Many coaching clients often ask “what is the ideal leadership style?”, however, the most appropriate answer is: it depends. Effectively, there is no single “ideal” leadership style. Each style has both positive and negative characteristics.

Leadership styles

According to Kirsten Meneghello, CEO of Illumination Coaching, there are two fundamental leadership styles:

Dominant leadership style: These leaders are generally driven by a strong sense of responsibility in order to achieve good results and expect others to assume that responsibility as well. They may appear to be very confident leaders or, conversely, they may appear to be very demanding or intimidating leaders.

Thoughtful leadership style: These leaders prefer to make informed decisions, based on facts and need to take time to reflect. They focus more on efficiency and demonstrating quality results and communicate calmly and clearly. This leadership style can be useful in pressure situations, however, this leader profile does not always demonstrate the enthusiasm or energy necessary to motivate the team to reach its goals.

In relation to the leadership styles presented, it is important to mention that there is no right or wrong style. Each has strengths and weaknesses and each leader must be able to recognize them.

Leadership best practices

Rather than comparing the different leadership styles that exist, it becomes more pertinent to talk about the best leadership practices-

The VAE model, published in The Work of Leaders: How Vision, Alignment and Execution will Change the Way You Lead, presents a simple process based on three steps that are used by leaders:

Create a (V)ision – When implementing a vision (for the future), effective leaders need to explore this idea with their team. The aim is to explore new ideas to be put into practice.

Building Alignment around that vision – After exploring various ideas about an effective future vision, leaders need to communicate consistently and clearly with other employees, explaining the reason behind the “vision”.

Championing (E)xecution – Finally, effective leaders must ensure that ideas around the “vision” are being implemented, evaluating their execution, praising employees, giving feedback, helping to resolve issues that may arise and celebrate success with all team members.

Leadership personalities

There are no good or bad profiles. What becomes relevant in leadership is the leader’s self-awareness and how this characteristic influences the creation of a vision and its execution. It is pertinent to mention that the leader must understand their strengths and weaknesses and work on them, in order to promote the development of their leadership.

Original article: The Important Distinction Between Leadership Styles And Leadership Best Practices