Tatum: Demanding Leadership Styles Have Purpose, but Come with Risk

We have reached the halfway point in our series on leadership styles. Have you seen your style run through yet, or are you still waiting for something that feels right? Well, the first four that we covered—transactional, transformational, servant, and democratic—are the ones that you can see across all styles of operations in this industry. This month’s duo of styles is something that you have seen more commonly, especially in a franchise system where there are certain rules and regulations that must be followed to maintain that brand name. Today we will go over autocratic and bureaucratic leadership styles.

Autocratic Leadership

Remember previously we mentioned mangers with a “my way or the highway” mindset? Well, here they are. This is the style of leadership that they have gravitated to in order to be successful. These managers have an all-control mentality. They make sure that their employees do what they say, how they say, and get the result that they want before it is complete to their vision.

Now this style is not as bad as it sounds. It does have some benefits, and there are situations in shops that do require this method on occasion. One instance would be taking over a shop with an unruly crew or one that has issues with warranties and following the processes. Decisions can be made quickly, and duties are followed to get the result expected. Now there is a big negative to this style, and that is the morale of the team that you are leading, not to say that they may not need it. The constant direction can lead to some employees feeling as if they do not matter and could lead to turnover issues.

This is your style if you like to be the one in control of decisions and think that going against what has always worked slows things down. If this is you, be aware of the team dynamic, and put together a team that needs this direction and is looking to come in and go home. It is difficult to find another leader in the group if they are unable to show what they have to offer.

Bureaucratic Leadership

If you are in a franchise, this may be your direction on leadership. In this system, you are following a checklist of directives. Being able to complete this daily can show your level of leadership. In this style, many managers have earned their position by being the best at getting the job done in a certain way. They like having a clear set of rules and ways of doing the job that they can follow. Franchises have a way that they do things, and this is the leadership that you see in many locations. They cannot just make changes to the system, regardless of whether it is a better way to go to business.

The pros of this style are that it is very strategic. There is a way that we do things, and if we follow this path, we will not rock the boat. It is a lot of routine, recurring checklists, and can be easily managed. The downside to this method is that it stalls creativity and in bringing innovative ideas to the table. You can tell that this is the leadership structure that you are under if you consistently hear, “This is how we have always don’t it.”

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The leadership styles we discussed today are two sides of the spectrum. One is total control of the situation in front of them, and the other leaves the control in a plan that has been predetermined to follow. If you have worked in this industry long enough, you have seen these managers and how these play out in a location. In my opinion, both styles could lead to higher turnover, as employees get stuck in a routine that has little flexibility. But knowing this in advance will help you stay ahead of this issue. If either of these is your style, look for ways to wrap in another leadership style to become a well-rounded leader.