VERITAS ET MISERICORDIA

DISCOVERING LEADERSHIP 2:
THE LEADER WITHIN ME
 LEADERSHIP STYLE
One way to define a leadership style is the way we handle a
few categories: 
 How you deal with your teammates:
 How you address your team, from directing their tasks to dealing with
problems and conflicts will shape your leadership style. 
 How you manage the workflow:
 How you manage what gets done, and how much oversight they will be.
 Do you expect people to get it done, or do you make sure it’s
happening yourself? 
 How you view your role:
 Do you see yourself as a caretaker of the environment, or
 the ultimate decision maker and director of traffic?
 THE MICRO-MANAGER AND THE MACRO-MANAGER

 The micro-manager will supervise and approve every detail,

keeping a heavy hand in the overall progress of the project.
 The macro-manager keeps track of goals and big-picture timelines
while relying on his team to make all the smaller decisions. 
 The handling of the flow of ideas also distinguishes leaders. Some
serve to enable the decision-making skills of their teams. Others
bring in a predefined philosophy and seek compliance and consent
from the group. 
 You may hear one style and think to yourself “that sounds perfect.”
It probably is for your skill or environment. But that’s not to say
there is a perfect leadership style; only the ones that might fit best.
THE TWO BROAD CATEGORIES OF LEADERSHIP STYLES (MORE OR LESS):

 Task-oriented leaders are excellent at managing the

nuts and bolts in their area of expertise. Their ability to
get things done translates into valuable resources for
the team –provided they leverage those resources with
good communication and interaction.
 People-oriented leaders are the charmers and
visionaries. They get keep the human and emotional
side of the team going strong. There real value comes in
making the group produce better results than would
come from the sum of its parts alone.
 EXAMPLE LEADERSHIP STYLES:

These are some broad sketches of leadership

style. You may find sometimes people follow a
combination of these, or even cross styles. That’s
OK –as long as their methods fit the work
environment, personalities and goals of
everyone involved.
 TASK-ORIENTED LEADERS:
 The Hands-Off Leader doesn’t see the need to provide feedback, continuous
input, or scrutiny to their team. Usually there is a good reason for this: they
tend to work with highly-experienced and functional groups. If the group
doesn’t fit this mold, there will be problems. 
 The Bureaucrat knows the rules of the institution and has the team abide by
them. When there are rigid policies and guidelines in place, the Bureaucrat
makes sure that they are maintained and used to the best of their ability. This
style can be effective when there is little margin for error but stifling in a
changing or evolving environment. 
 The Autocrat manages the direction of all goals and work, with little to no
input from the team. They have all the power to make decisions, and they use
it. They don’t worry about input, and do not leave room for subordinates to
sub-manage. This is a style most often used when a great deal of scrutiny is
necessary to have a successful end product but can be untenable in less clear-
cut situations.
 PEOPLE-ORIENTED LEADERS:
 The Trainer works to develop the team members to make them more efficient
and stronger at their jobs. This leader focuses on the increasing skills and
success of his team to make success more likely. They can foster a strong
community feeling. 
 The Cheerleader/Coach takes an indirect approach, motivating and
encouraging the team toward success. They have magnetic personalities and
boatloads of charisma. The Cheerleader/Coach tries to make people
comfortable in their roles, but if they leave, the team might end up in shambles.
 The Democratic Leader is a facilitator who encourages discussion and the
free-flow of ideas. The team expresses their ideas on the best course of action,
the leader studies the options and then chooses based on the input. This style
offers the group a strong sense of place and carefully measure decisions but can
be slow to respond.