What type of manager are you?
It’s no secret that in the workplace, all roads really do lead back to the manager. How you manage your team can influence more than just workplace atmosphere – it can also have a profound effect upon the success of your business and the career progression of your employees.
Yes, managers are only human, but it is important to analyse the strengths and weakness of your own leadership approach to improve your workplace manner. Read on to identify what type of leader you are – you may find that you slot into a few different styles!
The People Pleaser
As the name suggests, this type of manager is all about keeping people happy. The People Pleaser tends to look out for everyone’s wellbeing, whether that be employees, clients or even their superiors. Building a genuine connection with their team is a priority, with managers establishing solid working relationships based on mutual trust and respect. While People Pleasers aim to create as harmonious a workspace as possible, it can also be their downfall. Due to their tendency to avoid confrontations, workers in need of honest feedback about their performance often don’t receive it. This can lead to tension in the office, as individuals aren’t always held accountable when they should be.
The Coach
This type of manager is all about winning the race; high performance and success are their motivating factors. As natural leaders, Coaches set attainable goals and like to see them being achieved. They seek to motivate their team through a unique combination of energy and discipline, creating a dynamic workplace that aims to get the best out of its employees. While personal accomplishment is always enjoyed, it is the success of their workers that really drives this type of manager. The Coach’s constant expectation of performance and success can overwhelm workers, so it is important for this leader to understand that some workers will thrive under subtle guidance rather than discipline-driven management.
The Authoritarian
While The Coach seeks to discipline their team through energy, The Authoritarian prefers to instil workplace order in a more heavy-handed fashion. This manager knows exactly what they want to get out of their team and isn’t shy in letting them know about it. Progress, results and accountability drive Authoritarians, and they don’t hesitate in voicing their opinion if something is not up to scratch. Discipline sits at the crux of their management style, expecting a tireless work ethic from their employees at all times. As the ultimate micromanagers, these leaders just want things to be done well and on time – however, their commanding style can create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in the workplace. It can also sour the job experience of employees who feel that they are working to avoid consequences rather than actually progressing their career.
The Democrat
Collaboration towards an ultimate goal is what inspires the Democrat type of manager. They aim to invite all parties to the table when it comes to working on a significant project or making a big business decision, unifying the workplace through the achievement of a shared objective. Democrats place strong emphasis on consultation, drawing in people from different fields before coming to a conclusion. They are resourceful, friendly and heavily people-focused, resulting in a manager that is very easy to work for. This type of leader can struggle when they fall into patterns of indecisiveness, which is often influenced by their reluctance to deliver a verdict until all available information has been analysed. Democrat managers should work on curbing this tendency, so workplace productivity isn’t compromised by decision-making processes that take far longer than they need to.
The Mentor
Mentor managers are characterised by their ‘hands-off’ approach, placing responsibility into the hands of their employees. This manager is heavily focused on guidance, eschewing discipline for a laid-back leadership style that encourages employees to take risks and make independent decisions. Career development is supported rather than facilitated by Mentors, with workers expected to take control of their own progression. This can result in a relaxed and unstructured workplace, with The Mentor acting as a personal cheerleader rather than a hard-hitting manager. However, Mentor leaders can lack proactivity, creating a working environment that lacks the stability and direction that often comes with hands-on management.
The Robot
As the office’s resident ‘do-it-all’, The Robot manager is an expert in juggling five plates at once. A leader who balances a wealth of expertise with brilliant soft skills, this is the person you call upon to navigate any difficulties. Robot managers will have sound knowledge across multiple areas, and the social nous to rationally and effectively end any confrontations. This type of leader is often a perfectionist with high self-expectations, and their ability to flawlessly multi-task leaves employees questioning if they’re actually human (hence the name). On the flipside, Robots may face burn out as they become accustomed to ‘carrying the team’. This type of manager struggles to delegate effectively, meaning that they often end up shouldering a massive workload that could easily be split between other colleagues.