for the employee, a cut in their autonomy, is against empowerment and a very inefficient method of facing major tasks.The problem with micromanagement is that it is not always easy to distinguish the line between what is active and helpful support and what is not. However, there are other signs that will help you realise whether or not you're a micromanager:
- You have difficulty delegating tasks, even in people who you consider competent
- You indulge in additional projects and agree to perform tasks that cannot be developed
- Lose time correcting small mistakes and lose the overview of the project
- You are on your employees backs and want to know what they do at all times
If you see yourself reflected in these attitudes, not sporadically, but overall, maybe you should review your management style.
The absolutist
A leader is responsible for setting the course of the ship and the direction to be taken by the team, but should also be open to proposals from the pack. A common mistake is to fall into a kind of absolutism, in which the vision and direction are Law.Authority is required in the company because it creates respect in the workplace, but it should never come at the expense of silencing the rest of the employees. The leader will always have the last word, but it should address the proposals of the group to make them see that their opinion matters and make them feel part of the company, increasing their productivity.In any case, it is impossible for one person to control everything that happens in the company. In this sense, there is nothing worse than making a decision on an issue that is unknown.
The softest
On the opposite side we find leaders that are too lax, that do not establish rules or supervision. They may struggle in making sure that everyone works in the same direction and that the company communicates the goals accordingly. Without this direction, a team can have great ideas, but nothing on which to align, consolidate and unify them under one criterion.Flexibility is important in the business, but everything has its limits.
The "I can do it all"
In this case we find a variant of micromanagement, only aggravated also because the leader will want to take care of all tasks. One of the first things you should do is learn to delegate leaders.The advantages of not doing everything on your own are obvious: you release workload to the team and you make sure that everything is done as you intended. However, if you want to go further, you will also let others take responsibility to grow as a team. Remember, the more you work with other people, the further you`ll grow in these environments.
The rigidity
Consistency in itself is positive, but taken so far can be very harmful for the company and for your development as a leader. One of the most common mistakes is often to draw a mental picture of the way forward and stick to it no matter what, through thick and thin, regardless of your surroundings. This is a recipe for disaster.A good leader must be able to understand that their management style must adapt to new situations and environments.You can read more on our business blog for more helpful articles, if you found this a good read you can read more in our "tips and advice" section.
