Leadership is a process of intentional influence and a leader’s behaviour towards others is at the heart of management.
At its core, leadership style is a leader’s interactions with others and it is their emotional intelligence capabilities that matter the most.
According to Daniel Goleman (2006) the most effective leaders act according to one or more of six distinct leadership styles depending on the situation:
1. Visionary
“Let’s remind ourselves of the larger purpose.”
Authoritative leadership outlining the vision and allowing innovations and experimentation.
2. Coaching
“Let me help you develop.”
Developing long-term goals based upon peoples’ strengths and weaknesses.
3. Affiliative
“People first, task second.”
Promoting harmony and personal relationships.
4. Democratic
“Let’s work it out together.”
Emphasises teamwork and collaboration, builds consensus and encourages participation.
5. Pacesetting
“Do it my way”
Focusing on learning new approaches and performance to meet challenging goals.
6. Commanding
“Do it because I say so.”
Seeking immediate compliance, this is directive and coercive leadership.
Looking at these styles, which ones do you use as a school leader most frequently in a given week?
Greenway et al (2018) notes that the best leaders don’t rely on just one style. They say, “Just as a golfer is proficient with a selection of clubs, the most effective leaders switch flexibly between the styles as needed by the situation.”
It is possible therefore that in one day or even in one meeting, leaders might use all six styles of leadership.
Although successful leaders are able to adapt the type of leadership style they use to a specific situation or circumstance, many leaders tend to use one dominant style more often than others.
However, being flexible and using a repertoire of styles makes a highly effective leader. To get the best results, leaders adjust their styles often seamlessly and in different measures.
Goleman et al, (2003) say that four of the six styles – visionary, coaching, affiliative and democratic – create the kind of resonance that boosts performance. They advise that pacesetting and commanding should be applied with caution. These still have their place e.g., in an emergency, then a commanding leadership style would work well.
What makes the most difference to a school is that the leaders are socially intelligent and adopt a personable leadership style.
Goleman (2006) says leaders that have interpersonal awareness and social facility take the time to forge human connections and invest in positive interactions and so get more leverage.
He says that the nest climate for learning comes from when everyone in the school community takes steps to become more emotionally and socially intelligent. If a school leader wants “to create an emotional climate that ‘lifts all boats,’ they must lead the group toward positive, empathetic social interactions.”
A happy school has a socially intelligent culture and this is powered by visionary, coaching, democratic, and affiliative leadership styles because they create a positive climate in which people feel energised to do their best.
Goleman argues that the chief job of a school leader is to help their staff get into and stay in an optimal state in which they can work to the best of their ability. This comes from establishing an atmosphere of warmth, trust and global rapport.
The emotionally intelligent leader improves wellbeing and builds positive relationships (Clyde Roberts, 2022).
Leaders who juggle various leadership styles artfully, who are headstrong and humble, are the most effective and deliver the best results but that’s easier said than done.
Organisational culture, context, individual propensity and “style history” are important factors in determining the use of leadership styles by school leaders. Sometimes, leaders get stuck in a habitual style that they can’t really move out of which makes it difficult to unleash their emotional intelligence. If this is a pacesetting or commanding style then it can sap motivation and alienate people.
And finally….
School leaders have highly emotional and stressful jobs, and so they need a range of professional competencies to deal with daily challenges in schools. Their emotional and social labour in any one school day is huge.
Leadership styles can be honed over time and adapted to meet different challenges but emotional intelligence needs to be cultivated and refined through emotional competency training and coaching because the emotional cost of headship is significant. This should be a basic right of school leaders because it is a protective factor in helping them avoid burnout.
Supporting initiatives to develop well-rounded leaders capable of knowing their own emotional intelligence creates school wellbeing and this helps teachers to positively impact the teaching and learning environment of a school.
Leaders need to develop and nurture their emotional intelligence as many school-embedded constraints and challenges necessitate the demonstration of essential emotional intelligence skills and traits.
Consider the opportunities you can foster to grow and develop your own leadership styles and commit to being a socially intelligent leader.
As Cliffe (2018) says, “… intelligent use of emotions by headteachers has the power to change lives.”
About the author
John Dabell
John is an ex-primary school teacher and Ofsted inspector who has spent the last 20 years working in the education industry as a teacher, writer and editor. John’s specialist area is primary maths but he also loves teaching science and English. John has written a number of educational and children’s books, and contributed over 1,000 articles and features to various educational bodies. John is Eteach’s school leadership and Ofsted advice guru, sharing insights on best practice for motivating and enriching a school team, as well as sharing savvy career steps for headteachers and SLT.
