Adopting
an appropriate and successful leadership style helps ensure an entrepreneur's
success in small business. There are many aspects that influence the type of
management that will work best for you and your company. Assess primary
factors, including your own innate tendencies and the needs of your staff, when
you consider various methods of leadership.
Personality
One
factor determining leadership style that cannot be ignored is the personality
of the individual who is in charge of a group of employees. Aligning an
individual's basic nature with a particular method of management is most often
successful, because the leader will be comfortable with it. For example, if the
manager possesses a charming demeanor that draws people to her, she likely will
adopt a charismatic style that develops a faithful staff desiring to please
their leader. On the other hand, a person who is most comfortable following set
protocols is likely to adopt a more traditional authoritative style in which
she trains employees to carry out their duties in strict accordance with
company policy.
Belief System
A
manager's professional ethics is often a factor that influences his method of
leadership. For example, the person who believes strongly in teamwork as the
most successful approach to work often adopts a democratic leadership style.
This style requires the manager to participate with employees in solving
problems together. Other people who wish to instill the importance of employees
learning self-management work well as transformational leaders. This type of
management involves ascertaining what employees need to work on, guiding them
in how to accomplish these changes and persuading their followers to commit to
the process of transforming themselves as workers and the organization in
general.
Company Culture
The
nature of a company's culture will influence the style of leadership used in
the establishment. If there is a strong culture of motivated and well-trained
employees, the managers can adopt a laissez faire style. This leadership method
is basically hands-off, as the manager believes her staff is capable of
handling their work without an abundance of guidance. The leader is there to
inspire but not to micromanage or even to spend much time overseeing projects.
Other companies are dedicated to creativity as a significant factor in their
success. This culture requires a creative leader who challenges employees to
think in innovative ways, express their opinions and experiment with different
work methods.
Employee Diversity
Small
businesses are hiring a more diverse workforce than in the past. A company is
likely to employ people of different races, gender, ages and cultures. Leaders
must respond to this diversity with a vision for their staff and by developing
a multi-cultural approach to their work. The styles of management most
compatible with a diverse set of workers include a participatory method, in
which the leader works closely with employees to help them assimilate and
succeed. Another successful style that works with individuals of different
backgrounds is servant leadership, where the manager dedicates his efforts to
providing the employees with everything they need so that, in principle, these
workers mature and pass along the servant attitude to other employees and to
their customers.
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