Servant, Coaching and Authentic Leadership Styles – Crack the Leadership Style Code pt 3 – ep 124

Servant + Coaching + Authentic Leadership Styles – Cracking the Code of Leadership Styles

Have you – or someone you know – ever left a workplace not because of the job but because the clinic owner, head nurse or lead vet, let toxic behaviour persist? 

If so, you’ll “get” first hand how different leadership styles impact how individuals interact with their team members, how conflicts are resolved (or not), and ultimately how clinic culture is impacted.  

By recognising and understanding different leadership styles, you can improve your communication, team dynamics, conflict resolution, and personal development within your clinic’s team. 

That’s what we’re looking at today in this new 101 series on Leadership Styles.

Servant Leadership Style

Servant leadership is a leadership philosophy that emphasises serving others.

It’s based on the idea that leaders should prioritise the needs of their team, customers, and community.

Servant leaders are committed to helping others grow and achieve their goals. They strive to create an environment of trust, respect, and collaboration.

They prioritise the well-being of their team and the common good over their own interests.

How to Recognise Servant Leadership Style 

Servant leaders have several distinctive traits. They are:

1. Empathetic: They actively listen to their team and show empathy towards their needs and concerns.
2. Humble: They’re not concerned with personal gain or recognition. Instead, they’re focused on the needs of their team.
3. Collaborative: They work with their team to achieve shared goals.
4. Visionary: They have a clear vision of what they want to achieve and inspire others to work towards that vision.
5. Service-oriented: They prioritise the needs of their team and work towards their well-being.

Effectiveness of Servant Leadership Style

Servant leadership has been shown to be highly effective in promoting employee engagement, job satisfaction, and organisational performance.

When leaders focus on the needs of their teams, they create a positive work environment that fosters trust and collaboration.

Employees feel valued and supported, which as you can imagine, leads to increased motivation, productivity, and loyalty.

Ineffectiveness of Servant Leadership Style

While servant leadership can be highly effective, it can also be ineffective if not implemented properly. Some potential pitfalls of servant leadership include:

1. Lack of direction: Servant leaders may focus too much on serving their team and not enough on providing direction and guidance.
2. Lack of accountability: Servant leaders may be hesitant to hold their team accountable for their actions, which can lead to a lack of discipline and poor performance.
3. Over-reliance on consensus: Servant leaders may prioritize collaboration and consensus-building to the point where decisions are delayed or compromised.

How to Improve Servant Leadership Style

To improve their servant leadership skills, leaders should focus on:

1. Balancing service and direction: Servant leaders should strive to provide direction and guidance while also serving their team’ needs.
2. Setting clear expectations: Servant leaders should set clear expectations for their team and hold them accountable for meeting those expectations.
3. Making timely decisions: Servant leaders should be decisive when necessary and not hesitate to make tough decisions when needed.

Now let’s move on to coaching leadership.

Coaching Leadership Style

Coaching leadership is a leadership style that focuses on developing the skills and abilities of individual team members.

It’s based on the idea that leaders should act as coaches, helping their team members to identify their strengths and weaknesses, set goals, and develop action plans to achieve those goals.

Coaching leaders are committed to helping their team members grow and develop.

How to Recognise Coaching Leadership Style

Coaching leaders have several distinctive traits. They are:

1. Supportive: They provide their team members with the support and resources they need to succeed.
2. Collaborative: They work with their team members to identify their strengths and weaknesses and develop action plans.
3. Development-oriented: They focus on developing their team members’ skills and abilities.
4. Feedback-driven: They provide feedback to their team members on their performance and help them identify areas for improvement.
5. Goal-oriented: They help their team members set goals and develop action plans to achieve those goals.

Effectiveness of Coaching Leadership Style

Coaching leadership has been shown to be highly effective in promoting employee engagement, job satisfaction, and organisational performance.

When leaders focus on developing their team members’ skills and abilities, they create a positive work environment that fosters growth and development.

Employees feel valued and supported, which leads to increased motivation, productivity, and loyalty.

Ineffectiveness of Coaching Leadership Style

While coaching leadership can be highly effective, it can also be ineffective if not implemented properly. Some potential pitfalls of coaching leadership include:

1. Lack of direction: Coaching leaders may focus too much on developing their team members’ skills and not enough on providing direction and guidance.
2. Lack of urgency: Coaching leaders may prioritize development over results, which can lead to a lack of urgency and poor performance.
3. Over-reliance on feedback: Coaching leaders may provide too much feedback, which can be overwhelming and demotivating.

How to Improve Coaching Leadership Style

To improve their coaching leadership skills, leaders should focus on:

1. Balancing development and results: Coaching leaders should strive to develop their team members’ skills while also achieving results.
2. Setting clear expectations: Coaching leaders should set clear expectations for their team members and hold them accountable for meeting those expectations.
3. Providing constructive feedback: Coaching leaders should provide feedback that is constructive and actionable, rather than overwhelming or demotivating.

Lastly, let’s discuss authentic leadership.

Authentic Leadership Style

Authentic leadership is a leadership style that emphasises self-awareness, transparency, and ethical behaviour.

It’s based on the idea that leaders should be true to themselves and their values, and that authenticity is a key driver of leadership effectiveness.

Authentic leaders are committed to creating a positive work environment that fosters trust, openness, and ethical behaviour.

How to Recognise Authentic Leadership Style

Authentic leaders have several distinctive traits. They are:

1. Self-aware: They have a deep understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, and values.
2. Transparent: They are open and honest about their intentions, beliefs, and actions.
3. Ethical: They prioritise ethical behaviour and hold themselves accountable for their actions.
4. Empathetic: They show empathy towards their team and strive to understand their needs and concerns.
5. Consistent: They act consistently with their values and beliefs, even in difficult situations.

Effectiveness of Authentic Leadership Style

Authentic leadership has been shown to be highly effective in promoting employee engagement, job satisfaction, and organisational performance.

When leaders act with authenticity, they create a positive work environment that fosters trust, openness, and ethical behaviour. Employees feel valued and supported, which leads to increased motivation, productivity, and loyalty.

Ineffectiveness of Authentic Leadership Style

While authentic leadership can be highly effective, it can also be ineffective if not implemented properly. Some potential pitfalls of authentic leadership include:

1. Lack of flexibility: Authentic leaders may be too rigid in their beliefs and values, which can make it difficult to adapt to changing circumstances.
2. Lack of objectivity: Authentic leaders may be too focused on their own beliefs and values, which can make it difficult to consider alternative perspectives.
3. Lack of assertiveness: Authentic leaders may prioritise empathy and openness over assertiveness, which can lead to a lack of discipline and poor performance.

How to Improve Authentic Leadership Style

To improve their authentic leadership skills, leaders should focus on:

1. Balancing authenticity and flexibility: Authentic leaders should strive to be true to themselves while also being open to alternative perspectives and changing circumstances.
2. Maintaining objectivity: Authentic leaders should strive to remain objective and consider alternative perspectives when making decisions.
3. Being assertive: Authentic leaders should be assertive when necessary and not hesitate to hold their team accountable for their actions.

Comparing the Different Styles:  Servant vs Coaching vs Authentic

Now that we’ve explored these three leadership styles in a 101-level, let’s compare and contrast their similarities and differences.

Similarities:

1. All three leadership styles prioritise building positive relationships with their teams.
2. All three leadership styles aim to inspire and motivate teams towards a shared vision.
3. All three leadership styles require self-awareness and reflection to be effective.

Differences:

1. Servant leadership focuses on serving the needs of others, while coaching focuses on developing others’ skills and abilities, and authentic leadership focuses on being true to oneself and acting ethically.
2. Servant leadership emphasises humility and putting others first, while coaching emphasises the importance of feedback and accountability, and authentic leadership emphasises transparency and ethical behaviour.
3. Servant leadership is focused on the needs of others, coaching is focused on development and results, and authentic leadership is focused on being true to oneself and acting ethically.

Now, just to clarify, just because the authentic leadership style is big on ethics, honesty, truth and integrity, doesn’t mean the others aren’t.   As I said last week, the week before and I’ll say it again, none of these leadership styles are mutually exclusive.

When considering which leadership style to use, it is important to consider the context and the needs of your clinic and your team members.

Each leadership style has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, and a leader should choose the style that aligns with their own values and the needs of their clinic.

It’s important to note that while these leadership styles have been studied and identified as effective, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership.

Every workplace, clinic, team and situation are unique, and a leader may need to adapt their approach depending on the context.

As I said last week and the week before, it’s rare that  a leader will be 100% wholly and exclusively one type of leader.  They’ll likely – hopefully! use a combination of different leadership styles, depending on the situation.

For example, your Lead Vet or Head Nurse may use coaching leadership to develop their team’s skills and abilities while also incorporating servant leadership to ensure their team’s needs are being met.

Similarly, they may use authentic leadership to maintain transparency and ethical behaviour while also using coaching leadership to achieve results.

Remember, leadership is a journey, and it takes time, effort, and dedication to become an effective leader.

Very rarely is a leader a great leader without training and development.   Leaders aren’t usually born, they’ve evolved.

Another important aspect of leadership is building a culture of trust and respect.

This can be achieved by modelling positive behaviours and communicating clearly and transparently with team members.

Leaders who act with integrity and are true to their word will earn the trust and respect of their team, which leads to increased engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction.

It’s also important for leaders to recognise and appreciate the contributions of their team members.

By acknowledging and rewarding good work, leaders can motivate their team and create a sense of purpose and belonging.

Leaders who take the time to listen to their team’s ideas and concerns and act on them will also build trust and respect with their team.

In terms of comparing the different leadership styles, it’s worth noting that while each style has its own unique strengths and weaknesses, they all share a common goal of creating a positive work environment and achieving organisational goals.

Servant leadership focuses on meeting the needs of others, coaching leadership focuses on developing employees’ skills and abilities, and authentic leadership focuses on transparency and ethical behaviour.

By using a combination of these styles – as well as the transformational and inspirational styles we talked about last week, leaders can create a well-rounded approach that addresses the needs of their clinics and teams.

That’s the leadership half of the “team” equation.   What does it look like to be on that team?

Each leadership style may be better suited for different types of team members based on their needs, goals, and personalities.

How to thrive as a team member:  Servant vs Coaching vs Authentic

What does it take to thrive when you’re on each different type of team:

1. Servant Leadership:

Servant leadership is particularly effective for team members who appreciate a leader who prioritises their needs, communicates openly and transparently, and fosters a positive work environment.

You’ll thrive under this leadership style if you favour being collaborative, empathetic, and committed to the goals and values of your clinic.

You’ll likely appreciate a leader who values your contributions and provides support and guidance as needed.

Another type of team member who may benefit from servant leadership is someone who’s new to your clinic or their role.

If that’s you, you’ll benefit from a leader who takes the time to help you acclimate to your new environment and who provides support and guidance as you learn the ropes.

Servant leaders can help new team members feel welcome and valued, which can lead to increased engagement and a sense of belonging.

As an aside, if you’ve got someone on your clinic who’s really into the whole “servant leadership” approach, then they’ll be the perfect person to buddy up with newbies to your clinic.   Empower them to ‘onboard’ new team members.   This will be totally win/win.

1. Coaching Leadership:

Coaching leadership is well-suited for team members who are eager to learn and grow, and who are open to receiving feedback and guidance to improve their skills and performance.

You’ll tend to be self-motivated and driven, and you may appreciate a leader who provides clear goals and expectations and who helps you develop the knowledge and skills they need to achieve those goals.

You’ll likely be receptive to constructive feedback and eager to improve your performance.

Another type of team member who may benefit from coaching leadership is someone who is struggling with a particular task or responsibility.

This team member may appreciate a leader who takes the time to help them develop the skills they need to succeed.

A coach-style leader can provide personalised support and guidance, which can help struggling team members overcome obstacles and improve their performance.

1. Authentic Leadership:

Authentic leadership is effective for team members who value transparency, ethical behaviour, and a leader who is true to themselves.

You’ll thrive with this type of leadership when honesty, being principled, and committed to doing the right thing is paramount.   If that’s you, then you’ll appreciate a leader who is similarly committed to ethical behaviour and transparency.

Another type of team member who may benefit from authentic leadership is someone who’s looking for a leader they can trust.

This team member may be skeptical of leaders who appear insincere or who lack integrity, and they may appreciate a leader who is genuine and true to themselves.

Authentic leaders can build trust and respect with their team members, which can lead to increased engagement and loyalty.

Obviously, these are generalisations and there’ll be exceptions to prove each statement’s validity.

Additionally, different leadership styles will be effective for different situations or goals. For example, a coach-style leader may be effective in helping team members develop new skills, while a servant-style leader may be better suited to creating a positive work environment that fosters collaboration and engagement.

Ultimately, effective leadership involves understanding the needs and goals of individual team members and adapting your leadership style to meet those needs.

By taking a personalised approach to leadership and considering the unique strengths and preferences of each team member, leaders can create a positive work environment that fosters growth and success for everyone involved.

In summary Servant vs Coaching vs Authentic Leadership 

1. Servant leadership focuses on serving the needs of others and prioritizes building positive relationships with team.
2. Coaching leadership emphasizes the importance of feedback and accountability to develop employees’ skills and abilities.
3. Authentic leadership emphasizes transparency and ethical behaviour and encourages leaders to be true to themselves.
4. Each leadership style has its own unique strengths and weaknesses and should be chosen based on the context and needs of the organization.
5. Leaders may use a combination of these leadership styles depending on the situation.
6. Ultimately, understanding different leadership styles and their unique strengths and weaknesses can help leaders be more effective in creating a positive work environment and achieving organizational goals.

In conclusion, each leadership style may be better suited for different types of team members based on their individual needs and preferences. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each style and considering the unique needs of their team members, leaders can create a positive work environment that fosters growth and success for everyone involved.

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