Supportive leadership is a leadership style that prioritizes the well-being and development of team members. This type of leadership focuses on creating a positive and inclusive work environment, where team members feel valued, supported, and motivated to perform at their best.
Supportive leaders understand that their team members are the foundation of their organization and that their success is directly linked to the well-being and satisfaction of their team. As such, they make it a priority to provide ongoing support and guidance to their team members, helping them to develop their skills and achieve their goals.
One of the key characteristics of supportive leadership is the emphasis on open and honest communication. Supportive leaders encourage their team members to speak up, share their ideas, and express their concerns. They create a safe and trusting environment where team members feel comfortable seeking help and feedback.
Another key aspect of supportive leadership is the focus on building strong relationships with team members. Supportive leaders make an effort to get to know their team members on a personal level, showing genuine interest in their lives and career aspirations. They build trust by being approachable and responsive, and by showing empathy and understanding when team members face challenges.
Supportive leaders also set clear expectations and provide ongoing support and resources to help team members meet those expectations. They provide regular feedback and coaching, helping team members to identify areas for improvement and providing the support they need to grow and develop.
In addition to supporting their team members, supportive leaders also model the behaviors and values they expect from their team. They lead by example, demonstrating integrity, honesty, and respect in all their interactions.
Overall, supportive leadership is a powerful and effective leadership style that helps to create a positive and supportive work environment, leading to increased productivity, satisfaction, and retention among team members.
Supportive Leadership: What It Is and How To Develop It
She also provides the necessary resources, supervises, and corrects them when they go astray. This can help mitigate employee grievances before they become bigger problems or make their way through the rumor mill or gossip circles. What is supportive leadership? It also helps leaders manage different challenges with patience and maintain a positive work culture. Moreover, directive leadership unsurprisingly leads to less open communication. Team members feel emotionally and physically distressed and meet with their supportive leaders to discuss how to process their losses. Another leadership method is needed to manage this type of employee. Related: Guidelines on Effective Leadership in the Workplace 4.
Understanding the Supportive Leadership Style Supportive leaders often act in a way that is people-oriented, ensuring that the emotional and psychological needs of their followers are met. Research potential supports in advance, based on what you know about your team's individual strengths and weaknesses, so that if they need help, you can provide it quickly. A number of studies have shown directive leadership often contributes to lesser satisfaction and team cohesion. In those instances, managers need to be prepared to ensure employees can make their voices heard without retaliation and to encourage individuality. However, she approaches the problem very differently. Communication is so important, and you could find it to be useful in a lot of purposes of the path-goal leadership.
More than likely, they'll need to work together on certain tasks or projects. If you're interested in becoming a supportive leader, follow these steps: 1. Encourage Teamwork One aspect that supportive leadership emphasizes is teamwork. The article then lays out the method of. Choosing the right collaboration software, hiring outside sources for training if necessary, and conducting efficient Because it revolves around giving support when or as necessary, supportive leadership needs a mix of collaboration, project management, and communication tools to complete the task. Whether you're in charge of a small team for a single project, or you're a department head managing many people, you can benefit from establishing a thoughtful leadership style. However, for a bureaucratic company that involves straightforward activities, a supportive style of leadership may not be the best fit.
Supportive leaders will work to build a team that is highly motivated to meet goals, but also a team that feels ensured that their leader does not see them as just a member of the team, but as someone who is valued and trusted by their leader. Here are ten ways to help your team do better. Leadership: Theory and practice. Example Let's say you are a manager at a coal-mining site in West Virginia. Based on expectancy theory, if the followers believe they can reach their goals and be successful, they will be motivated to reach those milestones Northouse, 2021. Unfortunately, a majority of firms place more emphasis on management and neglect leadership.
Weekly check-ins can help build a base for strong communications. As group meetings are typically more difficult to plan, it can help to arrange meetings at regular intervals to provide individual guidance. The final and most important step that the leader should do is foster teamwork. Weekly check-ins, rewards for mini-goals, and removing obstacles to success are all perfect examples of ways to achieve a supportive leadership style. A supportive leadership style works well in ensuring that a follower does not just get told what to do, but knows they have a system of support around them if they feel distressed in the process of completing their task, for example. This leader helps teams work through issues, and provides a high degree of coaching and support. Supportive leadership also varies from other types of leadership roles in that it may require a different level of support per employee.
Supportive leadership is the best approach for the digital workplace
Participative leadership works best in environments that are lower pressure and not usually prone to quick turnarounds and need-it-yesterday projects. Importance of supportive leadership in business For businesses, supportive leadership is a crucial and beneficial leadership style. Sometimes teams discover obstacles which can hinder their performance towards achieving their goals. When getting to know your team, their strengths and potential growth areas, you may need to conduct skills assessments or carefully examine their work. Supportive leadership combines these strategies in an employee-first approach. This can help foster progress and development within the organization.
Still unsure about your own style? They also hold performance and appraisal sessions where employees can discuss possible areas for improvement. By opening up the floor to employee input, creative thinking ensues—and that opens the door for cost-saving innovations, unique approaches to productivity and efficiency, and more. Ensuring the entire team has a foundation of trust and support will help the employees work together cohesively in the future. As teamwork is often critical to a project's success, encouraging members to work together and share resources can be vital. However, it is quickly becoming a common style of leadership. . At first the follower might be surprised that you are asking what they need or how you can support them in such a direct manner.
She also provides the necessary resources, supervises, and corrects them when they go astray. This is helpful for completing projects and accomplishing the organization's goals. It is one of the aspects that differentiate a supportive leader from a typical manager. They understand their team members' situations and perspectives and devise effective strategies for supporting individual employees. Thus, this article will focus on practical and easy to implement ways to foster respect in a sociable and comfortable approach known as supportive leadership that can work in a variety of workplace settings and contexts. The supportive leadership style values upfront employee development and training with the expectation that those investments in employees will pay off with high productivity and excellent performance.
The work is dirty, dangerous, strenuous, and stressful. They slowly guide team members and help them reach their potential without judging or comparing them with others. With stronger relationships, team members may work more smoothly together. She first creates a team of individuals with the right skills for the task. While the level of support provided may vary among employees, these leaders can identify areas of improvement while offering guidance to individual team members. Tasks for a manager include clarification of tasks, clarification of the employee's roles and responsibilities, clarification of the criteria for success, providing guidance and coaching, removing obstacles that can prevent task completion and providing psychological support and awards when appropriate.
Directive vs. Supportive Leadership: Which Style Works in Your Culture?
A When it comes to adopting a new leadership style, one of the questions every manager or leader has is, how will it affect the company? The initial concept of The methodology behind being a participative leader is simple. For example, if you have a major goal of closing 500 contracts by the end of the year, then this can be broken down into monthly goals. Some people prefer to make the decisions for their teams while others prefer to provide more autonomy to their people. Working toward these goals can aid productivity and help the organization fulfill its mission. The Main Tenets of Supportive Leadership There are a few principles that govern supportive leadership. To start the 2-minute leadership style quiz, Famous Leaders with a Supportive Leadership Style From sporting legends to world leaders, below are a few of the many leaders that have displayed a supportive leadership style.
