We’ve all experienced leaders whose style works or doesn’t. It begs the question – are some methods better than others. There are three basic forms of leadership – Ask, Tell, Empower.
Ask
With this leadership style employees are asked to perform tasks and take on certain responsibilities. Typically, it’s a gentle request without any expectations and consequences attached. This can leave the employee uncertain about how important the function is. They are also in the dark about what the impact will be of doing, or not doing, what is asked. Imagine the fallout when the leader gets fed up with things not being done, or not being done in a timely fashion!
Leaders who are Askers are usually conflict avoidant and are concerned about appearing to be too authoritarian. Unfortunately, this can leave employees feeling untethered to direction and outcomes. When people are unsure of direction or what they are allowed to do they tend to scale back. They will do less, make fewer decisions, and therefore, accomplish less.
Tell
With this leadership style employees are not only told what to do but often times how to do it. Employees can feel micromanaged and constrained with this style. They can also feel that they aren’t trusted. Mistrust interferes with someone’s commitment to the end goal. It lowers morale and can severely impede progress.
For the most part, the Tellers are more interested in keeping control than in realizing outcomes. They tend to be insecure about the motives of others and fear failure if decisions are left in the hands of other people. This is the style that is least effective. Employees aren’t motivated to do any more than the bare minimum and will leave the company for a better environment. There are huge costs associated with both of those situations.
Empower
With this leadership style employees are given the power to own their role and figure out the best way to accomplish their goals. They are challenged to problem solve and strategize. Employees tend to feel a deeper level of commitment to the organization when they are empowered.
This also frees the leader to focus on bigger, strategic initiatives. When employees are empowered, they feel confident. This confidence spills over onto the leader who can be confident the work is getting done, decisions are being made, and problems are being solved.
We can see that while each style can gain results, empowering others is the style that realizes the greatest outcomes. If you are a leader who asks or tells, do some soul searching to identify why that is your preferred style. And then consider giving Empowering a try. It can be a gamechanger.
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