Leadership And Managing People

6—Common
and How Leadership
to Decide Styles
Which to
Use When
by Rebecca Knight
April 09, 2024

Carol Yepes/Getty Images

Summary. Research suggests that the most effective leaders adapt their style to
different circumstances — be it a change in setting, a shift in organizational
dynamics, or a turn in the business cycle. But what if you feel like you’re not
equipped to take on a new and... more

Much has been written about common leadership styles and how
to identify the right style for you, whether it’s transactional or
transformational, bureaucratic or laissez-faire. But according to
Daniel Goleman, a psychologist best known for his work on
emotional intelligence, “Being a great leader means recognizing
that different circumstances may call for different approaches.”

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Drawing on research and experience, Goleman has identified six

distinct leadership styles that managers can adapt, depending on
the situations and the needs of their team members. He first
introduced these styles in his 2000 Harvard Business Review
article, “Leadership That Gets Results,” and they have since been
widely recognized as an essential framework for effective
leadership. The six leadership styles include:

Coercive leadership style, which entails demanding

immediate compliance.

Authoritative leadership style, which is about mobilizing

people toward a vision.

Pacesetting leadership style, which involves expecting

excellence and self-direction.

Affiliative leadership style, which centers around building

emotional bonds.

Democratic leadership style, which involves creating

consensus.

Coaching leadership style, which focuses on developing

people for the future.
Though the world has changed over the past two decades, these
leadership styles remain relevant. Mastering them will help you
navigate the complexities of different situations, boost morale,
and drive your team’s long-term growth.

With that in mind, here’s a closer look at each of the six leadership
styles — and when to use them — updated for today’s business
landscape.

The Six Types of Leadership Styles

1. Coercive leadership style
Of all the leadership styles, coercive is the least effective in most
situations, according to Goleman. It’s not difficult to understand
why. This style is characterized by top-down decision making, an
authoritarian approach, and a demanding, do-what-I-say
attitude, he says. While this style may yield short-term results, it
has a corrosive long-term impact on the company culture, leading
to high employee turnover and a disillusioned, disengaged
workforce.

When to use the coercive leadership style

This command-and-control leadership style may work in certain

crisis situations where swift, decisive action and a clear chain of
command are needed: a corporate takeover or in an emergency
room, for instance. In most cases, though, this approach is likely
to be detrimental, says Goleman.

2. Authoritative leadership style

The authoritative leadership style, not to be confused with
authoritarian leadership, involves motivating your team members
by connecting their work to a larger organizational strategy,
helping them understand how their day-to-day tasks contribute
to a greater purpose. It’s about setting clear guidelines; not
micromanaging. It’s also about trusting your staff members to
work towards the shared vision with autonomy and creativity,
which creates high employee engagement and increased job
satisfaction. If coercive is the worst kind of leadership,
authoritative shines as the most effective and inspiring style.

When to use the authoritative leadership style

This leadership style is beneficial in lots of situations, and it’s

particularly useful during times of change or uncertainty. It can
also be integrated into daily operations by reminding your team
members of your company’s mission in an organic way. For
example, a pharmaceutical executive might say, “Our work will
benefit many patients,” while an insurance leader might say,
“We’re helping people secure their future.” These reminders make
the organization’s goals and mission tangible and meaningful for
the team.

3. Pacesetting leadership style

This leadership style involves holding yourself and others to high
standards. While striving for excellence is admirable, the
pacesetting approach backfires if the focus is on failures rather
than successes. The constant push for productivity and results
can also create a pressure-cooker work environment, says
Goleman.

The extreme focus on perfection can also make it difficult for

employees to see how their individual efforts fit into the bigger
picture, which can lead to increased turnover. “If your best people
are leaving because you’re alienating them or stressing them out,
then you’re not acting in the long-term interests of your
organization,” he says.

When to use the pacesetting leadership style

Although this style should be used infrequently, it can work in
certain circumstances where your employees are highly
motivated and exceedingly competent. It may suit specialized
groups, like R&D or legal teams, for instance. But even in these
cases, it’s important to balance pacesetting with other approaches
to avoid consequences like employee burnout.

4. Affiliative leadership style

This leadership style involves building strong emotional bonds,
creating a sense of camaraderie and team spirit, and fostering a
positive and supportive workplace. This helps team members feel
like they belong, can freely share ideas and feedback, and work
together towards common goals.

According to Goleman, this relationship-oriented style is

especially valuable in shaping a positive work environment,
which is particularly important at a time when some companies
are calling employees back to the office. You can create a caring,
cohesive community rather than an administrative machine by
getting to know your employees on a personal level and
celebrating their wins, he says.

When to use the affiliative leadership style

This style builds connections and creates a positive company

culture, but it should not be used in isolation. It may not provide
sufficient feedback to address performance issues or deal with
complex challenges. Combining this approach with the
inspirational, authoritative style creates more balance by offering
both support and direction.
5. Democratic leadership style
The democratic leadership style involves empowering your team
to have a voice in decision-making. By taking the time to gather
input, listen to concerns and diverse perspectives, and
incorporate feedback, you show your team members that their
opinions matter, their voices are heard, and their contributions
are valued. This gives them a sense of ownership and
responsibility.

When to use the democratic leadership style

This style is ideal when you’re unsure about the best course of
action and want to generate ideas. But it’s not a good strategy
when your team members lack experience or information, or in
times of crisis.

6. Coaching leadership style

The coaching style is focused on individual growth, and involves
dedicating time to understand your team members’ long-term
goals, both for their personal and professional development.
“Asking questions like, ‘What do you want from your life, your
career, this job? And, how can I help you?’ encourages your
employees to reflect on their aspirations and work towards
achieving them,” says Goleman. By taking a genuine interest in
their development, you help your employees feel valued and
motivated.

When to use the coaching leadership style

This style is especially useful during one-on-one performance

evaluations, but you can also slip it into everyday conversations,
he says. A leader in coach-mode might say, “You’re great at XYZ,
but when you do ABC, it doesn’t work as well because of these
reasons. Have you considered trying this other approach
instead?” This real-time feedback helps employees grow and
learn, rather than letting potential problems linger.

How
You’retoInAdapt Your Leadership Style to Fit the Situation
Research suggests that the most effective leaders adapt their style
to different circumstances — be it a change in setting, a shift in
organizational dynamics, or a turn in the business cycle. That’s
why you need to stay attuned to your environment, understand
your impact on others, and adjust your approach accordingly.

As Goleman writes in his 2000 article, “The most effective leaders

switch flexibly among the leadership styles as needed…[They]
don’t mechanically match their style to fit a checklist of situations
— they are far more fluid. They are exquisitely sensitive to the
impact they are having on others and seamlessly adjust their style
to get the best results.”

This is how switching styles looks in real life: When launching a

new project, you would use an authoritative style where clear
direction and a compelling vision are needed to bring the team
together and inspire people toward a common goal. You would
switch to a coaching style when an employee is struggling with a
certain task and you need to help them learn a new skill. And you
would employ a pacesetting style when your team of driven and
experienced employees needs to meet a challenging deadline.

But what if you feel like you’re not equipped to take on a new and
different leadership style — let alone more than one?

Goleman says that anyone can expand their range of leadership

styles through dedicated practice and repetition. He also
recommends focusing on growing your emotional intelligence,
“To expand [their style repertories], leaders must first understand
which emotional intelligence competencies underlie the
leadership styles they are lacking,” he writes in his 2000 HBR
article. “They can then work assiduously to increase their
quotient of them. For instance, an affiliative leader has strengths
in three emotional intelligence competencies: in empathy, in
building relationships, and in communication… Such advice
about adding capabilities may seem simplistic — ‘Go change
yourself’ — but enhancing emotional intelligence is entirely
possible with practice.”

...
The good news is that personality is not destiny. Even if you’re
naturally introverted or you tend to be driven by data and
analysis rather than emotion, you can still learn how to adapt
different leadership styles to organize, motivate, and direct your
team.

“A leader’s success depends on the productivity and effectiveness

of the people who work for them,” Goleman says. “You’re shooting
yourself in the foot if you use a style of leadership that’s
counterproductive to their performance.”

RK
Rebecca Knight is a journalist who writes
about all things related to the changing nature
of careers and the workplace. Her essays and
reported stories have been featured in The
Boston Globe, Business Insider, The New York
Times, BBC, and The Christian Science
Monitor. She was shortlisted as a Reuters
Institute Fellow at Oxford University in 2023.
Earlier in her career, she spent a decade as an
editor and reporter at the Financial Times in
New York, London, and Boston.