Have you ever tried those jelly beans that come in all kinds of flavours? They range from kids’ favourites like bubblegum, candyfloss and banana split to the more traditional butterscotch, sour apple and orange.
Some companies offer gourmet options like caramel popcorn, coconut, piña colada and, my personal favourite, toasted marshmallow. There are even novelty options and games of chance where your next jelly bean might not be a sweet treat but tastes instead of burnt rubber, stinky socks, liver and onions, boogers or even barf.
Part of the fun in choosing the beans is creating new taste combinations. Lemon and raspberry eaten together might taste like raspberry sherbet whereas the trio of green apple, hot cinnamon and vanilla bean might transform into spicy apple tart.
Effective leadership is a bit like the jelly bean combination game – stay with me on this one – as it needs to come in different combinations at different times. Most leaders tend to rely too much on just one leadership flavour, reducing their impact over time. If you want to jump from manager to leader, it’s worth understanding the styles that will help you succeed.
READ MORE
Psychologist and business guru Daniel Goleman examined which styles yield the best business results in Leadership That Gets Results. “There are six basic styles of leadership; each makes use of the key components of emotional intelligence in different combinations. The best leaders don’t know just one style of leadership – they’re skilled at several, and have the flexibility to switch between styles as the circumstances dictate.”
[ Eight things that help make a successful leaderOpens in new window ]
His research showed that many managers mistakenly assumed that leadership style is a function of personality rather than strategic choice. “Instead of choosing the one style that suits their temperament, they should ask which style best addresses the demands of a particular situation,” says Goleman.
Goleman’s six styles of leadership, at their most basic, are: coercive (do what I tell you), authoritative (come with me), affiliative (people come first), democratic (what do you think?), pace setting (do as I do, now) and coaching (try this).
“The more styles a leader has mastered, the better. In particular, being able to switch among the authoritative, affiliative, democratic and coaching styles as conditions dictate creates the best organisational climate and optimises business performance.”
Authoritative leaders mobilise people towards a vision and can be most effective when changes require a new vision, or when a clear direction is needed.
The affiliative style creates harmony and builds emotional bonds. This works best when a leader needs to heal rifts in a team or motivate people during stressful circumstances.
Democratic leaders forge consensus through participation. This flavour builds buy-in or consensus and can be a good way to get input from valuable employees.
The coaching approach helps develop team members and future leaders. It focuses on helping an employee sweeten performance or develop long-term strengths.
[ Should you ever work for free? Yes, but go in with your eyes openOpens in new window ]
Coercive and pace setting styles were found to have a more negative impact on business performance as they demand compliance, control and reduce the team’s ability to think for themselves and limit buy in to the approach. These leadership flavours only work short-term for quick results but can be damaging longer term.
Avoiding the lucky dip
We spoke to three Irish leaders about their strategy for recognising future leaders in their organisation and how they recognise and develop their own leadership styles and behaviours.
Trish Long, former head of Disney in Ireland, says: “For me, leadership is about clarity of purpose (this is why we do what we do), supporting your team through the challenges and never being afraid to ask for help – so that, together, you can create something meaningful and memorable.”
The ability to identify and nurture future leaders is a key skill when you’re in charge. “It’s important that leaders recognise this as a big element in being a good leader and to avoid the pitfall (sometimes seen in inexperienced leaders) of micromanaging or trying to reinforce hierarchy for the sake of it.”
Teams and leaders needs to evolve based on company strategy and market conditions, so what traits help leaders survive the inevitable ups and downs?
“When elevating someone into leadership, I look firstly for self-awareness. Resilience is vital and, most importantly, there needs to be a willingness to nurture and grow others,” says Long. In addition, they need courage. “Especially with persistence and tenacity (not always easy) in doing the right thing and in pursuit of a shared vision”.
Daniel Greene, CEO of Camile Thai, says that when thinking about promoting someone into a leadership position, he looks for people who take responsibility and work well with others.
The ability to motivate people is another valuable leadership trait and one Greene developed early by being actively involved in college life. “Those experiences gave me belief in my abilities and arguably prepared me better for my career than my actual degree.”
[ Should everyone over the age of 40 have a mentor under 30?Opens in new window ]
Mentorship from leaders should help develop that confidence further and Greene says he’s been lucky to have had that support from the beginning of his career. He took over from Brody Sweeney as CEO in June, 2024.
Knowledge is power and Greene continually expands his own understanding of issues with books and podcasts, including Traction by Gino Wickman, Alchemy by Rory Sutherland plus the Masters of Scale podcast by Reid Hoffman and The David McWilliams Podcast.
Noelle O’Connell, geopolitical consultant and former CEO of European Movement Ireland, says, like Greene, that staying up to date on external factors is increasingly important. In addition, she looks for people with personal and professional integrity, a commitment to leadership and an ability to deliver on their key performance indicators (KPIs).
“In an increasingly uncertain, geopolitically more divisive and ever-changing world order, political and technological upheaval and their impact on the world of work is profound. Leaders must be skilled at interpreting these fast-shifting sands of change and adapt their business strategies accordingly,” says O’Connell.
Back to the jelly bean bowl. Which leadership flavour combinations will you pick as the world order shifts? How will you match these styles to your desired strategic outcomes?
Like him or hate him, the late US president Ronald Reagan was famous for his love of jelly beans, especially black liquorice, and his leadership style. He was known as “the Great Communicator” thanks to his charismatic, visionary and transformative style.
However, his legacy is a mixed one. Reaganomics (supply-side economics) reduced inflation, increased job growth and helped develop a stronger tech/finance sector but it also massively increased national debt, income inequality and poverty.
Let’s hope today’s political and business leaders – faced with daily geopolitical lucky dips from abroad – try as many leadership flavour combinations as needed to keep things sweet and avoid choosing the war and recession jelly beans.
Margaret E Ward is chief executive of Clear Eye, a leadership consultancy. margaret@cleareye.ie
