There is only one leadership/management style that truly works, it is called “hands on”. This is the process where the leader/manager is directly involved with those they oversee on a regular basis. Most often it could be a daily basis. This style of leadership/management offers many things to the individuals that are being led/managed. Foremost it allows for a safe environment, which leads to a trusting relationship. What this means is that all that are involved can share opinions, feelings, and ideas; free from any type of reprisal. Many leaders/managers think they have this style; when in reality they are fooling themselves. One way to determine if you truly have this style of leadership/management, is to ask a very simple question about each individual you oversee. “What do I know about this individual, personally?” In other words, do you know what their interests, passions, concerns are? What motivates them? What is their favorite foods? What hobbies do they do? Why is this so important; one might ask? That is an easy answer, it shows concern, caring, and an interest in the individual themselves. It is not about what they do, or can do for you or the organization, it is about who they are. Human beings are relational, we want others to care about who we are. This is the best way to build trust in any relationship. It is this openness and honesty that creates team spirit; which can increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity. This is the win-win for both the individual and the organization.
Another advantage of this style of leadership/management is that you know what is going on with those you oversee. You do not hear about it second hand, and sometimes even through inaccurate data. Remember data is collected for a specific reason, taking that data out of context can misrepresent what is actually occurring. In the same respect, how we ask a question can affect the accuracy of the data collection.
Over the years there has been much debate over how “hands on” leadership/management should look, the effectiveness of it, and even if it is necessary. Today we have many tools that help to provide evidence for concepts like this one, and demonstrate its effectiveness or failure. In the movie “Darkest Hour”, a story about Winston Churchill and his experiences as Prime Minister of Great Britain during World War II; it shows how one morning he got out of his car and went to the London subway. It shows his interaction with the people he was leading, and their concerns with the war effort. Through research, it is not clear that this took place as it is portrayed, but what is known is that Churchill used to go missing for extended periods of time, where he did meet the everyday people. Britain was on the verge of losing the war, and being overrun by Germany; yet the Prime Minister took time to seek the advice and concerns of the people. This is a great example of “hands on” leadership/management.
As this is just one small example of this style of leadership/management, it does demonstrate that it is a very successful way to lead/manage. This is why every great leader/manager has the recognition and respect they have. Maybe we need to spend more time evaluating the skills and the processes we each use as a leader/manager. This could be the key that increases the morale of our organizations; which will increase effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity.
https://www.thewrap.com/darkest-hour-winston-churchill-sneak-off-london-underground-subway/