Strong Leadership

Recently I found myself in the rather unusual position of meeting with my current CEO and a previous CEO. I’m curious to know how many people have been in this situation! I found it fascinating to reflect afterwards on their strengths and leadership styles, both similar and yet, at the same time, very different. Watching them talk over lunch was somewhat surreal, but I had to remind myself I am fortunate to have worked with some very talented leaders in my career so far.

I’ve also had to lead departments in the past, and I am well aware of the difficulties in managing multiple personalities, particularly in a sales environment. One of my old managers constantly reminded me that the best salespeople were the hardest to manage!

It’s interesting how outstanding leadership can inspire an employee in different ways. Every individual is unique in what makes them tick, and a leader who motivates all kinds of people can run a successful business. I’ve worked with some influential leaders during my career in property and recruitment, and I genuinely believe that good leadership can really make your time at a company.

There are various styles of leadership; six common ones are:

Transformational Leadership

- We’ve likely all been in a group situation where someone took control, communicating with the group and creating a shared vision. Creating unity, developing bonds, creating energy, and instilling passion. This person is very likely to be considered a transformational leader.

Delegative Leadership

- Often referred to as “laissez-faire,” a delegative leadership style focuses on delegating initiative to team members. This is generally known as one of the least intrusive forms of leadership; this translates to “let them do.”

Authoritative Leadership

- Leaders who adopt this style consider themselves mentors to their followers. Not to be confused with authoritarian leadership, authoritative leadership emphasises a “follow me” approach. This way, leaders chart a course and encourage those around them to follow.

Transactional Leadership

- Transactional leadership, often referred to as managerial leadership, is a leadership style that relies on rewards and punishments. This leadership style clearly emphasises structure, assuming individuals may not possess the motivation needed to complete their tasks.

Participative Leadership

- Sometimes referred to as democratic leadership, participative leadership is a leadership style that encourages leaders to listen to their employees and involve them in the decision-making process. This leadership style requires leaders to be inclusive, utilise good communication skills, and, crucially, be able to share power/responsibility.

Servant Leadership

- Servant leadership is a leadership style that puts the needs of others first. It emphasises creating strong relationships with those around you and focuses on enabling them to reach their full potential. As a leader, it requires focusing on understanding the people you are working with and developing their abilities while also setting a good example and understanding their personal goals.

If you are looking for a new role, it’s a good idea to know what type of leader you respond best to and try to gauge their style when you meet them- or better yet, ask them what sort of leader they think they are on the interview!

Genum aims to partner with inspirational leaders, as we believe they will likely run the best businesses, and we work with some of the best in the industry. We can also advise our candidates on who runs the companies we work for and their approach to leadership to set you up in a place you’ll really thrive.