3 Leadership Styles for Leaders Who Want to Grow More Leaders at their Organization

By Jeff McManus

Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and action”

– Harold S. Geenen

If you’re looking to grow a leadership culture at your organization, three leadership styles can help you achieve your goal.

Think about a time in your life when you really were impacted by an effective leader—someone who cultivated success, effort and productivity. What qualities did this leader possess? It’s safe to say the leader you are thinking about was more than a figurehead. He or she was more likely to be someone who took interest in you and your work.

The leader most people think about is someone who knows the job because he or she has done it themselves. They not only know the trade, but also know you along with all of the other employees in the company. They have a sincere vested interest in you, care about what you need to do your job and build upon your strengths.

It is easy to lead from high above your employees, always having the last say, pointing out flaws in production constructively or assigning tasks you would never do yourself. This not only lowers morale but also lowers productivity and success. What does it take to be a good leader? What are the qualities of effective leadership and team building?

There are many types of good leaders and styles a leader can practice to make a meaningful impact. Here are three leadership styles that are especially helpful for a leader who isn’t looking to only grow a strong group of team members, but to grow a strong group of other leaders at their organization. These three leadership styles are motivating and lead to great change for the better. They are a stark contrast from the autocratic leaders of the past who rule by the “because I said so” philosophy. When practiced regularly, these three styles help build other leaders to help push your company to new heights.

Transformational Leaders

Have you ever had a leader who truly inspired you to be the best you could possibly be? This person really built you up and helped you to use your talents to succeed. If so, you might have been working with a transformational leader.

Transformational leaders are often morale-boosting and inspirational. They work with employees to create a common goal that is close to the heart of the company. They have great communication skills, which help to establish core values everyone can take to heart. They work hard at establishing these core values and not only communicating them to the company but also living these values. In other words, they get their hands dirty.

When a leader works alongside their employees, the leader sends the message that the core values are very important. Values are constantly instilled through positive reinforcement and building selfesteem. They truly get to know the people who are working in the company and treat them with respect, often asking questions of their employees to assess what the company and the employees want and need to attain success.

They also look to everyone to think about what could be done differently. Transformational leaders provide relevant and interesting training. These trainings are often either done by in-house experts who inspire other employees every day or are hands-on and innovative transformational leaders.

Finally, transformational leaders are visionaries constantly working toward building a base of strong employees to help reach the next great success. Together, these qualities make transformational leaders especially good at building other leaders.

Coaches

Think back to your childhood. Many of the times you accomplished something you never thought possible, it was under the leadership of a great coach. Coaches are not only accessible to the team, but they are a member of the team. They celebrate successes and learn from mistakes. Coaches do this through observation and interactions.

They ask questions and show interest to develop a relationship with each team member to build autonomy of players by finding the strengths and providing scaffolding for each person to reach the next level. Gradually, this method helps every member reach his or her highest potential. The key to this is valuing each person’s individual role in the team’s success. Coaches foster success through team building.

They develop plans to train, motivate, and build morale in an adaptive way. Developing each person’s strengths and helping to build them instills great feelings of responsibility and accountability. Coaching will help move toward future goals and gradually build toward them never losing sight of them. Coaches provide the learning and support needed to naturally grow leaders from within.

Democratic Leaders

In a democracy, everyone takes an active role in decision-making. A democratic leader is an expert in successfully developing ways in which all members take an active role in the direction of a company’s success. These leaders give everyone an opportunity to be heard in a productive way.

Democratic leaders value, acknowledge and honor the views of their employees. They delegate responsibilities according to strengths and interest. These leaders open up communication throughout the company. Open lines of communication allow people to feel like they are heard and like they matter. Open communication helps to build creativity and success.

Democratic leaders set the stage for company core values but allow for other members to have a say as well. This helps employees to develop a vested interest in the success of the company. A democratic leader listens to what employees are saying. They offer trainings and support based on their team’s specific needs.

Democratic leaders create an environment in which employees are comfortable taking educated leaps in the direction of becoming great leaders.

Which of these leadership styles do you see most in yourself?

One important takeaway is there are many ways to effectively lead. Transformational leaders, coaches, and democratic leaders each have unique qualities, but all help build other leaders within an organization.

Jeff holds a Bachelor of Science in Landscape and Ornamental Horticulture from Auburn University and is a PGMS Certified Grounds manager, and Certified Arborist. His message rings true for any industry leader or manager looking to GROW a high-performance and dedicated workforce. Jeff has spoken at Caterpillar Inc, the Biltmore Estates, Leadercast, SRAPPA, Trent Lott Leadership Institute as well as the SEC Ole Miss Athletics. He has also worked with Memphis University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Georgia and private firms in developing their own training programs.

—