As a business leader, your goal is to guide your team towards the greatest success you can. In order to accomplish this, you must understand your management style! Your management style is important to know so that you can better communicate with your partners and employees. Additionally, learning from management styles that are not natural to you can help you adapt good leadership tactics that will make you an even more effective manager. Read below to learn which of the 3 most common management styles best apply to you.
1. The Visionary
If you are a person with a visionary management style, you are always focused on the end goal and vision of the company. You often communicate this goal with the team to ensure that everyone is working towards the vision. Visionary managers like you are usually lenient with specific tasks being done. In other words, you are not one to default toward micromanaging. In your mind, as long as the team is working towards the shared end goal, the team is best able to work on their own terms without much restriction. You are open to suggestions and feedback from the team but ultimately let the team use their personal motivations to achieve results.
Communication is the most important trait of a visionary manager like you. You are constantly updating your team with the latest results, checking with everyone to ensure they are on task, and reminding the team of what the goals are. Although this may seem like an easy or "relaxed" management style to others, it is difficult to execute and maintain. Visionary managers like you cannot be too strict or too lenient, and you may sometimes find it difficult to motivate the team to work towards the vision of the company with the same passion that you have. Be careful to not take this personally.
2. The Transformational Manager
A transformational manager like you is obsessed with development at all times. You constantly encourage the team to raise the bar and explore new territories. You believe that the best motivation for your team is the opportunity to improve themselves and their skills, rather than simply completing tasks for the company. Employees working for you under a transformational management style are often given opportunities for growth, both personally and professionally.
Transformational managers like you must be very supportive but also strict. You must be understanding of the team's needs but also help them constantly improve on themselves. Your management style involves a lot of innovation and risk-taking! You should be warned: your management style can be very tough on your team members. Your fixation with pushing employees past their limits and towards growth may cause you to lose employees along the way. Transformational management can be very effective in achieving results, but it is important for you to keep an eye out for when the team is getting pushed too far. Your style may risk developing burnout in yourself and your employees.
3. The Coach
Coaching management focuses on long-term development and growth. Coaching managers like you are passionate about what they do. You are constantly looking to personally improve the skills and careers of the people around you. Teams working under you and your coaching management style are incentivized with promotions or opportunities for more responsibility. This incentive pushes team members to gain more knowledge and constant progress forward. You often have a strong bond personal with your team that can look similar to a mentoring relationship. You are seen as a mentor, rather than a distanced corporate boss. In addition to wanting to improve each member of their team, your other top priority is teamwork. You believe that the best teams are the ones that not only have valuable talent but also enjoy working together.
Coaching managers like you are especially effective in developing your team's dynamic, but you can sometimes get lost in personal improvement - especially if feel that you aren't making progress in the overall vision of the company.
Do any of these management styles sound like you? Take time this week to be mindful of these management styles, and try adopting a different approach when possible. You never know what your team might respond to!
The Predictive Index
The Predictive Index is a powerful assessment that provides a much more in-depth and personalized analysis of your behavioral styles. At Vega Inspired Solutions, we have conducted countless Predictive Index assessments for clients and have provided transformative insight time and time again.
If you want to continue understanding how to further develop your leadership potential, call or message Vega Inspired Solutions today. We love working with business leaders that have a growth mindset like you!