Look up any list of bestselling books and chances are at least one title deals with leadership.
People have pondered the topic for millennia but are still chasing a clear answer to the question: what makes a good leader?
That may be because we’re asking the wrong question, says business professor .
Human beings are complicated. So instead of asking which single attribute fosters leadership, we should be asking which clusters or patterns of human qualities create the best outcomes.
“It's wrong to categorize leaders as always exhibiting a certain style,” he says. “Like all of us, they come in a combination of styles.”
The good
In a recent study called “” published in the Journal of Management, Gellatly and his co-authors looked for precisely those patterns. By surveying followers’ perceptions of their leaders, he discovered the optimal pattern was found in those combining transformational, “big-picture” vision with attention to detail — a combination sometimes seen as counterintuitive.
People often assume the best leaders are assertive, take-charge personalities who want to leave their mark. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is a perfect example, says Gellatly. He wanted to change the world, and he famously did.
The problem was he also had a reputation for being horribly abusive to employees.
“We think we want someone who can just get things done — a fearless leader who will charge the hill and keep us safe,” says Gellatly. But that approach doesn’t value the contributions of others on the team.
A more laid-back, passive leadership style, on the other hand, is often seen as weak or negative. Yet as Gellatly’s study reveals, a “laissez-faire,” more hands-off attitude in a leader can have varying outcomes, depending on the work environment and which other personal attributes it’s paired with.
“Laissez-faire is not what we aspire to; we don't teach students to integrate it into their leadership style,” he says. “We're more likely to say you need to be more active, more transformational.”
But if the laissez-faire approach is paired with inspirational qualities, it can communicate an emotional connection, selling a transformational vision, says Gellatly.
“Laissez-faire in contexts where there’s some real engagement at a high level is not necessarily a bad thing.”
In some contexts — a univers
