No matter where you sit in a business, there is huge importance in having strong management skills either for future managerial roles or to be able to manage up. Good management skills support a healthy work environment and promote growth among all employees. There are so many different management styles, all which benefit different people and businesses. At Woodforde Group we have highlighted some of the management styles we see commonly through our clients and candidates and break them down for you.
The Democratic Manager
A good way to simplify what a democratic manager is would be to say that this kind of manager is interested in your thoughts and enjoys others’ contributions and feedback. The reason for this kind of management is because it ignites creativity, collaboration, and communication. The benefits of this management outweigh the negatives as it usually creates more autonomy and alignment amongst a team because they understand the ‘why’.
The Autocratic Manager
The autocratic way of management in simple terms is a one-way approach where all decisions come from the top down and are not discussed with other employees or if they are little to no input from them would usually be taken into consideration.
This style of management is probably the most common kind of manager you would experience as it does give all employees a clear sense of direction and provides the manager with the ability to make quick decisions on their own. It’s important to understand that this kind of management approach isn’t always taken too well by employees if their communication skills aren’t strong their decisions, feedback and general communication can feel discouraging and makes open communication sometimes more difficult.
The Persuasive Manager
The persuasive style of management is all in the title. This style of management is when a manager provides employees with the conversations and considerations that took place ahead of a decision being made within a company and persuade their employees to trust that they were made for the best. This opens a new level of productivity as questions are always welcome to help employees understand why & how and really supports strong levels of trust amongst a team. It’s worth noting that for this style of management to have success, the manager needs to have a good relationship with the team first before implementing it.
The Transformational Manager
The best way to describe this kind of management style would be to say it is heavily focused on support and growth. Commonly, the transformational manager is the inspiring manager that reminds you of your purpose, pushes you to strive for your best and supports and rewards your accomplishments. Because of this style of management, transformational managers are able to push their teams past their comfort zone as the employee feels like they will always have a safety blanket and therefore motivates them. It increases innovation, inspires creative thinking and unlocks autonomy for challenging tasks as the employee always wants to achieve because of the support they receive. There are pros and cons to all kinds of techniques however the main consideration with this style of management is that sometimes from the outside it appears that passion & instinct take over from reality and over rewarding can occasionally led to quantity over quality results if not managed properly.
If you manage a team or if you have a manager, can you recognise any of these styles? If you’re hiring for a specific kind of management or a candidate to fit in with a particular management style or business, let us know and we’d love to help. Contact amanda@woodfordegroup.com for a confidential conversation.
