Over the years, many scientists identified various leadership types. Leaders develop an individual style with which they are comfortable. According to Robert Lussier and Christopher Achua, leadership style is the combination of traits, skills, and behaviors, leaders use as they interact with followers. The important component is the behavior because it is relatively consistent pattern of attitude that characterizes a leader.
Hersey and Blanchard’s approach suggests four types of leadership: telling (directing), selling (coaching), participating (supporting), and delegating (observing). Directing leadership means telling what to do without supporting. The style focuses on the task, not on people. Coaching involves directing and supporting, when a leader listens and advises the followers, helping them to gain important and necessary skills. Supporting style means giving lots of support for the followers but with little direction. On the contrary, delegating leadership style involves giving little support or direction.
The delegating leadership style of is the easiest; it is characterized by a low focus on the people and on the task. The leader can pass his power, rights and responsibilities to other team members. The followers do not require special attention from the leader.
Coaching style is the most difficult to use. It requires high orientation to the task and people. The leader provides guidance and follows the implementation of tasks. Moreover, he explains the decisions, and offers the followers to express their own ideas and suggestions. The leader chooses the behavior that focuses on tasks, and supports the enthusiasm of the performers.
The main difference between these two styles consists of the leader’s role. In the first case, the leader does not play an important part in teamwork, as his followers have sufficient knowledge and skills. Therefore, it is not very difficult to direct their actions. In contrast, coaching style requires a lot of work and effort of the leader in order to teach the followers and to achieve the desired results.
Hersey and Blanchard’s approach is called the theory of the life cycle. The theory states the fact that the effectiveness of the leader depends on the maturity degree of the followers. In turn, maturity means the ability to be responsible for behavior, desire to achieve objectives, education and experience. The maturity cannot be constant characteristic of a particular person or a group. It is rather a description of the specific situation. It means that depending on the task that is done, people exhibit different degrees of maturity. Accordingly, the leader must change their behavior, depending on the degree of maturity of subordinates. The leader should consistently move from one style to another in order to reach the best results. Directing is suitable for subordinates with low maturity, when subordinates do not want or are not able to be responsible for a specific task, and they need appropriate instruction, guidance and strict control. Coaching is appropriate for the situations when subordinates want to take responsibility, but they cannot because they have an average maturity level. Supporting is characterized by a moderately high degree of maturity. The leader and subordinates make decisions together. Delegating is characterized by a high degree of maturity. As a result, the leader allows subordinates to do the same: they do not need any support or guidance.
The leader can use a certain style in the work of the group. He can also use other styles while working with individual subordinates, as they are at different stages of maturity.
Everyone has own natural qualities, which drive and motivate the person, and make him/her unique. Jeffrey Glann wrote in his essay critiquing that most leaders are “made” not “born”. Leaders must be able to transform people and motivate them to higher ideals. The ability to use different styles of the leadership is fundamental for creating and leading an effective team.