Leadership is one of the essential skills for managers and team leaders. They work in close contact with the members of their teams. They must be able to guide their employees individually and collectively in order to achieve given objectives (without upsetting the different personalities that make up the group). How exactly can leadership be defined? Is there one leadership style or several? What are the advantages of developing leadership? How do you train? In this new dossier, we take a look at this issue.
What is leadership?
Leadership is a term borrowed from the English language which means the position of a leader, a chief, an individual of influence. Leadership defines the capacity of an individual to direct, guide, accompany and lead a group in order to achieve given objectives. The leader must be able to mobilise, influence, inspire and unite the members of his or her team without imposing.
Leadership training
What are the different leadership styles?
Today, there are many types of leadership, more or less effective depending on the company, the situation and the individual:
- Visionary leadership: the leader is charismatic, he/she unites and inspires his/her colleagues. He has a very good communication capacity and motivates his team members thanks to a shared vision. This type of leadership is a real lever for achieving company objectives and works very well.
- Directive leadership: This type of leadership is very hierarchical and authoritative. "Do as I say" is its credo. This type of management is archaic and not well perceived by team members. It is now rarely used, generally only to reframe the most disruptive and insubordinate employees.
- Participative leadership: it emphasises collective intelligence and solicits the participation of all employees. This style of leadership, which leaves plenty of room for everyone's creativity, is very rewarding. It creates a wave of positive energy, promotes good understanding within the group and, as a result, a good dose of motivation at work.
- Leadership as a leader : the leader sets the pace for the team. He is directive, but demanding of himself. He sets the example more than he orders (but expects a similar level of investment from his team). This type of management is stimulating when it addresses a team with high and homogeneous skill levels. Otherwise, it can burn out and discourage some staff.
- Authoritarian leadership: This type of management is similar to directive leadership. The manager puts forward his own opinions and gives little consideration to suggestions from his peers. He defines the objectives to be achieved and the decision making is entirely his own. This style of leadership can make employees feel unfair. As they feel like pawns, they are often not very involved. However, if the manager is an expert, he or she can make decisions quickly and appropriately for the work environment. To be well perceived, the manager must be perfectly legitimate in the eyes of his employees.
- Coaching leadership: the leader accompanies his employees, pulling them upwards. He or she is aware of the needs, difficulties and skills of each person to enable them to progress and evolve. The leader leads, but must also take the time to work closely and individually with each member of the team. They often run meetings, workshops and training sessions and monitor progress. They also have an active listening and counselling role.
- Collaborative leadership: the leader helps his colleagues to develop their skills by sharing his own. He/she keeps a close eye on the good relations between the team members so that harmony reigns over the group. The strength of this type of leadership is based on collective performance.
- Benevolent leadership: this technique is similar to horizontal management. The relationship between the hierarchy and the employees is smoothed out. The leader places himself as much as possible in an equal relationship with his employees. He invites them to work in the way that suits them as long as the objectives are achieved. Exchange, trust, sharing of ideas and transparency are the watchwords of benevolent leadership.
Leadership training
Why develop leadership?
Leadership is an indispensable managerial skill to have the support, backing and involvement of the teams to be managed (it is important to choose the right management style to be applied in order to get maximum efficiency from leadership). A good manager must be able to adopt the right behaviour in front of his employees so that his decisions are easily accepted and followed. Leadership development makes managers more effective, more credible and more legitimate in the eyes of their partners (both hierarchy and employees).
Our tips for improving your leadership as a manager
Do you want to improve your management style? There are different areas to work on to improve your leadership:
- Personal motivation: leadership allows you to understand the different effective levers for motivating a team... and staying motivated yourself. The application of this approach helps to keep employees motivated and involved and to develop a healthy relationship. These different factors make the manager's daily life more pleasant and motivating.
- Communication: being able to communicate with your team is one of the essential managerial skills for any good leader. It is essential to be able to exchange ideas without tension, to find solutions, to listen sympathetically and to advise.
- Confidence: in oneself and in others. It is important to be able to assert oneself, but also to give responsibility to one's colleagues and to delegate. Leadership training allows you to acquire all these notions.
- Emotional/empathic intelligence: listening to one's peers, understanding their feelings and emotions and acting accordingly is important for hierarchical relations, within the team, but also for group cohesion. Developing this area can have many beneficial effects on the atmosphere at work.
- Finally, it is important to be aware of one's responsibilities and to assume them. The manager must adopt an appropriate stance and be respected by his or her colleagues. To do this, he or she must have the necessary leadership to be credible and listened to.
Leadership training
Short Courses
Our leadership development courses
Do you want to assert your leadership? Are you not born with leadership skills? Do you want to have the leadership and interpersonal skills needed to manage a team? ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ offers you a leadership training course consisting of two modules. The first one is about self-knowledge, in order to determine your areas of improvement, the second one is about developing a vision and the communication necessary to establish your leadership. We also offer a number of short training courses that enable you to acquire the skill sets that are essential for good management.
