“I don’t know what else to do besides apply pressure” is a statement that I often hear in my work with executives. My experience is that managers are often varying their leadership style – between applying more or less pressure on their employees. Or they vary the amount of appreciation expressed in interactions with staff. Truth be told, it always depends upon whether or not employees have fulfilled the manager's expectations concerning achievements and behavior. Are you familiar with this as well? Possibly from personal experience?

Yet, these are frequently expectations that the managers themselves can't express very precisely or clearly. This leads to arbitrariness, for one thing. For another, it often leads to inept management behavior. In the worst case – as I for one have certainly experienced in sales departments – not much true leadership gets done during the course of the business year, and then 2 or 3 months before the end of the business year, pressure is massively increased because management realizes that goals may not be met. 

Poison for the Work Environment

Such “leadership” is not beneficial for the work environment, not beneficial for employee commitment, and least beneficial of all for the relationship between superiors and staff. 

Often, the reason for it is that managers have been promoted into their leadership roles based upon their technical competence and not necessarily based upon their leadership competence, which consists first and foremost of methodology, social or relational competence and a well-developed self-competence.

Alternatives for Leaders

The good news is: there are solutions. The most important one is to develop what is called “leadership competence,” in particular the ability to lead staff systematically, with appropriate methods, and above all according to the situation. 

Directive Leadership

Ideally, this results in you as the superior no longer having to alternate between applying more and less pressure. This is no longer the issue. Rather, you vary your leadership style within a spectrum ranging from highly directive leadership to outright delegation. At one end of the spectrum, directive means that you give staff clear guidance. You not only provide the goal (the what), but also provide the way (the how). 

Delegation

At the other end of the spectrum is delegating, in which you may even go so far as to formulate the goal with staff or allow staff to make suggestions for framing the goal, agree to it – and then get out of the way – thus letting staff do the work. 

Regardless of how much you direct or delegate when you lead, the whole thing takes place on the basis of respectful, friendly and appreciative interactions with one another. In this way, you ensure that your employees and the team as a whole are in a state of psychology security at all times - in a work environment that is marked by trust, positive focus and dedication. 

Which Leadership Style?

If you find yourself asking when it is best to let more directive leadership or more delegation slip into your work as a leader, it depends on two things, namely:

• The circumstances or requirements of the situation 
• The degree of maturity of your employee 

The situation can necessitate highly directive leadership, for example when the matter is a crisis that requires clear navigation. The degree of maturity of the employee is predominantly defined by two characteristics or aspects, which are: 

• The level of engagement that someone shows 
• The level of competence that someone demonstrates

Depending on these factors, choose your leadership style and you will be freed from the constraints of having to apply more or less pressure. 

I wish you lots of success with this approach.