Recent Discussion on Linked 2 Leadership: "Four Leadership Styles, Which Do You Prefer?"

The discussion group called Linked 2 Leadership on Linked In is a great thought provoking outlet! I recently saw a posting that I had to answer. It asked: "Four Leadership Styles, Which Do You Prefer?"

And it explained the different styles as follows:

A recent Forbes article by Rich Karlgaard talked about leadership styles that work. Of the four I mention below...which do you prefer and why?

1) Visionary: Apple's Steve Jobs and Whole Foods' John Mackey are examples of visionary business leaders who believe vision, product integrity and brand will always be one in the same.

2) Empathetic: Bill Hewlett, co-founder of H-P, liked to roll up his sleeves and inspire engineers by walking the floors and listening to their concerns. Another example: Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher.

3) Humble Servitude: Rob Walton, Wal-Mart Chairman, says his job is to listen to customers, listen to customers, listen to customers -- establish a service spirit for the whole company. Rob Walton's secret to success, he does not pretend to be Sam Walton, the founder.

4) Moral/Ethical: In U.S. Deer and Co, American Express and Starbucks have done well by doing good. Francis Yeoh, head of Malaysia's YTL Corp, is an open advocate of moral leadership, and his company has no room for ehtical lapses.

There are many styles of leadership -- Leadership style must fit the leader, and it must fit the organization.

My answer to this question is the VISIONARY leader.

Here is what I wrote:

I believe that a true Visionary leader knows how do do all of the rest.

I have enjoyed reading all the points of view on this discussion because Mitch says, "leaders should find a better way", Jim M. says, "we should be able to prove that their way is better with documented and proven results", and Matt says, "his visionary boss gives guidance towards a better way, and lets the team work out the method or proof with great results"!

In the Army, I worked for some great leaders and some not so great ones. And when I coached my team of Soldiers as a Commander, I always tried to instill skills in them that offered them a better way to achieve real results even if I wasn't there. I believe that is the definition of the Visionary leadership style.

And it is the same in business and life too. If I am not teaching, practicing, and continuously learning the skills that will take my team (ex. self, staff, business, family) to the next level of performance and delivering real results on the goals we collectively set forth, then I am not doing the right things as a leader.

When I have seen people practice this committment in their leadership, I have seen their teams perform. And more than that, I have seen their teams truly WANT to perform well for them. (Like the example Matt has given us about his visionary leader above.)

I also believe morals and ethics are the responsibility of every leader -- it is not a leadership style. If you are leading your team towards anything else, then you are promising them longrun failure!

Also, empathy and humble servitude are SKILLS that leaders should learn, but are not in themslves leadership styles.

Those are the things I try to communicate now when I coach people in Leadership even today.