Disconnected Leaders: A Sure Path To Failure

leadership style vs situation: the risk of a mismatch

Leadership is often discussed in terms of types and categories, as if classifying leaders allows us to fully grasp the concept. However, failures frequently occur when there's a disconnect between the requirements of a situation and the actions of the leaders managing it. This underscores the inconsistencies that can arise between leadership styles and situational demands.

A leadership style refers to the characteristic approaches, behaviors, and methods a leader adopts to guide, motivate, and influence others toward achieving goals. It encompasses how a leader communicates, makes decisions, delegates tasks, and interacts with team members. Common leadership styles include authoritarian, democratic, transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire.

Since leaders are individuals, it's natural to conclude that leadership style is linked to the person. Indeed, research indicates that personal characteristics—such as personality traits, emotional intelligence, and values—significantly influence a leader's default style. For example, extroverted individuals may be drawn to transformational or charismatic leadership, while detail-oriented leaders might prefer transactional styles (1).

Context affects leadership effectiveness

According to the contingency theory of leadership, no single style is universally effective; rather, effective leadership results from aligning one's style with the specific demands of the situation. For instance, in high-pressure scenarios, an authoritarian style may yield better results, whereas in collaborative environments, a democratic approach is more effective (2).

Therefore, leadership style emerges from an interplay between individual predispositions and contextual demands. Transformational leaders excel in dynamic environments that demand innovation, while transactional leadership may be more suitable in stable settings (3). Consequently, leaders who possess high adaptability and emotional intelligence are better equipped to modify their styles according to team needs and situational contexts.

High adaptability requires leaders to be aware of their own emotions.

Self-awareness is crucial

Self-awareness—the ability to recognize one's feelings as they occur—is crucial for psychological insight and self-understanding. Without this awareness, leaders may become controlled by their emotions, negatively impacting decision-making and effectiveness. Leaders with greater certainty about their feelings can guide their teams through diverse situations because they manage their emotions appropriately. This self-awareness enables leaders to handle emotions effectively, essential for soothing oneself and overcoming anxiety, gloom, or irritability. Those lacking this skill often battle distress, hindering their leadership abilities. In contrast, leaders who excel in emotional self-control can quickly recover from setbacks and maintain focus on goals. The ability to marshal emotions toward achieving objectives is vital for maintaining attention, self-motivation, mastery, and creativity. Achieving a "flow" (4) state allows for good performance across various endeavors, making leaders more productive and effective.

Empathy is the fundamental people skill

Empathy—another ability that builds upon emotional self-awareness—is the fundamental "people skill." Empathetic leaders are attuned to subtle social cues indicating others' needs and desires. Lacking empathy can lead to being emotionally tone-deaf, resulting in social costs and hindering team cohesion. The art of relationships largely involves managing others' emotions. Social competence underpins popularity, effective leadership, and interpersonal effectiveness. Leaders excelling in these skills perform well in contexts requiring smooth interactions, combining personal strengths with environmental awareness to achieve better outcomes.

Conversely, when leaders cannot bridge the gap between their style and situational demands, failure becomes more likely. Consider an authoritarian leader in a collaborative context: a CEO with an authoritarian style takes over a tech startup renowned for its open culture. The CEO imposes strict hierarchies and micromanages decisions. As a result, employee morale declines because their input is dismissed, stifling innovation and leading key team members to leave due to dissatisfaction. Another example involves a laissez-faire leader during a crisis. Imagine a department head in a healthcare facility who typically employs a laissez-faire style. During a sudden pandemic, clear direction is urgently needed. The leader fails to provide guidance, resulting in operational chaos. The team struggles without clear instructions, leading to inefficiencies and patient dissatisfaction. Staff become frustrated with the lack of leadership, causing tensions and decreased morale.

Considering context

These examples highlight that rigid adherence to a single leadership style without considering context can lead to significant organizational challenges. Effective leadership requires self-awareness and adaptability to align personal styles with situational demands. When leaders cannot adjust their style accordingly, organizations often experience poor performance, decreased morale, and increased conflict.

Therefore, leaders must increase their tolerance for ambiguity and individual differences, examine their needs for control, reduce reliance on external approval, and become more receptive to feedback. They should focus on the bigger picture while attending to immediate details. Developing self-awareness and adaptability through targeted interventions is essential to prevent mismatches and enable effective leadership across varied contexts.

There is no universally good or bad leadership style. Effective leaders are those who can analyze situations, identify patterns, and adapt their style accordingly. By developing self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and adaptability, leaders can align their personal approach with the demands of any situation, enhancing team performance and organizational success.

(1) Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755–768

(2) Fiedler, F. E. (1967). A theory of leadership effectiveness. McGraw-Hill

(3) Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass & Stogdill's handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications (3rd ed.). Free Press

(4) Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.