When it comes to Leadership Styles … most “experts” end up building “Either/Or Models”.
- Either you are Strategic or you are Operational
- Either you are a Dominator or a Servant
You choose - or more often you take an inventory - which defines your position on the continuum between the two extremes.
These Either/Or exercises are interesting … just like the porridge Goldilocks found to be too hot or too cold. However, Goldilocks can teach us a lesson on how to find that Leadership Style middle ground … that ends up being “Just Right”. (credit: This post inspired by Kaplan & Kaiser article in the 2/09 Harvard Business Review)
Let’s have Goldilocks explain with one of the common Either/Or Models: Dominating vs. Enabling.
You are probably very familiar with this Either / Or, although you may know it by different names than I have given it here. Dominating vs. Enabling goes something like this: “As you reflect upon your own personal Leadership Style are you more likely to …”
- “Tell” or “Ask”
- Make Decisions or Strive for Consensus
- Take Charge or Empower Others
- Push or Support
Ask yourself these questions and you will most likely find yourself towards one side of this Either/Or Model. You probably also consider this leadership style preference to be one of your strengths … and that may be true. AND it is possible to overuse your strengths. If you have a preference for a Dominating Style you may have a blind spot for opportunities to be more Enabling.
If Goldilocks were to “taste” your “leadership porridge”, she might judge it as too hot or too cold … because you may be over using your Dominant Style. Here is the challenge …
If you see your Preference as a Strength … you are highly likely to over use it AND you will be the last person to know it is being overused.
- Dominator: You will be proud of the way you make rapid decisions …
- Enabler: You pride yourself on how you never act until everyone is on board …
While those same overused tendencies drive your team completely BONKERS behind your back. “This porridge is Too Hot”, says Goldilocks and she goes looking for the bowl that is Just Right.
Goldilocks is a measureable phenomenon ! Kaplan & Kaiser have done 360-degree evaluations on 1,200 middle managers with 15,000 of their co-workers and found this consistent relationship …
Look at the Graph top left here. It shows Results or Effectiveness on the “Y” axis. And it shows the amount you channel your individual leadership style preference on the “X” axis.
Notice the Peak Results come from a balance between the two extremes. Not too much … not too little … just right. “Yummy”, says Goldilocks.
The curve resembles the statistician’s Bell Shaped Curve except we are not measuring frequency here … we are measuring the life blood of leadership effectiveness … RESULTS.
So how do you produce maximal Leadership Effectiveness? The Key here is Balance … although Goldilocks definition of “just right” - the tepid porridge of the nursery rhyme … is not the type of Balance you are looking for here.
“Just Right” in Leadership involves the Balanced Application of BOTH the different Either/Or Styles.
Do not try to find a neutral middle ground where you are neither Dominating or Enabling … we would all die of your milque toasty-ness. Nope …
The key is knowing WHEN the situation demands you exercise your more Dominating traits and when to be more Enabling. You strike a balance by knowing which side of the Either/Or the situation demands and using it appropriately.
Action Step: Kaplan and Kaiser suggest you actively look for overused strengths in you Leadership Style. They suggest you ask yourself one question to pinpoint the style you are most in danger of overusing. Here it is …
“In what way do you privately pride yourself on being superior to other Leader’s in your company?”
Your answer will identify the strength you are most likely to be overusing with your teams. Check it out … and then become aware of the lesson in Balance Goldilocks has to teach us all. Look for opportunities to use the opposite of your normal style and find the Goldilocks Balance that produces optimal results.
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