Leadership Styles
(Goleman)

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Creating resonance as a Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting or Commanding Leader. Explanation of Leadership Styles of Daniel Goleman.

In his book Primal Leadership (2002, with Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee), Goleman introduces six leadership styles. To properly understand the six leadership styles, you should first understand his human communication / interaction concept of resonance.

Leaders create resonance

In the view of Goleman, good leaders are effective because they create resonance.

Resonance comes from the Latin word resonare. Again creating sound. Effective leaders are attuned to other people's feelings and move them in a positive emotional direction. They speak authentically about their own values, direction and priorities and resonate with the emotions of surrounding people. Under the guidance of an effective leader, people feel a mutual comfort level. Resonance comes naturally to people with a high degree of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management) but involves also intellectual aspects.

Creation of resonance can be done in six ways, leading to Six Leadership Styles. Typically, the most effective leaders can act according to and they can even skillfully switch between the various styles, depending on the situation.

Book: Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, Annie McKee - Primal Leadership -

Leadership Styles Forum (37) Register  |  Log in  |  Help Authentic Leadership "I can't wait for great authentic leadership to emerge in the current context in which the trust is shaken. In times of crisis people discover ways to better deal with the future. As an authentic leader, self-consciousness is absolutely fundamental. You cannot be emotionally intelligent if you are not also self-aware. This requires, in addition to maturity, an intense work of self-examination or individuation. The criticisms, even the toughest, are essential for the construction of self-awareness. To do so, you need to get honest feedback from followers, so the followers must also be authentic. If we are all reliable, genuine and probable, organizations will be better. Here the values are crucial. There has to be a framework of values in which all believe and consider vital to achieve. In parallel, we have great need of someone that listens to us, understands us and, above all, tells us the truth. Authentic leaders have to maintain high levels of motivation, especially in this era of "trigger events". Such extrinsic motivation will help to see problematic circumstances as an opportunity to change the future. So, how can one become an authentic leader? • Talk with your heart, conquer our followers. This implies that, after having said what you want to do, you must do it; • Communicate openly and frequently with the other, we have to dialogue. This is much more than only saying the truth. The communication is not only composed of good news. it includes that what's good, bad and indifferent; • Make clear, from the beginning, the expectations and standards of behavior that the followers and leaders have to achieve. Be the change you want to make; • Look for people to take up your commitments, reflecting on this without resentment. Committing with the goal, not with the plan; • Value people and invest in them in order to create feelings of well-being and commitment within the working group; • Take care of people without ever infantilizing, requiring them to take responsibility and developing moral and ethical bases. In short, the authentic leader demonstrates passion for the goals, practices consistently the values and leads with the heart as well as with the head. She/he defines the long-term, meaningful relationships and has the self-discipline to achieve results. They know who they are." 3 Kinds of Leaders: Builders, Maintainers and Destroyers "There are three kind of 'leaders', namely builders, maintainers and destroyers. - Builders are always with a new vision and they work towards the vision by selling their vision to their followers by inspiration, performance and guidance. They are the people who can see the future, visualize new dimensions and make changes in attitude, perceptions and out look in the society. They believe in team building, cooperation, commitment and dedication. They always motivate their team members, encourage them and appreciate their achievement. - Maintainers are the people who just continue with what they have ensuring the safety of their belongings, nothing added new. - Destroyers are the people who damages themselves and their society (followers). Mostly they are self appointed leaders with vested interests and personal agendas. They lack a common vision. They can do a very little in team building, motivating people and accomplishing any common task." Current Leadership Styles "In this era we do not need either pacesetting or commanding types of leadership. In my opinion, we currently live in a world where we need mainly visionary leaders to achieve the objectives of our organisations. " Leadership Styles are Labels "I think most of the leadership styles we heard and read about are simply labels made by people, in particular social scientists, to interpret those demonstrable behaviors. They are after-thoughts. The very basic definition of "effective leadership" is to drive the best result/behavior that you desire from someone. It is therefore hinged on one's ability to influence others regardless of style. Effective leadership though is different from the end result of the leadership. Hitler, Napoleon Bonaparte, Jesus Christ, Genghis Khan, Abraham Lincoln, Saddam Hussein, Mother Teresa have different ends in mind but they surely are strong leaders. While leaders may use different styles depending on what they are strong at, it is important that they are consistent, authentic, and most importantly, they believe in what they're saying... It's called passion and commitment." Oligarchical Leadership Styles "What kind of leadership is in effect in a oligarchy? (Ed: Oligarchy (from Greek ὀλιγαρχία, oligarkhía) is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, corporate, or military control)." People Ignore Inefficient & Ineffective Leaders "Leadership styles has always been a complex affair. Over the last 40 years I had the opportunity to work in eastern and western cultures as a follower as well as in in leadership roles. Followers soon evaluate and judge leaders who can deliver results but over a period of time they will ignore inefficient & ineffective leaders whatever the style. More toleration is seen for the participative style." Resonating Leadership Character and Persona "Army General Douglas McArthur is an example of leadership character and a commanding persona who was dismissed by President Harry Truman in the exercise of civilian command and control over the military. Two impersonated egos but only one leader, the difference was a resonating leadership character. McArthur, was a man who knew how to set the right goals, build quick response organizations, and motivate, and inspire people to execute the impossible. Truman's dismissal decision did not resonate with the American public but shocked them, and angered republican politicians who revere general McArthur as a distinguished soldier and leader, two attributes absent in Truman's political persona." Dominant Leadership Styles "We all have some dominant leadership style based upon our particular nature. Someone may be commanding, democratic etc. May be with one of these styles we afford to get thro many situations depending on our position in the organisation. But "change situations" vary and we may have to vary / adapt our style depending upon the situation." Situational Leadership Styles "Situational styles are adequate variations of leadership, adjusted to the actual situations and needs. One of my trainers stated: "Leadership has to be democratic-dictatoric!" Mostly Used Leadership Style in Developed Countries "This topic is really very important for executives. I am willing to know which type leadership style is being used mostly in developed countries? I would be grateful to have your replies." Why is Commanding Leadership Style Still Abundant? "The commanding leadership style demotivates workers. And even if it worsens the employer <> employee relationships, and even if workers will not produce the best results under this type of leadership style, unfortunately it seems this style is still dominating professional institutions. Makes me wonder, why is it still so omnipresent?" Democratic Leadership "Democratic or participative management style sometimes is not always good, for example when you have good team members that have differing opinions. You cannot enter into a common ground if everybody participates and would like his idea to be the one selected." Leadership Styles and Motivation "How do leadership styles actually relate to motivation?" General Allenby (Field Marshal Viscount Allenby) "Does anyone know what sort of leadership style Allenby had? He was known as the 'bull' and had a mixed career. He had success in South Africa where the cavalry used its mobility. Frustration in WWI on the western front – trench warfare and a lack of mobility. Then huge success in Palestine where he was once again able to utilise mobility. I think he was an intelligent and knowledgeable leader who was a meticulous planner, with an eye for detail. A strong disciplinarian who led by example. What do you think?" Goleman's Use of the Word 'he' "Is Goleman referring to both 'females' and 'males' within the creation of resonance table, or simply males. I have noted that Goleman uses the word 'he' rather than 'people' or 'persons'?" Utilising and Altering / Varying Leadership Styles "After reading briefly on leadership styles it had me thinking, how often are leaders aware that they are using leadership styles? And how often do leaders think before they act as to what leadership style they will use? And would there be a difference if they thought about this rather then simply acting? I think it could make a slight difference as they would be more in line with what is required for the situation. Maybe they would also consider things that weren't considered otherwise? If anyone could reply it would be much appreciated as I am keen to hear from peoples response in terms of this. Thank you." Process - Based Leadership Vs. Situational Leadership "Our understanding on leadership needs to include: 1. Process-based leadership: which simply means there are leaders who practice 4 basic leadership processes - envisioning, enabling, empowering and energizing and related skills. These leaders retain their positions at a level where they can influence followers and direct the energies of followers. 2. Situational leadership: different situations demand different talents and abilities. Here people will emerge as leaders whose abilities and talents are most appropriate for those situation. The process - based leaders leaders have capability to assess the appropriate talent of the followers and provide them with the opportunities(situations) to play their leaders' roles. The first 4 styles listed in primal leadership talk more about process - based leaders." Transformational Leadership "Global leadership is best depicted by authentic, transformational leadership. Authentic, transformational leadership integrates leadership positives (such as empathy, respect, trustworthiness), while adding new differentiated attributes (cross-cultural competence, business savvy, and organizational competence). authentic, transformational leader exhibit emotional intelligence, relational intelligence, intellectual intelligence." Leading in and Towards More Ethnic Diverse Schools "Leading towards more ethnic diverse schools requires a critical balance floating between the Goleman leadership styles (minus 'pace setting & commanding'). Often teachers need to make serious mind shifts in order to deal with ethnic diversity in their classrooms. However, school principals have to be extremely courageous to lead with a clear and expressed vision, democratically affiliating and coaching towards creating resonance and a common belief of a changed school environment where ethnicity is needed, respected, valued and celebrated." It is a Nightmare to Coach Leaders "Learning to shift among different leadership styles is a nightmare for both Leaders and HR Practitioners. - For Leaders, it is a tough and long process to carefully control their emotions, gradually change their behaviors, and patiently expect that someday it will become their basic assumption. Especially in the situation when there are many excuses for quiting. - For HR Practitioners, many of them know the concepts and theories of leadership, while few of them really played as a leader. They don't have many value in coaching the leaders to be successful leaders. Leaders believe that they made achievements in their styles before. Why should they change their styles right now just because HR practitioners are saying so?" Leadership Skills Development "I am planning a leadership training workshop for a social service organization. The expected participants will be from various backgrounds. All of them are volunteers and according to the program coordinator they are committed personnel. May I know some suitable games I can play with them to introduce some basic leadership skills such as decision making, communication, delegation, negotiation etc...?" Situational Leadership is Tough "Perhaps the most useful, and hardest to master is the situational leadership style. Different people and problems require different solutions. A new employee needs nurturing and assistance. A skilled employee needs a laissez-faire approach to keep them interested in their job and give them ownership of their job roles." Leadership by Setting an Example "Many leadership styles such as paternalistic leadership, creative leadership, task-oriented leadership, laissez-faire leadership, leading by example work by setting an example for the others to follow. Creating a picture for the desired future can also be helpful." Adapt around the style "My experience in achieving higher performance dealing with high level of intellectual people is by adapting the style around the situation of the people. Not necessarily higher intellectual people should use democratic leadership in achieving goal, it depends on the situation we are dealing with. Certainly in one situation, more experience of the group about the situation, more democratic style I should choose. However, most people diminish their level of achievement or focus towars results in time, then the leaders should refresh its own visionary thinking by always learn in advanced from all the people around you." Leadership Styles and Manager / Employee Relationships "I wonder why employees in organisations are never in good terms with their managers, yet employees contribute a lot toward attaining organisational objectives. Why then can't managers play about with their styles of leadership to suit different situations since no single style fits all situations." Reverse Determinination of Leadership Style "If a leader creates followers who are willing to give their full efforts, can we determine which leadership style has been used?" More Leadership Styles? "I wonder if there are other styles of leadership besides the ones described by Goleman. I believe that leadership takes many forms." Creating Resonance versus Buy-in? "I'm struggling with the following question: is creating resonance the same as creating buy-in?" The Diplomatic Leadership Approach "Goleman has indeed given a useful guideline about leadership and its qualities. But at times practical situations do differ from the theoretical models. Rising to practical ocassions is the main challenge for a leader. Overall every leader's team may contain three categories of individuals: the 'FOLLOWER' who sincerely follows the directions, another is the one who works totally INDEPENDENT: he comes at his own time, works at his own time, leaves at his own time not messing neither involved in any matters. The last one COMPETES with the leader and tries to apply his rules and bypass him. The last type is a real threat since an upper hand of such entity can lead to problems in the leader's way. Hence a leader has to apply different sets of approaches to diff types and this is real challenging and skillful. A diplomatic approach is the best approach to suite such milieu." Adapt the Suitable Leadership Style "Humans are one thing in this world that can't be explained very concisely by theory or formulas. "One size fits all" concept may not be too useful in the people context. Personally I would think that the "best" leadership style is always subject to each situation. There is no formula for human responses or certainty of someone's response towards a certain style. The objective of leadership is to lead the team to a common goal. So to lead is to adapt to the situation and the group you need to lead. e.g. if you lead a group of experienced fighters, you set them free but coach them into patterns; if you lead a group of know-nothing amatuers, you will need to tell them exactly what to do & make sure they do it. Just to share some thoughts." The Best Leadership Style "The democratic or cooperative style is the best style of leadership. It motivates the employee to work properly. By this style, an employee feels that he has some importance in the organisation and he increases his efficiency." Leadership and change "I'm an HR student and writing an essay on the role of leadership theories in a climate that demands high productivity coupled with constant change. Please can someone give me any ideas?" Shaw about Situational Leaders "As the saying goes by George Bernard Shaw - "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable." Leaders who are relentless in converting adversaries into allies eventually are the successful lot." Employee discipline? "I will be starting my first real management position soon, one in which I may have to work out negative situations, and possibly disciple and/or dismiss employees. While I agree with the positive emphasis here, I wonder how such employee discipline can be carried out in this context." Use Non Crisis mode to Retain Dignity "The difference between a "you go and do" and a "lets go and do." Never strip the dignity away from team members by demeaning them. Listen, respect, ask and listen again. Mentor, advise and build a working relationship where everyone knows you are not above any task or assignment." Leadership Style: born or made "Are you born with a particular leadership style, or can you learn one?" Leadership and Humilty "Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo says in the HBR of last January that when he started as CFO in 1990, when Nokia was in financial distress, he had to be humble in front of bankers when he attempted to raise money. Kallasvuo now believes that humility is a vital quality in a leader. 'As of January 2007, Nokia has 100.000 people, and there's really very little I can do alone. But there is much I can do with the team'. It would appear to me that this is typical for a Democratic Leadership style." New topic  |  Join our management network

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