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5 Vital Differences Managing Small vs. Large Teams!

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Small Team Leadership

5 Vital Differences Managing Small vs. Large Teams! (1)

There is a striking difference between managing small and large teams. As a leader, you must be able to adapt to your team’s needs so you can all synergistically move onward toward the same goals. You can’t effectively manage small and large teams using the same strategies.

Managing small teams involves a more direct approach where leaders can be more personal with their engagement. In contrast, managing large teams requires adherence to a hierarchy and formality. Small teams thrive in fluidity, while large teams need protocols’ stability. 

This article discusses the differences between managing small and large teams, particularly the varying strategies a leader must implement to be effective in their roles. We will discuss how contrasting organizational politics, communication styles, and monitoring processes can be in both types of teams due to the hierarchical structure and the different approaches to be implemented to affording team members autonomy and coaching. Let’s start!

Key Differences Between Small and Large Teams

How to tailor-fit your approach depending on the group’s needs and expectations.

Effectively leading and managing a team means you must know how to tailor-fit your approach depending on the group’s needs and expectations. Leaders must be keen on adjusting their methods depending on the size of their team. 

Small teams in business typically comprise 2-10 people, while teams with more than ten members are considered oversized. 

Here are some of the key differences between managing small and large teams:

5 Vital differences in managing small vs. large teams
5 vital differences in managing small vs. large teams

1. Autonomy 

When managing small teams, leaders must be highly visible and present in practically all aspects of the team. You will be front and center when setting goals, making decisions, and ensuring everyone is on the right track. All eyes will be on you, so you must ensure you’re always efficient and professional and practice what you preach. 

Direct interaction with your team members is a great way to foster trust and build strong professional relationships. When a small team trusts and values its leader, they are more motivated to achieve success beyond their comfort zones. 

Direct interaction with your team members is a great way to foster trust and build strong professional relationships.

On the other hand, leading large teams won’t require you to be as direct with your approach toward your team members. Compared to a smaller group, the sheer number of individuals in the team allows you to take a backseat in some aspects involving the team. In this case, delegation is handy in ensuring that tasks are accomplished promptly, and goals are attained efficiently. 

When delegating assignments to your team members, consider an individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Despite its size, you will need their know-how, skills, and assistance in ensuring that the team functions as seamlessly and efficiently as possible. 

2. Communication Style

Communication is a critical factor in ensuring that a team functions appropriately. The bigger a team is, the more complex communication becomes. 

With small teams, spreading critical information is easier and quicker. All you must do is ensure that you’re concise and clear so that each team member understands facts and principles substantially. 

Make an effort to verify that each team member understands what has just been communicated. Be quick in clarifying misconceptions and correcting wrong assumptions. Being proactive helps prevent a possible disastrous domino effect where team dynamics are disrupted due to unclear goals and a vague understanding of methodologies. 

These are the communication styles suited for small teams:

  • Passive communication style. Passive communicators give value to the needs of others more than their own. This non-confrontational style emphasizes the benefits of going with the flow and letting the team take the lead. This is a great way to uncover your team members’ needs, priorities, and characters.
  • Personal communication style. Personal communicators place a premium on making connections and emotions. They listen actively to their team members and ensure they’re motivated to work. This benefits small teams in terms of boosting morale and fortifying teamwork. 
  •  Intuitive communication style. Intuitive communicators highlight the bigger picture and don’t dwell too much on specifics. They value results more than the strategies that help get you there. This style allows team members to enjoy the freedom to inject their own take on how the team accomplishes goals. 

On the contrary, large teams require a more stringent approach to communications and information dissemination. This helps ensure that vital information quickly and accurately reaches the target audience. 

Some leaders prefer to break up large teams into smaller groups to ensure seamless communication. For instance, if your team comprises 20 individuals and has a particularly crucial project, why not break it into groups of 5? Communication will be more accessible, task monitoring will be more straightforward, and you will be better able to manage each group as its leader.

Here are the communication styles appropriate for large teams:

  • Assertive communication style. Aggressive communicators are self-assured and confident that their points of view are valid and relevant. They rarely encourage and entertain input from others and always advocate for their perspectives. This may sometimes be detrimental to fostering teamwork, but for larger teams, it helps ensure that more tasks are accomplished faster. 
  • Analytical communication style. Analytical communicators rely on facts, figures, and logic. They are keen on specifics, a beneficial attribute for leaders of large teams where ambiguity can spell confusion and disaster. 
  • Functional communication style. Available communicators thrive on details and step-by-step processes. They prefer going slowly but surely, and this can significantly benefit large teams in progress monitoring and ensuring that everyone is on the right track. 
3 Types of communication stylesDescription
Assertive communication styleIt is a way of expressing yourself effectively and confidently while respecting the rights and opinions of others.
Analytical communication styleIt pertains to a way of communicating that is characterized by a focus on data, facts, and logical reasoning.
Functional communication styleIt is a way of communicating that is focused on conveying information efficiently and effectively to achieve a specific goal or outcome.
3 types of communication styles

3. Hierarchical Structure

The simplicity or complexity of a team’s structure affects the business’ protocols and organizational politics. The more people there are on the team, the more complicated the structure, business relationships, and procedures become. 

Leaders typically have well-established and more personal relationships with their peers and team members in small teams. Protocols and processes aren’t as stringent, and interpersonal relationships are less formal. 

Leaders typically have well-established and more personal relationships with their peers and team members in small teams.

This simpler arrangement makes decisions faster, and leaders can be more reactive when faced with challenging scenarios and conflicts. Team members also find it easier to reach out to their superiors, and they are afforded more opportunities to be independent and more enterprising with their roles in the team. They are more fluid in their jobs and are not expected to be extremely conventional. 

In comparison, since large teams have a more complex chain of command, decisions are arrived upon after strict protocol compliance. Leaders must be more reactive since hierarchical structures must always be respected. Team members are also expected to adhere to stringent structures and practices, and they cannot be as proactive in their jobs because of the stricter organizational structure. 

4. Mentoring

Proper coaching and mentoring are among the hallmarks of good leadership (you can sign up for a free session with Sancus Leadership here). Managing a team includes making sure your team is motivated and empowered. It would be best if you gave them enough opportunities to hone their skills, expand their experiences, and reach their full potential. 

In small teams, you can more effortlessly mentor and coach your team members through one-on-one discussions and practical applications of learning by guiding them as they do their tasks. For instance, you can accompany a promising team member on one of their client calls and brainstorm later about crucial points during the encounter. You can then closely monitor the individual, preparing them for more significant roles and responsibilities in the future. 

Alternatively, implementing a mentoring program in large teams is crucial to ensuring that team members develop and progress in their careers. With multiple employee levels to deal with and many tasks to juggle, it can be easy for a leader to feel utterly overwhelmed. A mentoring program will help take some duties off your back.

Partner mentors with new hires and team members who exhibit strong potential. This way, the mentor and mentee can focus on skill improvement, professional exposure, and experiential learning.

5. Staying On Track/Aligned

Strong employee engagement and collaboration should always be encouraged when leading a small or large team. This ensures that productivity is consistently high and team goals are progressively achieved. 

In small teams, ensuring team members remain aligned with the set goals and timeline is much easier for leaders. It all comes down to delegating tasks and responsibilities based on each individual’s strengths and weaknesses so the team functions like a well-oiled machine. 

When fewer people work together as a team, each individual’s contribution is crucial and relevant. Social loafing — a circumstance where some indolent, opportunistic individuals ride on the efforts and success of their peers —is avoided.

In contrast, it is much trickier for leaders to keep track of their team members’ progress. Social loafing may be more challenging to prevent and identify. Still, a strong and intricate monitoring program must be established to ensure that each team member contributes significantly to the business and is always on track.

I am not a big fan of surveilling my team, but there are several employee monitoring software to choose from, and we’re highlighting a few based on Business News Daily’s 2023 assessment:

  • Interguard. Arguably the best software for remote workers, it can help you track your team members’ usage of websites, emails, files, programs, and even social media while on the job.
  • BambooHR. This software can be integral to your business’ Human Resources department. It can help onboard new team members, monitor the team’s performance, manage company benefits, and control employee payroll.
  • ActivTrak. Dubbed the best software for analytics, it can assist you in monitoring your team members’ work hours, team engagement, and computer activity. You can even block websites that affect productivity to ensure your team functions efficiently while on the job.

Here’s a podcast talking about the differences between managing a small team vs. a large team and the skills needed to effectively manage your team as more people join your team.

How to manage large teams

Quickly Build Trust and Communication in the Workplace!

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Build Trust On Your Team

Organizations can only achieve their goals when team members have mutual trust and are able to communicate with each other effectively. But building trust and practicing effective communication is easier said than done, especially when looking to grow a small team. 

To build trust and communication in the workplace, leaders must be able to trust their teams first. Leaders must also learn to gather (and review) feedback, manage conflict, embrace transparency, nurture accountability, and appreciate team members.  

If you are leading a team, read on to learn 10 ways to build trust and communication in the workplace. 

10 Best Ways to Build Trust and Communication in the Workplace

Building trust and effective communication takes hard work and time. Startups and small teams tend to be more complacent when it comes to building these essential tools (often more focused on the product). But the truth is that smaller organizations need to work hard to foster an environment where trust and communication are a normal part of how things are run.

Trust Your Team

The first thing that leaders should bear in mind is that people don’t trust people that don’t trust them. Have you ever experienced working with a boss who tried to micromanage every part of your day or who checked and cross-checked every minute detail of your output? 

Horrible, isn’t it? It’s because it sends out a clear message that your boss doesn’t trust you. What’s worse, it’s like they expect you to mess up, and so they feel the need to check everything that you do.

But when you work with a boss who understands that you were hired because you’re skilled enough, experienced, and knowledgeable, it’s easy to reciprocate that trust–and work hard to prove that they made the right decision to hire you.

Even in business, it’s true what they say: if you want to receive something, you have to first be willing to give it. Remember why your team members were hired in the first place. Trust that they are more than capable of doing their job well.

Besides, it will be a lot easier on you and give you more time to do the things that you actually need to do.

Check out this article on the 11 reasons leaders must trust their team members.

Gather Feedback

The next thing to remember is that feedback is necessary. It’s often hard for leaders to take feedback and act on it, and it’s understandable because not all feedback is pleasant. 

In fact, most feedback will be painful to hear. You may be giving it your best, and you may think that your team appreciates how you run things, so it can be a blow to find out they don’t think so.

In fact, most feedback will be painful to hear.

But feedback is necessary for growth. It’s how you’re able to see your weaknesses and learn crucial areas that need improvement. 

This is why it’s essential to provide avenues where team members can give feedback without fear of being punished for being honest. But don’t stop there.

Make sure to act on the feedback that you receive to improve your leadership, work culture, and even relationships among team members.

You wouldn’t want team members feeling that giving feedback is futile as it won’t be acted upon. Unless you incorporate feedback into your leadership, employees will soon feel that giving any is useless.

Strive To Be Emotionally Intelligent

Being a bossy or arrogant leader toward your team members will not only make the workplace uncomfortable and psychologically unsafe but will also hinder trust-building and any communication strategies that you may have in place.

After all, no one wants to communicate with a leader they dislike. And no one will trust a leader that cannot empathize with other team members, especially lower-ranking ones.

So if you’ve been running the workplace with iron fists, disregarding your team members’ feelings and inputs, then you’re doing it absolutely wrong. 

You may convince people to get things done now–but they will most likely no longer be around a few months from now to continue doing the job. And while they’re on board, chances are they won’t be happy to give the job their best.

Remember that team members are also people–they have problems and go through ups and downs. Before pushing them to give their 100 percent at work, make sure that you’re capable of connecting with them on a personal level. 

This doesn’t mean you have to share secrets or discuss personal issues with each other. It only means that you should be able to empathize with your employees, especially when going through difficult periods.  

To work on developing emotional intelligence, you can practice the following:

  • Practice self-awareness by journaling or paying attention to your opinions and feelings
  • Listen more than you speak
  • Refrain from drawing conclusions about people right away but, instead, take time to understand
  • Appreciate others and what they do
  • Be open to different perspectives, especially those that differ from your own
  • Do things that are outside of your comfort zone
  • Make an effort to relate with people
  • Pay attention to your own (and others’) tone of voice and body language when communicating. 

Improving emotional intelligence is not an overnight thing. It may be a never-ending process where you continuously grow and become better little by little. Don’t be frustrated with yourself when you think you’re not doing everything right. Good things take time.

Learn How To Manage Conflict

When conflict occurs, people trust those that are able to maintain a clear head. No team will be so perfect as to never go through periods of conflict. But what matters is how you, as a leader, can navigate these sticky situations smoothly and in a way that fosters cooperation and mutual respect.

But that is easier said than done. When conflicts occur, especially those that occur between leaders and team members, they can be very tricky to manage. What usually happens is when conflict erupts, parties involved have strained relationships that never quite go back to the way they were before.

Thankfully, it’s possible to manage conflict–or else no leader would have been able to stay for longer than a year! Here are some tips on how you can manage conflict:

  • Establish proper communication channels. Team members should be able to resolve conflict on their own. But when the issue is larger than they can handle, they should have clear-cut channels through which they can communicate their concerns.
  • Maintain a neutral attitude. By staying neutral, you are able to hear both sides objectively. You also avoid resentment from those that you don’t side with and effectively communicate that you’re after the resolution, not siding with anyone in particular.
  • Provide avenues for dialogue. Provide a place and time for open discussion to take place in a positive, honest, and respectful way. You can ensure this by establishing the rules of the discussion before it takes place.
  • Maintain a sense of humor. Most conflicts stem from solvable disagreements and are often not serious concerns. So, maintain a positive attitude, even keep your sense of humor throughout conflict resolution to keep emotions from raging when they don’t have to.
Here are eight ways managers should communicate to build trust.

Be Transparent and Honest

Many leaders don’t appreciate the impact that their honesty and transparency have on their teams. This is true in large corporations, but it’s even felt more in small teams of ten people or less. People need to know where they’re going, why they’re going in that direction, and how they’re going to get there.

Honesty and transparency about how the business is going, understanding strategies that will affect the team’s status or activities, and what the plans are for the future help a great deal in ensuring team members trust their leaders. 

If you know exactly what’s going on, and are convinced that it’s the best way to go, then it won’t be hard for you to stay on board.

And even (or maybe more importantly) when the situation is bleak, such as if the company is losing a lot of money or planning to cut costs, the team has to know. People will eventually find out what’s going on.

And it won’t help in trust-building when you keep saying that things are looking great when team members sense that something is terribly wrong.

During times of crisis is when you need your team’s full trust and support. So you have to trust them enough to let them know what’s going on. Let them in on what’s the best course of action, and pay attention to how they feel about your plans. 

And when you overcome these seasons, you’ll see that your team will be able to trust you even more because of your honesty and openness.

Here's a quick test to see if your leadership is dishonest!

Nurture a Culture of Accountability

There is nothing that can ruin an organization more than corruption–when people do dishonest (even criminal) things and are not afraid of getting caught or being punished because everybody is doing it anyway. 

In such an environment, no trust can grow. Effective communication cannot happen when team members are dishonest with each other.

So to build trust and communication, nurture a culture of accountability where each team member has ownership of their work and all that it entails–from time management to use of company resources to relationships with other team members. 

Be empathetic toward people and strive to listen before drawing conclusions, but, at the same time, be firm about implementing consequences for violations. The same level of accountability should be given to you as the leader as well (and perhaps even greater). Because unless your team members realize that you are not above the rules, accountability will mean nothing to them.

It doesn’t have to be just regarding major issues, like big offenses against company policies. It can also look like owning up to your mistakes when you realize you’ve made the wrong projections or your plan wasn’t working.

When you own up and apologize for your mistakes instead of covering them up, you get to foster respect and trust.

But aside from that, you get to model the kind of employees they should be.

In the military, we call this taking extreme ownership, and there are three signs that you're not taking enough ownership.

Practice What You Preach

It’s awfully hard, perhaps even impossible, to trust a leader who says one thing but does another. When you say everyone should come to work on time, but you’re often an hour late, no one will trust what you say. 

Worse, they will imitate your behavior because if the boss doesn’t mind keeping everyone waiting, why should they be on time?

So more than being able to give a good pep talk, more than telling people what to do and how to behave, model how you expect other employees to behave. It’s the most effective strategy when you want to change a culture or a corporate attitude. 

If you’re trying to tackle a huge tardiness issue, for example, the best thing to do is to come to work on time–all the time.

Appreciate Your Team

To build trust and improve communication at the workplace, it’s vital to appreciate even the smallest wins. 

Remember, your team is not just a group of professionals paid to perform certain tasks. They are people who show up to work even when they have issues at home that they would rather be fixing.

Don’t lose sight of your team’s humanity. Don’t treat them like robots that run on command. Allow them to feel appreciated by giving them a simple “Good job!” when their report is outstanding or a pat on the back when they reach their targets. 

For large-scale goals, you can take things a notch further by offering greater rewards. A gift package, salary increments, or even a simple getaway can do a lot to foster positivity in the workplace. Although beware, as these can also create unwanted competition if not done right.

When people feel seen and heard, it’s easier for them to trust their leaders and communicate. And what’s more, it helps keep them motivated to do even better.

Conclusion

Building trust and communication in the workplace is no easy feat. It takes determination, time, and effort.

And more often than not, it requires work, self-reflection, and self-assessment from the leaders themselves. You can’t force people to trust you just because you have a position of leadership. You’ll have to earn your employees’ trust and foster a culture of transparent communication.

Autocratic Leaders: Why Followers Stay Engaged and Motivated?

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Leadership Styles

An autocratic leadership style involves having just the leader at the top of the corporate ladder. The boss is in charge of practically every detail in the business, from workload distribution, tasks to be accomplished, timelines, and strategies to be used. Autocratic leaders are not open to their team’s input, especially when making organizational decisions. 

Followers stay engaged and motivated with autocratic leaders because they’re inclined to thrive in this setup, considering their personality traits. This leadership style isn’t for all, so it must be exercised only with the right people. Such employees flourish in routine and close supervision. 

This article will discuss why followers stay engaged and motivated despite such an authoritative and dominating leadership style, including the personality types that will most likely respond positively to this approach. We will also discuss autocracy’s perks and drawbacks and some of the common misconceptions linked to it. The bottom line is that autocratic leadership is tricky to implement, so read on if you want to know more!

How Do Autocratic Leaders Maintain Popular Support?

Autocratic leaders maintain popular support by customizing their approach to employees’ personalities. Not everyone will thrive in this leadership style. The key to its effectiveness is combining it with other approaches when needed and ensuring that employees are responsive to this style.

Although not all employees may respond well to an autocratic leadership style, some personalities will thrive in such a setup. 

This authoritative and commanding management style can lead to decreased teamwork, engagement, and employee morale, but when utilized effectively with the right personality mix, autocratic leadership is more likely to deliver quicker results and higher productivity.

Authoritative leadership is often confused with leadership style where fear is used as a component.

Analyze your employees to determine if an autocratic leadership style is best suited for them. Let’s now discuss some personality clues that allow this leadership style to thrive.

Committed Followers

Employees who like the predictability, dependability, and stability that established procedures and rules bring will thrive in this setup. They like being told exactly what to do because it minimizes risks and makes it much easier and quicker to get things done. 

Employees with this personality type won’t mind not having a say in decision-making or implementation processes.  

They appreciate that they’re not held accountable for the way they accomplished their tasks, especially when things don’t go as expected. They trust the leader’s abilities, foresight, and capacity to make smart decisions. 

They also don’t like being in the spotlight and prefer working in the background.

Routine Aficionados

Employees who thrive in routine will flourish in an autocratic leadership style, as they like routines’ consistency and predictability. They love knowing exactly how each day will progress because practically everything has already been decided for them. 

This personality type can deliver results quickly and get more things done sooner. They prefer this setup where they can always be on the safe side, with minimal risk for errors and mistakes. 

They’re cautious, so they like how their leader has already laid out an efficient system for them to follow. 

Highly Acquiescent

Individuals who are readily compliant and find no issues with quickly accepting an established system will have no qualms about an autocratic leadership style. 

They’re not likely to question plans for them, nor are they keen on injecting their ideas into how tasks are accomplished or policies are made. They readily do what is expected of them with minimal to no hitches. 

Poor Decision-Makers

Some individuals find it extremely challenging to make decisions. They find it taxing to carefully analyze situations and predicaments to develop the best possible course of action. An autocratic leadership style will be much appreciated for this personality type since it eliminates the decision-making dilemma for them. 

What Is Autocratic Leadership?

Autocratic leadership, also called authoritarian leadership, is a leadership style wherein the leader has absolute power when dictating to employees exactly how tasks should be done. Leaders who adopt this style have the final say in decision-making processes and aren’t expected to consider other people’s input much.

Popular Autocratic Leaders

Autocratic leaders have one thing in common. They have complete control over everything and everyone in their organization and dictate practically anything that goes on within their jurisdiction. 

However, a true autocratic leadership style doesn’t condone oppression or suppression. Rather, it promotes using power and authority to push people beyond their limits to achieve their full potential. 

The aim of autocratic leaders is to keep propelling the team forward toward success. 

Here are a few of the most popular ones to get a clearer picture of what autocratic leaders are like. We will also examine how they handled power and fully utilized their authority to lead and manage their people:

  • Napoleon Bonaparte: This French Revolution leader commanded a large army without entertaining ideas and suggestions from anyone. His leadership style was effective since he grew his empire exceptionally fast. 
  • Richard Nixon: President Nixon had difficulty trusting other people, even those considered experts in their field. He had more confidence in his skills, insights, and experiences, which influenced most of his decisions. 
  • Elon Musk: Known for his diverse business ventures, Musk supposedly rarely considers the input of others, even those in his team. He is known to be an impulsive decision-maker, primarily driven by his unique and unconventional business visions. 
  • Queen Elizabeth I: She saw to it that her empire adhered to a top-down leadership style, where she was the sole possessor of absolute power. 

Characteristics of Autocratic Leadership

An autocratic style of leadership has its perks, so it’s wise to always respect the limitations that come with power and authority for it to be effective. It also has drawbacks, so a leader must be careful when deciding whether or not this management style will be acceptable and effective for the team.

Here are some of the characteristics of an autocratic leadership style.

One Decision-Maker

Autocratic leaders prefer to direct how the team accomplishes tasks. They decide what processes to follow and which methods to utilize to move closer to goals efficiently. They encourage and accept little to no input from their employees. 

Autocratic leaders call the shots. 

Employees under this leadership style don’t enjoy autonomy in their daily tasks. The leader dictates when a task should be done, how it should be executed, and when it should be accomplished. 

In the face of crises and dilemmas, the leader is the sole decision-maker, and the rest of the team waits for the final verdict.

Structured Work Environment

All organizations follow some kind of structure to be functional and efficient. However, with an autocratic leadership style, the structure is rigid and inflexible. Everyone knows who’s in charge, and that person is at the top of the corporate ladder — the leader. 

Everything and every one must pass through the leader’s approval. The leader has complete control of all business processes and has the final say in all matters, big and small. 

Advantages of an Autocratic Leadership Style 

Autocratic leaders may seem dominating and highly controlling, but these traits can sometimes make a team more anchored and streamlined. The key is to maximize these characteristics to the team’s advantage without utterly disregarding their sense of autonomy. 

Here are some advantages of adopting an autocratic leadership style for your team.

Well-Defined Business Structure and Strategies 

Autocratic leaders leave no room for employee-initiated adaptations and modifications. When guidelines are crystal clear, and employees know exactly what to do in any given situation, tasks are accomplished sooner with minimal disruptions. 

This leadership style is ideal for employees who prefer a commanding and controlling management strategy, wherein leaders enjoy the final say in big and small aspects of business operations. However, only a minority of employees thrive in this setup. 

According to a 2019 survey of 14,033 employees, only 21% appreciate autocratic leadership in business. 

Quick Response and Action

An autocratic leader has the first and final say in all business aspects, making the decision-making and implementation processes extremely quick. It can come in handy during stressful situations and crises when quick action provides maximum results. 

Drawbacks of an Autocratic Leadership Style

Although an autocratic leadership style has significant advantages, it exposes the team to several drawbacks. Extreme authoritativeness may not always be the best stance, especially when faced with dilemmas and crises, since it affords minimal flexibility for the team. Hence, this leadership style, although not entirely unpropitious, should be employed with care. 

You can expect other drawbacks from implementing an autocratic leadership style for your team.

Demotivates Employees

Autocratic leaders don’t include employees in the planning stages, nor do they consider their team’s opinions and ideas. This can sometimes result in employees feeling ignored and undervalued. 

They may feel uninspired about work when they sense they aren’t contributing significantly to the team. 

Extreme Dependency

When autocratic leaders continuously disregard their team’s input, employees may begin feeling passive and unmotivated about work. They may start relying on their leader for practically everything related to the organization, even with tasks directly involving them. 

Extreme dependency on one person’s leading and managing skills may put the entire organization at risk. Since the distribution of power and authority is one-sided, the team may eventually become unstable. 

Apathetic Behavior

When a whole system has already been laid out for employees, some will tend to be detached and dispassionate with their work. Their main goals will be to tick things off their to-do list as quickly as possible, in a manner expected of them. 

An autocratic leadership style may also dissuade employees from collaborating and working together as a team. They would much rather do their tasks individually and interact minimally with their peers. 

Misconceptions About Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leaders are perhaps the most misunderstood since autocracy is often associated with dictatorship and tyranny. After all, some of the world’s most notorious leaders are considered autocrats. 

However, not all autocratic leaders are necessarily dictators.

For instance, Adolf Hitler and Vladimir Putin, both strong leaders in their own right, are known to be extremely domineering and authoritarian in their leadership approaches. They made many autonomous decisions, utterly disregarding the advice and input of their teams. 

Their extreme leadership styles may not have been ideal and beneficial, but they demanded their people’s obedience, so much so that things were accomplished quickly. 

In a business setting, autocratic leaders may have to weather through many misgivings and misconceptions due to some preconceived notions. Here are some of the more common misconceptions associated with autocracy in leading and managing a team. 

Autocratic Leaders Are Bossy

Autocratic leaders may seem intimidating, but that’s mostly due to their absolute power and authority in the workplace. In reality, an effective autocratic leader is firm, precise, and meticulous in leading and managing their team. 

It’s easy to misconstrue these strong leadership traits as plain bossiness. 

These can actually come in handy when deadlines have to be met, or problems need to be solved. Autocratic leaders can make smart decisions quickly so that issues are quickly resolved, and tasks are swiftly accomplished. The team moves continuously forward, thanks to its leader’s strong qualities.

Autocratic Leaders Have No Empathy

Autocratic leaders are thought to care only about the business, paying no mind at all to their employees’ personalities, preferences, and personal lives. Although this may hold true for a few, autocratic leaders generally acquire this reputation since they’re bullheaded in business affairs. 

They typically don’t like mixing business with personal matters.

This trait can benefit organizations by ensuring that goals are met efficiently with minimal unnecessary disruptions. Autocratic leaders expect their employees to perform as expected, so there’s practically no room for anything outside the business setting. 

Autocratic Leaders Are Hoverers

Autocratic leaders typically monitor their employees closely to ensure sufficient progress and tasks are executed as expected. This may come off as extremely domineering and controlling to some. 

However, this practice helps autocratic leaders ensure the team is always on the right track. Leaders can quickly detect and correct lapses and errors with consistent monitoring and close guidance. They can easily make adjustments when necessary. Moreover, they can quickly intervene when problems are detected. 

Final Thoughts

Autocratic leadership may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a management style businesses can turn to in crucial times. It can also come in handy when surrounded by receptive team members to this leadership approach. 

The key to keeping followers engaged and motivated in an autocratic leadership style is ensuring their natural disposition allows them to thrive in such a setup. Aim for employees who are wary about making decisions, balk at serious responsibilities, and prefer well-defined, streamlined processes. 

When Is It Okay for Leaders To Lie? (1k Employee Interviews)

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Leadership Skills

Employees have always been at the mercy of unscrupulous leaders and bosses, especially those that lie. The saying, “If their lips are moving, they’re lying,” applies to many leaders. But is there a time when it’s okay to lie, or should leaders always tell the truth?

Officially, it’s never okay for leaders to lie, but unofficially, it can be okay if the lie protects someone’s reputation or feelings. However, even in those situations, it’s better to responsibly tell the truth in a non-accusatory way. 

This article discusses whether leaders can lie, the employee’s perspective, and how leaders can regain their employees’ trust after being caught in a lie. So stick around!

Full disclosure, the subject of lying in the workplace is inflammatory; this article uses employee surveys and studies in an attempt to understand the employee's perspective on lying.

Do Employees Think It’s Okay for Leaders To Lie?

Employees lie to their employers, and employers lie to their employees. It happens all the time, according to this survey from SimplyHired. They interviewed 1,000 employees and their employers about who tells “white lies” and what lies are better than others. The results were…interesting, to say the least. 

The white lies, or harmless lies, that were considered the most acceptable include:

  • “I have plans after work.”
  • “You look good today.”
  • “I’m just tired.”
  • “Let’s look at this later.”

Respondents to the survey agreed that the above lies were the most harmless of all the lies told at work. Both employers and employees tell these lies, and if it keeps the company morale up, then it’s most likely okay.

However, there are other lies that the study uncovered that can damage morale, which include the following:

  • “It was my idea.” When employers tell this lie, they take credit for their employees’ work.
  • “We don’t have the budget for your request.” Leaders that tell this lie often cover up the fact that they’re aiming for a higher salary.
  • “It wasn’t my fault.” Leaders telling this lie often try to blame an employee for their screw-ups.

While employees might think it’s okay for leaders to lie sometimes, the company’s overall culture depends on honesty and transparency from the top down. Otherwise, it can damage the company, and another “Enron” happens (more on that below).

Should Leaders Always Tell the Truth?

Leaders should always strive to tell the truth whenever possible (here’s a test to see if you are practicing honest leadership). Employees with bosses who lie more often will also lie, as they take their example from the leader. But this can destroy the work environment and the company’s reputation.

Employees look to their employers and bosses to be the moral compass of their organization, and when leaders lie and twist the truth, it can damage not only the trust between employees and leaders but between customers and the company.

Sometimes dishonest leadership can be really hard to spot!

The Enron Scandal

Enron is a perfect example of how dishonest leadership impacts a business. After several accounting lies, they were slapped with a 40 billion dollar lawsuit from its shareholders. But what did the leaders do to warrant this lawsuit?

They lied, pure and simple.

When you look deeper into the suit, the executives, or leaders, hid billions of dollars through accounting “loopholes” and “poor financial reporting.” Enron’s founder encouraged his employees to do this, and even the CFO encouraged the team to lie to the board about where the money was going. 

What Should an Employee Do When Their Boss Tells Them To Lie?

As an employee, it’s difficult to go against a toxic boss when they tell you to lie, as you could face disciplinary action. And if it’s a lie about something minor, such as taking the last doughnut in the breakroom or ducking out a few minutes early, this probably isn’t anything to worry about.

But if your boss asks you to lie for them when they’re hiding or misusing company funds or stealing office property, that might be something you need to come forward with to HR. You might receive immediate disciplinary action from your boss, but if you tell the truth when confronted by your boss’s boss, you won’t get in trouble. Usually. 

However, if the lies and thefts go all the way up to the top, it might be better for you to resign and find a different job with a reputable company.

It’s really about who you want to be as a person; lying to someone also means being untrue to yourself in some real sense.

To your help, there are some simple strategies to increase honesty on your team.

What Happens When Leaders Lie To Employees?

When leaders lie to their employees, it erodes trust and creates a stressful environment. Employees figure that if their bosses lie, it’s okay for them to lie, and it can spiral from there. Soon, employees are lying to customers, becoming a free-for-all lying fest. 

That might not actually happen, but it demonstrates how little “white lies” can erode trust and solidarity among the team. 

But what happens when a leader has already lied and affected the team?

How Leaders Can Redeem Trust With Their Employees

Leaders who want to redeem trust with their employees must understand that it’ll take time and work. They can’t exactly say, “I’m sorry, I’ll never lie again,” and have their employees believe them. 

While they can apologize for their lies, they need to be willing to work at restoring trust. Here’s how they should do it:

  • Apologize for the lies.
  • Listen to employee feedback about the impact of the lies.
  • Strive to tell the truth, no matter how inconsequential it might seem.
  • They should acknowledge their lie, apologize for it, and get back on track if they lie.

Trust and respect are earned, not given, so leaders should do everything they can to earn both, especially after lying.

Should Employees Lie to Their Boss?

When bosses lie to their employees, it might encourage employees to lie when it suits them. However, it’s not a good idea to lie to your boss, even if they lie to you. 

While you can get away with “white lies,” such as taking a sick day when you need a mental health day or saying that you have plans after work when asked to work overtime, lying about work projects can impact the entire organization. 

You wouldn’t want your employer to lie about these things to you, so you may also want to tell the truth. 

Conclusion

It’s not okay for leaders to lie, as it can impact the entire organization, including your customers’ opinions. This, in turn, can cause a scandal like Enron and destroy the entire company. 

While their lies might not cause this, they can still cause stress, tension, and uneasiness among their team.

The 5 Communicative Styles Huge Impact on Your Leadership!

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Leadership Skills

During my 12 years in the military, I have worked with all types of communicative styles, and while you can get along with others most of the time, sometimes there will be someone in your office that you just never seem to understand, no matter what you do. As a leader, interacting with the people around you is vital. How can you communicate with your staff?

The 5 styles of communication include passive, passive-aggressive, aggressive, manipulative, and assertive. The impact of passive or passive-aggressive on leadership can undermine your authority, while aggressive or manipulative can create low morale. Authentic assertive communication can work best; let’s find out when.

Managing or leading a team of people with various communication styles can be challenging at best. This article will discuss the 5 different types of communication styles, how language impact your leadership, and how to successfully work with each style.

Why Understanding Communication Styles Matters as a Leader

How your team communicates with each other determines the success of your organization. Arguments, disagreements, and back-stabbing create tension and stress, which can keep your employees from completing their work. 

When those with different styles come up against a conflict, how you lead them determines how well they can get along and how much they can accomplish together.

As a leader, knowing and understanding communicative styles can make or break your team. For example, if one of your employees has an aggressive communication style and another has a passive style, the aggressive employee will always have the last word. The passive communicator may then shut down due to the aggressive communicator. 

This could cause several problems, severe emotional distress, and tension within your organization. Understanding how to manage and communicate with these employees can mitigate future issues.

Let’s examine the communication styles and how you can successfully work with each team member.

1. Passive Communication

Someone with a passive communication style often shows the following signs:

  • They look down or up when speaking to you.
  • They speak softly.
  • They don’t make direct requests and, instead, express vague wishes.
  • They don’t speak up for themselves and will stuff their feelings.

Working with someone who communicates this way can be difficult because you don’t know what they want or their emotional state. This can impact your leadership by not knowing where your employees stand on a given issue, and if you don’t know this, you won’t be able to effectively lead your team.

Several tragic events have happened within the last 20 years due to people being unable to express their needs, including school shootings. 

Many of the shooters were mentally unstable and were most likely unable to express their needs or communicate assertively. While this is speculation, it points to the issue that managers must be especially vigilant when someone doesn’t speak up very often.

Working With a Passive Communicator

When you have a passive communicator on your team, it’s imperative that you don’t show your anger or disappointment when they make mistakes, as this can cause your employee to shut down further. 

In this instance, it would be better to be direct, state the facts, and leave nothing to the imagination.

Other ways to work with a passive communicator include the following:

  • Ask your employee for their opinions, preferably in a one-on-one conversation.
  • Praise them for their work, as this helps them build their confidence.
  • Encourage all employees to socialize with each other with various tools, apps, or games.
  • When they speak up with ideas, point out the merits of the ideas without dismissing them entirely.

When working with passive communicators, build their confidence and encourage them to speak up more often. Passive communication can also be a benefit to your team, at least during some situations.

2. Manipulative Communication

A manipulative communicator won’t often say what they truly think or feel, as they tend to have a hidden agenda. In this sense, they could be seen as chronic liars and narcissists in the work place because they tend to tell people what they think they want to hear rather than the truth.

While they might seem agreeable, in reality, they’re trying to get people on their side to get what they want. This can impact your leadership abilities, especially if they tell you what you want to hear and do the opposite behind your back. 

If your team sees this person getting away with this, they might do the same thing. Your authority is undermined, you won’t have any control of the team, and there is little to no respect for anyone at this point.

When you have a manipulative person on your team, the team’s morale can fall very quickly, as the person could manipulate others to do their work for them. The rest of the team could begin fighting, and the tension and stress could impede workflow. 

You can often spot these communicators by the following statement-questions:

  • You agree with me, right?
  • I need you to do this for me, but I assume you’re okay with it?
  • The deadline is Monday, and I’m so far behind. I wish I had someone to help me.
  • I need to take Friday off–you sure you don’t mind covering my shift?

These statement-questions don’t allow the other person to say no or disagree, as they automatically assume that the other person would be too polite. 

Working With a Manipulative Communicator

Sometimes, someone doesn’t know they’re using a manipulative communicative style, but that might simply be how they use manipulation to get what they want.

Regardless of whether the person realizes it or not, working with a manipulative person can be difficult. Here’s how to do this:

  • Question their motives by asking them what they mean by their statements. 
  • Create boundaries that protect you from their tricks.
  • Rephrase their statement questions into real questions.
  • Cut the conversation short.
  • Don’t act interested when they come to you with their so-called “business,” especially if it involves office gossip.
  • Give them projects they can work on solo so they aren’t manipulating the rest of the team.

3. Aggressive Communication

When you think of an aggressive communicator, do you conjure up images of someone towering over another person yelling and screaming at that person? That might be part of the aggressive communication style, but it’s only a fraction of how someone might act. 

An aggressive person doesn’t need to get in your face to be aggressive, as their words can be aggressive without raising their voice. Let’s look at a few examples:

  • Get out of my way. I’ll do it myself!
  • Your work is puerile and sub-par, and I don’t have time to explain it.
  • How do you get dressed in the morning?
  • This project has so many mistakes it’s hard to know where to begin.

A person on your team with this communication style can demoralize your entire team. 

They might even have a few choice words for your authority and leadership style. But this can make you look weak in front of the rest of your team, and if you don’t deal with this person in the best way possible, your job might even be in jeopardy.

Working With an Aggressive Communicator

Like the manipulative communicator, you’ll need to establish boundaries with an aggressive communicator. Statements like those in the above list can make people feel horrible, and when you hear that happen, you’ll need to step in and let them know that what they said was unacceptable.

But to avoid backlash, you don’t want to appear threatening, or you could bring more aggression your way. You also don’t want to return their aggression, which could lead to an all-out brawl.

Here are a few tips on working with an aggressive communicator:

  • Speak calmly and rationally even when the person is in your face.
  • Listen to their problem and let them know they are heard, which calms most people when upset.
  • Let them know that their behavior is unacceptable.
  • Suggest alternatives to the problem they are upset about. 
  • If the problem is too much to handle, contact HR about the problem.

Most of the time, an aggressive person can be reasoned with if they feel like you hear them and get where they’re coming from. Listening and getting in their world can create a better atmosphere within your team.

4. Passive-Aggressive Communication

You might think having a passive or aggressive communicator on your team would be difficult to manage, but what if you have someone on your team who communicates using both styles? 

The qualities of this type of communicator include the following:

  • Avoids conflict but creates secret drama.
  • Agrees with what you say but does the opposite behind your back.
  • Says your idea would work but then mutters that it’s stupid while walking away.
  • Spread rumors about people they don’t get along with.
  • They are angry but are afraid to let that anger come out.

These types of communicators can undermine your leadership by spreading seeds of discontent throughout your team. And if they don’t like what you tell them to do, they will either do the opposite of what you say, or they’ll do it half-heartedly and put no real effort into the task.

Working With a Passive-Aggressive Communicator

When working with a passive-aggressive person, it’s important to remember that the behavior isn’t always personal. The person might be hanging on to unresolved anger and frustration about something or someone else, so encouraging them to express this healthily can go a long way to preventing future problems.

As with a passive or aggressive communicator, you’ll need to set boundaries for the aggressive behavior while encouraging them to speak up in a respectful and responsible way to combat the passive side of their communication style.

Here are some other tips on working with a passive-aggressive communicator:

  • Don’t accept the answers they first give because if they say that the job is fine, but their behavior suggests otherwise, keep asking them questions about what’s going on.
  • Identify where their behavior is coming from.
  • Remain calm and composed while talking with them.
  • Don’t encourage gossip if they discuss issues with you about another team member. Instead, get only the facts, not their opinions, which can create more drama.

If you play their game, passive-aggressive behavior can throw your authority out the window. The key is not giving in.

5. Assertive Communication

Assertive communicators know what they want and how to get it while still looking out for the feelings of others. Their communication is responsible, direct, and laced with positive feedback. This communication type is considered the best way to communicate with others, as it can help your team accomplish much more.

An assertive communicator does the following:

  • They consider viewpoints other than their own.
  • They take people’s feelings into consideration.
  • They communicate directly with their peers and supervisors without being rude or offensive.
  • While they listen to others’ ideas, they don’t forego what they want or need when appropriate.
  • They use “I” statements to avoid offending or accusing others unnecessarily.

However, it’s not without problems, as someone could be overly assertive. An example might be when the “I” statements are used excessively or in a passive-aggressive manner. It can also happen when someone who doesn’t normally communicate assertively tries to do so, becoming laced with anger and frustration.

The assertive communication style usually doesn’t undermine your leadership abilities, but if someone is afraid to hold back when upset because they are trying to be assertive, it can create problems.

Working With an Assertive Communicator

Working with an assertive communicator can be pleasant and productive most of the time. However, as mentioned above, if the person is not used to communicating this way and harboring anger or resentment, it might come out differently. 

An assertive person usually tries to bring the best out of people, and working with them can be pleasant.

Conclusion

Different communication styles can impact your leadership in different ways, and the key to managing it all is to adapt your leadership style to their communication styles. By practicing active listening, you show that you care about them. 

And if they know you care about their needs and ideas, they’ll support you and allow you to be a better leader.

Should a Good Leader Be Feared or Respected?

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in New Leaders

“Management by fear” is a long-standing joke in the Army, but is there some truth to it? Should we, as leaders, induce anxiety and fear in the name of goal achievement? Many people I meet say that it’s not working and it’s not moral to do so, but my experience tells me differently.

A leader should be both feared and respected; fear is one of our strongest motivators; it moves us away from the unwanted. Respect makes us follow because we believe in the values of the leader. Leaders who can direct these forces toward a goal will see incredible results.

In this article, I will discuss how a leader can use fear and respect as tools; I will take a psychological approach drawing from the science done by Nassim Taleb and Daniel Kahneman, together with my own experiences of more than a decade of military leadership.

Fear vs. Respect: Definitions and Differences

It’s easy to think that fear is always connected to something terrible, and vice versa, for respect, but as we shall see later in this article, this is not always true. Let’s start with understanding the differences between these two concepts within the leadership framework.

What Is Meant by “Fear” and “Respect”

Fear and respect are different emotions and attitudes that can influence one’s behavior and well-being.

  • Fear is a strong, uncontrollable, unpleasant emotion caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.
  •  Fear is forced.
  •  Respect is voluntary.
  •  Fear is toxic, life-threatening, and destroys self-confidence.
  •  Respect is nurturing, life-enhancing, and builds self-confidence.
  •  Respect is an attitude of consideration or high regard that is earned by giving value and worth to others.

Fear as a Leadership Tool

The most effective leaders use fear as a leadership tool, and it’s not necessarily all bad.

Fear can be an incredibly effective leadership tool; it removes the follower’s ability to criticize and, therefore, “waste” time with unnecessary questioning of decisions. This often leads to a fast-paced organization that can change directions and adapts to threats or challenges that arise.

It should also be said that fear is probably the best motivator we as humans have; when we understand that a certain inactive behavior will lead us to pain and suffering, we are much more likely to act.

The opposite isn’t true; motivation through “carrot” rather than the stick has proven not to be as effective.

“We love to win, but we hate to lose.”

Shahram Heshmat, Ph.D. Psychology Today

We have a proclivity toward loss aversion; loss aversion can be exploited by a leader through fear. “If you fail to meet the deadline, we will remove your bonus” (which in your head means you can’t go on vacation with your family, have a lower quality of life, etc.)

Thinking Fast and Slow (Amazon) is the perfect book to read when you want to understand how biases (such as loss aversion) screw up our decision-making.

There is a huge caveat to leadership by fear. It seems to only work in the short term; sooner or later, it makes engaged and productive employees anxious and less creative.

“Fear has a place in leading and managing others. But if used for short-term achievement, as a negative motivator, or as a source of power over others, it can have a damaging long-term effect.”

James L. Heskett. Harvard Business School

Personally, I believe that it is irresponsible for us leaders not to clearly communicate the consequences of certain behaviors; if employees break the code of conduct, they might have to look for another employer.

The above example is a straightforward illustration of using fear as a leadership tool, and I would argue it is equally beneficial for the employee and the employer. Failure to communicate actions and consequences because it might induce anxiety or fear is not a way to care for your people; great leaders show care through building individuals that can handle stressors, not by being “The overprotective mother.”

Amy Edmondson wrote the book The Fearless Organisation (Amazon), in which she argues that management should strive to make teams as free from fear as possible, as this will create a psychologically safe working environment where teammates feel encouraged to share ideas and opinions.

Respect as a Leadership Tool

Respect is often defined as the willingness to listen and follow the ideas of others; this closely resembles democracy. Democracy is also the opposite of fast decision-making; the more people we involve in the decisions making process, the longer it takes; in the bomb disposal community (EOD), this would be referred to as “EOD by committee” and something that was frowned upon since it often times took more time and very rarely improved decisions.

The author and scientist Nassim Taleb would also argue that the more information we take in before making a decision, the less accurate our decisions become; extremely counterintuitive, I know. That’s why the book The Black Swan (Amazon) is such a good read when you want to improve your decision-making accuracy.

I take the approach of showing the downsides of respectful leadership first because I assume you, as the reader, already understand most of the benefits. And you most likely understand that respect is vital to a successful career as a manager.

But let’s quickly summarize what the benefits of a respectful leadership style are:

Striking a Balance between Fear and Respect

As we can see above, fear, as well as respect, is necessary for effective leadership. The question is, when should fear to used, and when should it definitely not (considering its high risk to employee well-being)?

The question of respect is easier; we should always strive to maximize respect for our people, and only when we truly can is it acceptable t

Using fear as a leader is not bad; just make sure that your team is “afraid” of consequences and not you as a person. They should understand the impact of their actions and, at the same time, know that you have their back when they need support.

Fear is a great motivator; it moves us away from the unwanted. Pleasure is less effective but moves us towards the wanted (remember the loss aversion bias?).

When we as leaders use both of these forces in a balanced way, when the push and the pull work in synergy, moving us in the desired direction, then we can achieve great things with our teams!

Conclusion

We shouldn’t fear the leader, but it’s okay to be fearful of what will happen to us if we don’t align with the leadership and its rules.

As leaders, we need to understand negative emotions’ effects on our psyche and how it urges us to move away from the unwanted toward the wanted.