Daniel Goleman leadership style cczc.pdf

Daniel Goleman leadership style

1. Daniel Goleman’s six leadership styles (from his HBR work on leadership and emotional intelligence).
The Six Styles at a Glance
Style Core Idea
Typical Behaviors /
Phrases
Best Used When… Risks if Over-used
Impact on
Climate*
Coercive (“Do what I
tell you”)
Immediate
compliance
Directives, tight
control, quick
decisions
Crisis, turnaround,
safety/security issues
Demotivates, stifles
creativity
Strongly
negative
Authoritative /
Visionary (“Come
with me”)
Set a clear vision
& mobilize
Paints big picture,
aligns goals, gives
latitude
New direction needed,
change efforts, low alignment
Can seem grandiose if
vision is vague
Strongly
positive
Affiliative (“People
come first”)
Build harmony &
connection
Praise, empathy,
team bonding
Team morale is low, after
conflict/stress
Can tolerate low
performance, avoid
hard talks
Positive
Democratic (“What do
you think?”)
Gain input & buy-
in
Listening,
facilitation,
consensus
You need ideas/commitment
from capable team
Slow decisions,
analysis paralysis
Positive
Pacesetting (“Follow
me—fast”)
High performance
by example
Sets tough standards,
hands-on, quick
fixes
Short-term wins with a
highly competent, motivated
team
Burnout, confusion,
low trust
Negative
Coaching (“Try this”)
Develop people
for the long term
Feedback, stretch
goals, learning plans
Skills gap exists and time to
grow
Time-consuming; fails
if coachee resists
Positive
*Climate = the day-to-day emotional tone of the workplace.

2. How to choose a style (quick guide)
1. What’s the time horizon?
o Hours/days → Coercive (sparingly), Pacesetting.
o Weeks/months → Authoritative, Democratic, Affiliative, Coaching.
2. What’s the team’s readiness?
o Low skill/low will → Authoritative + Coaching (add Affiliative for trust).
o High skill/high will → Pacesetting (sparingly) + Democratic.
3. What’s the problem type?
o Ambiguity/Change → Authoritative to set direction, Democratic for ideas.
o Conflict/Morale dip → Affiliative, then Coaching.
o Emergency → Coercive to stabilize, then shift to Authoritative/Affiliative.

Blending styles (the real superpower)
• Authoritative + Coaching: Set direction, then build capability—great for MBAs leading projects.
• Democratic + Affiliative: Gather ideas and keep the vibe positive—useful in cross-functional tasks.
• Pacesetting as a spice, not the base: Use briefly to hit a deadline, then dial it back.

Micro-skills to strengthen each style
• Authoritative: Storytelling, OKRs/cascading goals, strategic clarity.
• Coaching: GROW model, feed-forward, 1:1s with action plans.
• Affiliative: Active listening, recognition rituals, psychological safety.
• Democratic: Structured brainstorming, RACI, decision rules (e.g., consent vs consensus).
• Pacesetting: Define “what good looks like,” visible work boards, WIP limits.
• Coercive: Crisis protocols, clear non-negotiables, post-crisis debrief to re-humanize.