My leadership style…

As I was pondering scripture today I was reminded of something I wrote almost twenty years ago when I was leading an organization of about 350 people.

In 1939, Kurt Lewin and a group of researchers identified three styles of leadership: authoritarian, participative, and delegative.

Authoritarian leaders, considered autocratic, are clear about the what, why, and how… what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. There is a well-defined boundary between this type of leader and their followers.

Interestingly, decision-making is usually less creative under authoritarian leadership. Lewin also found that it is more difficult to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this style of leadership is usually viewed as controlling, dominant, and arrogant.

A participative leader, described as democratic, was generally found to be the most effective leadership style. Participative leaders offer leadership to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In Lewin’s study, people in this group were slightly less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a much higher quality.

Participative leaders inspire group members to contribute, but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative.

Delegative type leaders, also known as laissez-fair, were the least productive of all three groups. The people in this group made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation and were unable to work independently.

Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. While this style can be effective in situations where group members are highly qualified in an area of expertise, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation.

Of course, there has been enormously more work on leadership since Lewin, but which of these three types best describe your leadership?

“I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively!” 2 Cor. 6:12 The Message

Participative is my style. I want the people I lead to find their full expression, to dig deep into their souls and give everything they have for the greater good, to be fully alive.