‘What makes a good leader’ is a question most of us ask some time in our leadership journey. Most of us try to answer this question by looking at the leaders we come across in the workplace, in the news, those holding powers in government. I have asked this question personally and asked other leaders what they think. I was struck at how different people’s opinions are. There are those who think dominant, assertive leaders are the best type. Others think that the empathic, caring leaders are better than those who only care to win. Trawling through the vast amount of leadership websites, blogs and opinions only lead to more confusion.

Experts have also struggled with this question and some have come up with different leadership models. Trait based models explored whether there are personal traits that leads to effective leadership.

Characteristics such as self confidence, ability to regulate stress, ambition, drive are some of the traits common in good leaders.

However, a lot of great leaders do not have all these traits and these characteristics were not found to be reliably predict work performance. Behavioural models aimed to identify types of behaviours that effective leaders use to influence their staff. A similar issue arose with trait based model, that behaviours could not predict effective leadership.

I found that the situational model of change by Dunphy and Stace most helpful in answering this question. The model suggest that there are different sets of leadership attributes, style and behaviours depending on the situation at hand. Businesses experience various stages of change during its life cycle and face unique challenges.

During developmental transitions organisations face constant incremental change. Organisations in this type of transition usually pursue stable and continuous improvements in their service quality. Employees are usually aligned with the vision and need to cooperate with each other to achieve their goals.

A collaborative style led by ‘coaches’ is desirable during a developmental transitions phase. This style engages employees to participate in the change and direction.

The buy-in from employees gained from using this style helps the organisation to continue to carry out incremental changes it needs to grow.

During task focused transitions, the organisation also face incremental change but there is high importance placed on compliance and conformity to achieve its goals. Organisations in this type of transition may be ones that needs to adopt new systems of work or use new techniques to produce its goods. For example: in order to survive intense competition, a company may need to adopt new technologies to increase their efficiency that is not possible by using the old technology. In this phase, full adoption of the technology is more important than trying to achieve consensus.

During task focused transitions a combination of directive and consultative style led by ‘captains’ is most desirable.

The captain has to be assertive and directive in ensuring everyone is on board with the change in direction. The captain also consults and ensures employees have some involvement in the change process.

Charismatic transformations may also be required where drastic, frame breaking changes need to happen. Organisations in this phase are usually at risk of strategic misalignment with the environment. It may be under threat and need radical changes to happen in order to survive.

Charismatic transformation phases require speed of decision making and execution as the risk of delays or no change threatens its existence. The rapid pace of change require leaders to inspire, communicate and present compelling reasons for change in order for employees to accept and come along for the journey.

The ‘charismatic’ and inspirational leader is desirable during this phase as their effective communication skills, ability to quickly gain trust and credibility can garner the support of all stakeholders.

Lastly, turnarounds are phases where organisations need to radically change its strategy. Organisations in this phase usually have to execute difficult decision such as laying off staff or conducting massive restructures.

Turnaround phases prioritise achieving the strategic gains for its survival. Due to the difficult nature of the decisions it has to make and resistance it will face, effective leaders during this phase are usually the ‘commanders’ who can use coercive styles.

These leaders need to be ‘thick skinned’, be able to stand strong amidst intense opposition and have trust and confidence that the process will lead to better outcomes for the organisation and its people.

In my personal experience as a healthcare director, I have experienced leading in different phases. I found that matching leadership styles to the situation leads to effective strategy execution and (in most instances) support employees to trust and come along in the change journey.

What do you think? Can you relate to any of these phases of change? What leadership style are you using and do you find it to be effective? Please contact Optimal Minds today for a confidential discussion with our skilled coaches if you wish to develop your leadership skills.