Our rough guide to leadership models continues with Daniel Goleman’s Golf Clubs. This examines the 6 main leadership behaviours needed to get the best results.
In Situational Leadership Theory, we introduced four leadership styles: Telling, coaching, participating, and delegating. Hersey and Blanchard contend that choice comes down to a sense of responsibility and willingness for the leader and team.
In contrast, Daniel Goleman, who popularized emotional intelligence, identifies six styles of leadership. But, this is where the similarity ends.
Here’s why.
Leadership That Gets Results
In Leadership That Gets Results, Daniel Goleman asks: What should leaders do?
And, his answer: get results.
But what leadership behaviours yield positive results?
I think that my leadership style is to get people to fear staying in place, to fear not changing. – Lou Gerstner
Research carried out in the late 1990s by the Hay Group identified not four but six main leadership styles. Each derived from different components of emotional intelligence.
The six leadership styles are:
- Coercive: Demanding immediate compliance.
- Authoritative: Motivating people toward a vision.
- Affiliative: Creating harmony and builds emotional bonds.
- Democratic: Forging consensus through participation.
- Pace-setting: Setting high standards for performance.
- Coaching: Developing people for the future.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Goleman likens these six leadership styles to the golf clubs used by scratch players. Those seasoned players who instinctively choose when to use the correct club: that is, the right leadership style to get the best result.
