Autocratic Leadership Style Highly Directive People may come off as 'Bossy'!
The Autocratic Leadership Style has been criticized by younger, higher skilled workers who resist the notion of a 'boss' to answer to.
And, the authoritarian leader tends to be abrasive to more entrepreneurial personalities.
On the flip-side the Autocratic Leadership Style works well for lower-skilled production workers -- at least from a corporate profit standpoint. I'm not suggesting that young front line workers 'prefer' the autocratic style, rather that in an environment where production is mostly 'physically demanding' that the 'task master' approach may still be warranted.
The largest UPS Airport is located here in Louisville, Kentucky and as I toured the World Port last month and looked at the miles of conveyors and thousands of packages being automatically sorted into final line feeds that have to be staffed by humans I imagine that a highly directive leadership style (autocratic leadership style) is necessary. The machines & conveyors force the fact that there isn't space for a lot of creativity. Rather what is needed is a smoothly operating process that uses the humans in the building almost like 'droids'. Now, I'm not suggesting that the workers at World-Port are not skilled, bright and energetic but I am saying that the roles they have to perform in the World-Port are dictated by the 'machine'. And, the role of leaders (managers, more correctly stated in this case) there is to keep the cogs & conveyors running at the highest pace possible with the least hassle possible. Therefore, they're not looking for a lot of 'thinking' and 'creative feedback' or 'brainstorming'-they need packages put in the right bag right now! And, I'd be interested to learn how UPS has garnered feedback from the workers on the line as obviously they have to build such an elegant and intricate 'machine' that can move millions of packages to destinations all over the world with nearly 100% accuracy. So, I know that they value employee feedback, but I'm guessing that they don't stop the line very often to collaborate.
A leader with a high need for collaboration and feedback would be very frustrated at the World Port, but a leader with a bit of 'drill sergeant' in her would relish the power of the position. A leader does well to understand what the organization needs from her/him in a given role. And, he does even better if he allows his career to move along the rails that suits his natural leadership bent best.
More specifically if you value collaboration, feedback, egaliatarian situations and lots of time to process information you'd do well to lead in a 'knowledge worker' situation rather than in a production environment like shipping or manufacturing.
Leader, know thyself! And, choose settings that allow you to do your best leading.
I have a lot of respect for Authoritative leaders and those that wield the Autocratic Leadership Style effectively. I don't like operating from the position of power, although I can be tough to deal with and move rapidly into an autocratic leadership style in emergency situations or in situations where the mission is critical and people seem 'stuck'.
If you prefer the Autocratic style then your shadow weakness will be the abuse of power. You'll need to have others give you honest feedback about how your team is really doing with your leadership. The challenge is that the powerful don't realize that they have the power and can easily cause others to feel ran over.
If you have a position of leadership then you automatically have some 'power issues' that you'll have to guard against. Not because you are power hungry, but because the 'boss' is seen and experienced differently than other members of the team.
The basic premise here is that the more unskilled the workers you lead and more production NOW matters the more an autocratic leadership style may be called for. The flip side is that the more skilled knowledge work force you lead the more you'll need to lead from a collaborative stance.
Chances are that you'll have to adjust your style a bit to fit the situation that you are leading in.
Great leaders are great learners. So, keep on learning to improve your leadership game!
Check out the Leadership Blog to Revamp your Leadership Style
4 Pillars of Leadership Success
Six Leadership Styles
You've got STYLE! What leadership style do you prefer to use?
Leaders are Learners! Read up to go up.
If I can serve your or your organization please just let me know!
Autocratic Leadership Style
The Autocratic Leadership Style has been criticized by younger, higher skilled workers who resist the notion of a 'boss' to answer to.
And, the authoritarian leader tends to be abrasive to more entrepreneurial personalities.
On the flip-side the Autocratic Leadership Style works well for lower-skilled production workers -- at least from a corporate profit standpoint. I'm not suggesting that young front line workers 'prefer' the autocratic style, rather that in an environment where production is mostly 'physically demanding' that the 'task master' approach may still be warranted.
The largest UPS Airport is located here in Louisville, Kentucky and as I toured the World Port last month and looked at the miles of conveyors and thousands of packages being automatically sorted into final line feeds that have to be staffed by humans I imagine that a highly directive leadership style (autocratic leadership style) is necessary. The machines & conveyors force the fact that there isn't space for a lot of creativity. Rather what is needed is a smoothly operating process that uses the humans in the building almost like 'droids'. Now, I'm not suggesting that the workers at World-Port are not skilled, bright and energetic but I am saying that the roles they have to perform in the World-Port are dictated by the 'machine'. And, the role of leaders (managers, more correctly stated in this case) there is to keep the cogs & conveyors running at the highest pace possible with the least hassle possible. Therefore, they're not looking for a lot of 'thinking' and 'creative feedback' or 'brainstorming'-they need packages put in the right bag right now! And, I'd be interested to learn how UPS has garnered feedback from the workers on the line as obviously they have to build such an elegant and intricate 'machine' that can move millions of packages to destinations all over the world with nearly 100% accuracy. So, I know that they value employee feedback, but I'm guessing that they don't stop the line very often to collaborate.
A leader with a high need for collaboration and feedback would be very frustrated at the World Port, but a leader with a bit of 'drill sergeant' in her would relish the power of the position. A leader does well to understand what the organization needs from her/him in a given role. And, he does even better if he allows his career to move along the rails that suits his natural leadership bent best.
More specifically if you value collaboration, feedback, egaliatarian situations and lots of time to process information you'd do well to lead in a 'knowledge worker' situation rather than in a production environment like shipping or manufacturing.
Leader, know thyself! And, choose settings that allow you to do your best leading.
I have a lot of respect for Authoritative leaders and those that wield the Autocratic Leadership Style effectively. I don't like operating from the position of power, although I can be tough to deal with and move rapidly into an autocratic leadership style in emergency situations or in situations where the mission is critical and people seem 'stuck'.
If you prefer the Autocratic style then your shadow weakness will be the abuse of power. You'll need to have others give you honest feedback about how your team is really doing with your leadership. The challenge is that the powerful don't realize that they have the power and can easily cause others to feel ran over.
If you have a position of leadership then you automatically have some 'power issues' that you'll have to guard against. Not because you are power hungry, but because the 'boss' is seen and experienced differently than other members of the team.
The basic premise here is that the more unskilled the workers you lead and more production NOW matters the more an autocratic leadership style may be called for. The flip side is that the more skilled knowledge work force you lead the more you'll need to lead from a collaborative stance.
Chances are that you'll have to adjust your style a bit to fit the situation that you are leading in.
Great leaders are great learners. So, keep on learning to improve your leadership game!
Check out the Leadership Blog to Revamp your Leadership Style
4 Pillars of Leadership Success
Six Leadership Styles
You've got STYLE! What leadership style do you prefer to use?
Leaders are Learners! Read up to go up.
If I can serve your or your organization please just let me know!
Autocratic Leadership Style
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