Tatum: Two Ways to Take the Lead by Giving Employees a Voice

Last issue, we went over two leadership styles in this series, transactional and transformational leadership. These are good for high-level thinking leaders. They are always looking for a new way to motivate or to do things. The next two that we are going to discuss are geared more toward team-building managers: servant and democratic leadership.

Servant Leadership

Some would call this a passive leadership style. These managers are looking to serve first and lead second. This is an excellent style to adopt as you first take over a shop or team, as it helps build trust with the team. These managers spend much of their time working with others to see them succeed, as they judge their value off what others can do. These managers allow for more open thinking and collaboration and less with the iron fist mentality of “it’s my way or the highway.”

The pros of this style are that it builds trust and confidence in you as the manager. It helps build teams that are highly performing and have high regard for how the business collaborates with them. Once you have this trust, it is a lot easier to ask more of your team to get the job done. The cons are that with this leadership style, you are always putting your own personal goals on the backburner for those of others. This can make you feel as if you are in a stall in growth with your company.

You are this type of leader if you find yourself talking like Max from the “New Amsterdam” television show and asking “how can I help” multiple times a day.

Democratic Leadership

The next leadership style is very team-oriented. We call it democratic leadership. These leaders may be higher in the organization, but they want to hear input and ideas from those underneath their level. These managers do not just send down orders from up high. They rely on a discussion format that allows the team to buy in and work together to accomplish the job in front of them.

The positive is that this does make employees feel as if their voices are heard. This is a good leadership style for someone who has a number of employees with the “millennial mindset,” looking for a job in which they can make an impact. These teams are positive-minded and ready to get the job done. The con with this leadership style is evident. What happens to the team when their ideas are not considered, and you make a decision to get the job done? Sometimes as a manager, you just have to make these calls.

This is your leadership style if you consistently make decisions as a group, rather than using your own mind and skills to accomplish the task.

Both leadership styles discussed today are great for team building, as we mentioned at the beginning. I will say that these are better leadership styles for those in higher levels of the management structure. At the shop level, you are looking at the boots-on-the-ground work, and these are sometimes time-consuming methods that will stall getting the job done. However, if you find yourself in your shop leading this way, take heed to the potential cons. You will need a high-level crew of technicians to have the greatest impact on your day-to-day business, but not impossible.