Glimmerick

After reading the next section, the text stresses using different leadership styles that fit different people. There are four highlighted styles that may fit different subordinates…

Different Strokes for Different Folks:

1. Directing- This is exactly as it sounds. The manager or leader gives subordinates specific directions to carry out a certain task. There is close supervision. “It’s really one-way communication. You tell the person what,when,where,and how to do something.” Structure, Control, Supervise.
   
2. Coaching- There is still close supervision, but their is more communication between the two. The manager may ask the subordinate for suggestions, the manager may tell the subordinate why or how something is to be done. Support for progress is also more prominent. It is one step past directing.
3. Supporting- This method is low on directive actions, high on supportive actions. A manager will “listen to their suggestions and facilitate their interaction with others.” The key that separates this method from others is that managers will ask questions that “expand their thinking and encourage risk-taking.” Praise, Listen, Facilitate.
4. Delegating- This method is the most basic. “The leader turns over responsibility for decision making and problem solving to subordinates.” While this method may be easiest for managers in terms of workload, there must be a high level of trust between a worker and his manager. Top 10 Tips on How to Delegate over at Get Everything Done.

Identifying which method is best matched with each employee can be difficult, but the rewards for doing so will be far greater than the time it takes to just figure it out. For a cool vizual aid, check out these figures here.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 12:02 am and is filed under Books, Self-Help. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.