Leadership & Communication Training by Mark Bowser & John C. Maxwell

Corporate Leadership Training: The Styles of Leadership

By Mark E. Bowser

There are three basic styles of leadership. All of us use these three
styles. Now, let me pause here for a minute and say that I am not
suggesting you change your style. What I am suggesting is that you become
flexible with the styles. Would you agree with me that your style works
some of the time and fails miserably some of the time? Why is that?
Because one style doesn't fit every situation. What I am suggesting is that
you use a more flexible situational leadership when it comes to the
Leadership Styles. Use the style that best fits the situation and the
people involved.

Having said that, what are the three Leadership Styles? The styles are:
1. Autocratic
2. Democratic
3. Free Rein

Let me explain what each style is and when to use it. Autocratic: The
Autocratic Leader is more like a general. The commander of an army. They
are quick decision makers and they tell others what to do. We saw this
style a great deal in the corporate world in the 1950's through the 1980's.
We still see it today but not quite as much as those earlier decades. Why
did we see it so much in the past? Well, where did the CEOs and Presidents
of organizations get their training? Many of them came out of the military.
Is autocratic leadership a good style for the military? Absolutely.
Particularly in war time. Why? Because we are in crisis or emergency mode.
Decisions had to be made and made quickly or people would die. Autocratic
leaders took action and won wars.

After the war, these leaders came back and took their place in the corporate
world. They discovered that their civilian counterparts didn't take to
orders like their military counterparts. This caused them some challenges.
The leaders discovered that their style didn't work in every situation.
They learned that they had to be flexible in their leadership styles.
There is still a place for autocratic leadership in the corporate world
because we have emergencies and other situations that require quick
decisions and quick actions. But what we have to do in order to maximize
our effectiveness is not get stuck in one style. Use the style that best
fits the situation.

Democratic: The second style of leadership is the Democratic style. This is
the leadership style of teamwork. It is run by democracy. We put things to
a vote to make decisions and the majority rules. This is great for building
team loyalty and participation but let me ask you a question. Should every
decision at your office be put to a vote? Of course not. So, when is this
a good leadership style to use? When you need to get buy in (by having open
discussions where you can answer questions and sell your vision) and when
the decisions aren't a major importance. Use this style to create rapport
and teamwork.

Free Rein: In this style of leadership, we get out of the way and let our
team do their thing. It is a style where there is definitely no micro
management. That is good. The challenge is that your team members have to
be excellent, well trained, and go getters for it to succeed. If you have
a lot of entry level workers or workers who are new to the job, this is not
the best style to be in. Those workers will need more of your input and
guidance for at least the short term.

Well, there we have it. Three styles of leadership: autocratic,
democratic, and free rein. They all have their pluses and they all have
their minuses. Use the style that best fits the situation and the team
members involved and you will find yourself succeeding in all leadership
situations.

Vision, Connection, & Direction: The Pathway to Effective Communication
John C. Maxwell

By communicating a message of hope and significance to his oppressed
countrymen in Poland, Pope John Paul II played a lead role in toppling
communism in Europe. He affirmed the dignity and humanity of Poles, rallying
them to resist communism, while at the same time teaching them to show
restraint when confronting the communist authorities. The vision,
connection, and direction he conveyed to people in his homeland as they
struggled against a repressive regime altered the course of world history.

VISION
When Pope John Paul II spoke, the world listened. A powerful, personal
vision gave force to his words. It was a vision birthed in tragedy and
refined through years of patient suffering.

As a young man Karol Wojtyla experienced firsthand the horrors of Nazi
Germany. As the Nazis swept into Poland, they shut down the university he
was attending, executed several of its professors, and carted off many of
his Jewish friends. Enduring the cruelties of the German occupation and
witnessing the violations of his country fueled Wojtyla's passionate vision
of the rights each human ought to have.

In World War II, the Soviet Union "liberated" Poland. In reality, one system
of tyranny simply replaced the other. As a young priest and then bishop,
Wojtyla learned how to operate under the watchful eye of a restrictive
communist government. He carried out his duties within the church boldly yet
shrewdly, expanding its influence without provoking official backlash from
the government. The experiences shaped his vision, schooling him in the
strategies that would later aid him in undermining communism as Pope.

CONNECTION
Pope John Paul II connected to people because he identified with their
hopes, their troubles, and their fears. Journalist Neal Ascherton, who
accompanied the Pope on his early visits to Poland, marveled at his ability
to connect with the audience-even when crowds numbered in the hundreds of
thousands. "Each person got the impression the Pope was really speaking to
them, that he was exclusively available for them." John Paul II valued
people, and since he understood them, he could offer a hopeful message that
made them feel significant. His optimistic words stood in stark contrast to
the bleak, unpromising future that communism seemed to have in store.

DIRECTION
Soviet-style communism relied upon propaganda, or officially sanctioned
lies, to sustain itself. The government manipulated the public debate by
controlling the media, and consequently, people were exposed to a steady
diet of misinformation. Through time, it became confusing for them to
distinguish between reality and fiction.

John Paul II gave the people of Eastern Europe a moral compass to guide them
as they navigated life in a communist system. His ideals served as a
reference point, helping them to distinguish between right and wrong, truth
and farce. Thanks to his position as head of the Catholic Church, the Pope
could freely voice ideas that were distasteful to the existing communist
authorities without having to fear reprisal.

Even though he inspired people to seek freedom, John Paul II was very subtle
in his criticisms of communism. He was careful not to provoke the crushing
retaliation of the Soviet military by fomenting a violent revolution.
Through the papacy, John Paul II modeled the strategy by which communism
would be undone: persistence of belief coupled with patient, restrained
resistance.

SUMMARY
To say that one man toppled communism in Europe would be an overstatement,
but perhaps nobody contributed more to its demise than Pope John Paul II.
His prowess as a communicator allowed him to attain enormous influence
within the subjugated nations of the Eastern bloc. By voicing a compelling
vision, connecting emotionally with people, and modeling the direction
forward, he transformed the political institutions of Europe.

"This article is used by permission from Leadership Wired, GiANT Impact's
premiere leadership newsletter, available for free subscription at
www.giantimpact.com ."

Have you heard the new singing group 4 Troops? The group is made up of 4
military persons. They are awesome. In fact, a good friend of mine Matt
Moran wrote their hit single For Freedom. Check it out at itunes or
pre-order the album at amazon.com.

Mark E. Bowser
President/CEO
Empowering Enterprises, Inc.
7723 Tylers Place Blvd. #280
West Chester, OH 45069
(513)252-GOAL

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