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PrideStaff Akron

When considering leadership approaches, many may want to use the tried and true, sticking with what works and what others have successfully done to show their leadership skills. Yet in a business world that now has multiple generations and types of employees, you may want to try something new. After all, innovation often brings about remarkable results as well. What innovative approaches can you take to inspire others?

  1. Authoritative

This isn’t the ogre boss you may immediately think of. This version of an authoritative leader centers on goal setting and achievement. They create a clear path to success, giving direction and then allowing employees to step up and produce the results.

  1. Authentic

Rather than keeping a stiff upper lip at all times, the authentic leader leads with honesty and transparency, not fearing others’ opinions when they get upset about stock numbers lowering or crying when they hear about the birth of someone’s child. But they know how to balance their emotions, so they still seem reliable and strong. This type of leader has employees who feel comfortable sharing their ideas and their own passion.

  1. Forerunner Executive

This leader works best with very skilled teams who can take their boss’ excellent example and follow it. The Forerunner has a high bar and inspires greatness in their employees. Take care to allow for innovation; this can be the one downside of using this model of leadership, although productivity is high.

  1. Coaching

If you work at a creative company, this approach can work very well with your employees. As with sports, the coach guides employees using a “big picture” model, focusing on the end result. They encourage employees to learn through exploration and building professional strengths. The coach provides the tools, fostering an atmosphere of respect, appreciation, growth, and creativity.

  1. Coercive

The coercive leader, similar to the authoritative, dictates everything to their employees, from planning to process. They center their leadership around compliance and productivity, solving problems as they come up. The downside: This model does not allow for creativity or innovative thinking. Most companies would not do well if they only had this type of leader – but the coercive works great during crises and as support to the other models.

  1. Group-Think

Want to get really progressive? Use this approach, which turns the typical hierarchy on its head. With this model, the leader encourages the employees to make the decisions and the executives respond to employee needs (if you’ve ever seen an episode of “Undercover Boss”, you’ve seen this in action). The group-think works best when executives don’t get involved in everyday sales and operations or when the lower-level/customer service employees work more directly with the customers.

  1. Democratic

This leader tends to get the most favorable response from employees, a combination of Authentic, Group-Think, and Authoritative in one package. They solicit employee and executive feedback, using communication and inspiration to foster consensus. Take care that employees have enough skill to provide the best feedback – when this occurs, the democratic leader can best lead their teams to success. They work best in everyday situations rather than times of crisis.

So, as you figure out which leadership style works best for your company, get advice and great employees from PrideStaff.

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