Leadership in Successful Organizations

Organizations are complex and dynamic organisms that accommodate different subjective thinking according to the life experiences of each individual. If I had to choose one driving force for success (in a very broad sense), I would opt for leadership skills without any hesitation. 

Nevertheless, an organization with a leadership deficit can experience momentary success, as some skilled employees who fulfill the strategic intent of top management can overcome it. 

As a manager, teacher, trainer, coach, and mentor, I have no doubt that leadership and communication are the key to the success of organizations, and more specifically to Project Management and PMOs (Project Management Offices); these organizational structures have acquired solidity and notoriety over the past two decades to meet the needs of IT. Currently, there is no consulting firm or organization involved in information technology or digital transformation that does not have to undertake multiple projects, and without effective leadership, they are doomed to failure.

When we talk about leadership and leaders, many wonder if leadership can be worked on, and developed, or if, on the contrary, it is something that each individual is born with?

I would say that leadership involves skills that can, should, and deserve to be worked on and developed; however, not everyone can develop these skills, which is paradoxical.

Leadership is an emotional relationship between the leader and those being led. 

Although there are numerous theories and authors on this topic, my favorite is Daniel Goleman, the author of Emotional Intelligence, who presents 6 different leadership styles:

The Visionary Leadership Style: The visionary leader gives his team a general direction and goal to achieve, but lets them reach that goal in whichever way they deem appropriate. This style is best suited when an organization does not have a well-defined path but is not efficient when the employees have more experience than the leader.

The Coaching Leadership Style: This leadership style helps the most efficient employees develop their skills over time; it is essentially focused on the personal development of employees, which has a very positive effect and leads to a good work environment, adapted to effective and mature teams. This leadership style, when applied well, creates resonance, which is generated by the relationship between the desires of each individual and the goals of the organization.

The Affiliative Leadership Style: This leadership style is suitable for solving conflicts within the organization by motivating employees during particularly difficult periods, as well as cultivating relationships among themselves. The affiliative leader is all about the people, and his motto is "people come first", which has a very positive effect on the work environment and creates harmony among team members. The downside, though, is that the team rarely receives actionable advice or corrections, leaving team members feeling confused and leaderless when faced with many options.

The Democratic Leadership Style: The democratic leadership style focuses on collaboration; the leader actively seeks input from his employees. While this is positive, its impact on an organizational environment is not as positive as it may seem at first. Under democratic leadership, every employee has a valued voice that the democratic leader genuinely wants to hear from. These workplaces tend to be more flexible, collaborative, and creative, but that comes with a price: Longer, more frequent meetings to discuss everyone’s opinions and talk about their ideas.

The Pacesetting Leadership Style: The pacesetting leadership style focuses on achieving goals and getting high-quality results from a competent and motivated team. Under the motto "do as I do, now", this approach can be very practical in situations of change or when dealing with problematic employees. However, this type of leadership often inhibits organizational flexibility and decreases employees’ motivation. When applied incorrectly, it can have a very negative impact on the corporate environment.

The Commanding Leadership Style: This leadership style is best used in crisis or emergencies to initiate a change in the status quo. A leader who sets and models high standards of performance has a positive effect on the organizational climate, especially among self-motivated and highly competent employees. This “do what I tell you” leadership style can have a very negative impact on employees as they may feel pressured by the leader's pursuit of excellence.

But what is a good leader?

A good leader is someone who manages to achieve the desired results with the consent of the teams, creating a positive environment that always, or almost always, allows for the development of those being led, so that they remain motivated. For this to happen, the leader must have the ability and flexibility to apply any leadership style according to the context.

"Anybody can become angry - that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy".

Aristotle