Great leaders inspire us to do great things, to believe that we can do anything, and to become the greatest versions of who we can be. This is why, as a leader of your business or company, you will know instinctively if you’re leading your team into a brave new tomorrow, or if they’re lagging, dragging their feet.
How they feel about your leadership style could make or break your company. Being knowledgeable about your weaknesses, and more importantly, your natural strengths can be a total game-changer. Here are six ways to manage a team and when to use them.
The Hare
This style is all about moving as fast as you can to get things done on time, which is of course ideal for times when you’re working towards a tight deadline.
If used all the time, the stress of only caring about deadlines can mean employees lose interest in the tasks altogether. If this is the case, try switching up your style to focus on the people doing the tasks. Find out more about what might work better for them in the long-run, and how they work best.
The Dreamer
If you are a dreamer, you can see exactly where you’d like your company to go and you love to share this vision with your team. This approach can help join you together as a team and improve morale.
If you are going to use this style, make sure that your vision is clear and that everyone believes in it. Working towards some unattainable goal is a surefire way to lose the crowd and end up talking to yourself.
The Director
You are a director if you tell it like it is and if you ask for tasks to be done directly, without hesitation or consideration for your employees. This no-nonsense approach can work extremely well in a crisis. By keeping a cool head and knowing what needs to be done at the moment, you can create success out of a messy situation.
Where it doesn’t work is if you find yourself constantly barking orders at your employees without ever using another management style. It’s a delicate balance, but use this only sparingly and when the situation calls for immediate and direct action. If overused, you can end up with employees who are low in morale and self-esteem, and others who are heading for the door.
The Greek
The Greeks invented democracy and this is what this leadership style is all about. You want to know everyone’s opinion and how things can be improved for the best overall outcome. Having your say can be very empowering for most people, especially if it’s something you are working on every day.
If this is your main way of managing, be careful that you are not asking for the wrong advice from the wrong people. This can be a big waste of everyone’s time, so make sure you have a well-developed team of experts that you know you can depend on as your business grows.
The Lover
The person who is the lover cares about relationships and how these bonds create enough synergy for a fruitful working environment. This style can be a huge booster for morale as everyone learns to understand and work with each other. When your team has experienced a setback or is changing group dynamics, this style can help to gel everyone together and keep things moving smoothly.
On the other hand, using this style all the time can lead to low performance and drive. This is because relationships are the main focus, and the goals can get left behind. In this case, try using some of the other management styles, especially the hare or the dreamer management styles.
The Coach
Working as a coach means that you’ll not only understand what is going on with people but that you will also try to find new ways of growing their (and your) skills and abilities. This is a great idea, especially for a new start-up where your business must keep growing and evolving. So, being open to growing together, as individuals and as a company, will be highly beneficial.
This approach could backfire if an employee is not in the mood for any kind of growth. Instead of coaching, you’d need to try out a different management style, like the director – at least until they feel more like meeting you on the same level.
So, there we have it, six ways of managing your team. Whichever style you choose, the most important thing is that the team you are leading feels happy and inspired to do the work for you. Because without the support and expertise of an effective team, your company would not be able to get off the ground. As billionaire Jack Ma says, “When your team is happy, the customer is happy.”
