COGNITIVE RESOURCE THEORY AND GOLMAN’S EMOTIONAL
LEADERSHIP THEORY: IMPLICATIONS FOR ADMINISTRATOR
Abstract
The paper examined cognitive resource theory and Golman’s emotional leadership
theory. The essence of the theory is that stress is the enemy of rationality, it damages
leaders' ability to think logically and analytically. However, the leader's experience and
intelligence can lessen the influence of stress on his or her actions: intelligence is the main
factor in low-stress situations, while experience counts for more during high-stress
moments. Goleman Leadership Styles model, leaders should have the ability to deal with
the changing environment on the work floor. The model is for this reason associated with
emotional intelligence, a term created by Peter Salovey and John Mayer, but Daniel
Goleman popularized it. Both theories help organization to achieve effectiveness and
efficiency.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Cognitive Resource Theory
3. History
4. Broader perspective of the theory
5. Assumptions
6. Advantages
7. Limitations
8. Effect of Stress
9. Golman’s Emotional Leadership Theory
10. Brief History
11. Emotional Intelligence
12. Emotional Leadership Theory
13. The six Goleman Leadership Styles
14. Impacts of Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Leadership theory
15. Recommendations
16. Conclusion
17. References
Introduction
In the quest to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the leaders in an
organization in order to achieve organizational goals, it is good that leader should acquit
themselves with different leadership theories to enable them to achieve more than expected.
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This paper examined two different leadership theory. They are Cognitive resource theory and
Golman’s emotional leadership theory.
In order to buttress our understanding, it is pertinent to explain some concepts in the
topic. All these concepts can be defined in many ways but in this concept the writer sees them
as:
Theory is a body of principles that explain the existence of a phenomenon. It is a set
of ideas put forward in order to explain the existence of a subject.
Resource:
Emotion is a psychological state that describes a feeling, happiness, worry, anxiety or
fear.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions
and feelings, as well those of others.
Emotional leadership: the term is interchangeably used with emotional intelligence,
emotional IQ. It is used to subsume an individual’s capacity or capability to recognize his
own emotions and that of others. It is the ability of the leader to be aware of emotions, and
control his emotions, as well as handle interpersonal relationships empathetically and
judiciously by discerning between feelings, label them appropriately and use emotional
information to guide his thinking (Charles, 2019) examples decision making, problem
solving, working memory, reasoning,
Leadership is the process of influencing others (followers) in order to achieve
organizational goals. Leadership is a process in which an individual takes imitative to assist a
group to move forward as to produce goals that are acceptable to maintain the group and to
dispose of those needs of the individual within the group that impelled them to join it (Ordu,
2019).
Cognition is defined as 'the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and
understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. Cognitive is the ability to reason,
think, to take prudent decision or decision making. Cognition includes all of the conscious
and unconscious processes involved in thinking, perceiving, and reasoning.
Stress can be defined as state of the physical body which has been exposed to
pressures or forces close to or beyond its tolerance, such as students’ unrest, overload,
tiredness.
COGNITIVE RESOURCE THEORY (1987)
The Cognitive resource theory is a reinvention of Fiedler contingency theory and
concept was given by Fred Fiedler and Joe Garcia in 1987. Cognitive resource theory (CRT)
is a leadership theory of industrial and organisational psychology developed by Fred
Fiedler and Joe Garcia in 1987 as a reconceptualisation of the Fiedler contingency
model. The theory focuses on the influence of the leader's intelligence and experience on
their reaction to stress.
The essence of the theory is that stress is the enemy of rationality, it damages
leaders' ability to think logically and analytically. However, the leader's experience and
intelligence can lessen the influence of stress on his or her actions: intelligence is the main
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factor in low-stress situations, while experience counts for more during high-stress
moments.
This theory relates to a leader’s intelligence and experience with his/her reaction to
stressful situations. Like in a more stressful situation one can react without thinking logically.
It clears how a leader’s intelligence and experience influence the way he/she may react to
stress. This theory is based on the assumption that stress is an unfavorable factor in the
logical and analytical thinking of a leader. Stress lower down the rationality. But the effect of
stress can be less based on the experience and intelligence of a leader. Intelligence plays a
significant role in low-level stress situations and experience in high-level stress situations.
The theory has its origin from the studies of military leadership style and applies to
other areas also like defining a link between stressful situations and sports ability. It suggests
different leadership styles according to different situations and based on factors like
stress level, task structure, and situation. It further indicates that leaders should be
trained in stress management so that they can maximum utilize their intelligence.
Originating from studies into military leadership style, CRT can also be applied to
other contexts such as the relationship between stress and ability in sport. The theory
proposes the style of leadership required in certain situations, depending on the degree of
stress, situational control and task structure. Training should focus on stress management so
that a leader's intellect can be most effectively utilised and also to train leaders to take a
directive approach when their knowledge will benefit the group but a less directive approach
when group member abilities will contribute to performance
History
The Cognitive Resource theory is originated from the Contingency approach which
was introduced by Fiedler. As per the contingency approach, how leaders lead the team
much depends on situations that suit their leadership style in the best way. It suggests that the
right leader match with the right situation. Leadership styles cannot be changed as per the
situation. Task-oriented people view a leader according to the work done by him/ her.
Leaders who give more importance to human relations are more favorable to their
subordinates. So by this Fiedler argued that different situations demand different leadership
styles and leaders, and thus there is no concept of an ideal leader.
There were lots of disagreements of this theory for its inaccuracy and lack of
flexibility. Fiedler than re-developed this theory and given the concept of Cognitive
Resource Theory (CRT) which includes a leader’s personality, stress, and relationship
factor into defining leadership style. Through this Fiedler strongly favored intelligence as an
important part of leadership. According to him a leader’s intelligence which helps him/her to
make decisions and to communicate with the team effectively is very much affected by the
stress level. An unhealthy relationship of a leader with his team may result in more effective
stress.
Broader perspective of the theory
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As mentioned above, the Cognitive resource theory was suggested by Fred Fiedler in
collaboration with Joe Garcia in 1987 by modifying the contingency theory of leadership.
This theory denies the concept of an ideal leader and considers stress as an important element
in making a negative impact on the effectiveness of a leader’s intelligence. Leaders are
categorized as task-oriented leaders and human relation-oriented leaders. It also states
that leaders have to manage different situations and stress on regular intervals. Task-oriented
leaders view the performance of team members based on work or tasks assigned to them.
Human relation-oriented leaders do more favor to their subordinates over tasks.
This theory strongly believes that different types of stress create hindrances in the rationality
of leadership. Stress effect can be overcome by much experience in leadership and through
the directive approach. Intelligence helps in situations when stress is less. Leadership is more
effective when the leadership approach is directive and authority-oriented. Task-complexity
is also a factor i.e. the requirement of an intelligent and experienced leader is less when tasks
are less complicated.
In the testing phase of the theory, it was found that leaders who were more
intelligent spoke much, and less intelligent leaders were comparatively less talkative.
Intelligent leaders came under too much pressure of deadlines of work and due to this their
team efficiency also suffered and couldn’t produce many creative ideas. This also results in
the unprofessional behavior of leaders i.e. they overreacted on small issues and felt upset
which ultimately negatively affect their team. So it clearly states that stress is transferrable if
one is not able to handle it.
The Cognitive resource theory is mainly based on 4 factors i.e. intelligence,
stress, experience, and task-knowledge.
Details of these are mentioned below:
1. Intelligence and directive approach
A leader’s intelligence can only be effective when he/she has a directive approach or
command on the team. A leader makes a plan to achieve objectives and for successful
implementation of these plans, he/she needs to give directions to the team i.e. what is to be
done instead of just assuming that they will agree upon. So in this way, a leader should have
better decision-making and planning skills.
Leaders sometimes have to choose a non-directive approach in leadership i.e. when their
team can do better than them like selecting and implementing the best idea in an open
platform by inviting ideas from the team.
2. Stress affects
Stress has a direct effect on the intelligence and decision-making capability of a leader. When
the stress level is low then intelligence has a great impact. In the case of high-stress
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intelligence has the least and moreover negative impact. It may be due to the hindrance of
rationality in the decisions of a leader.
3. Experience factor
The theory says that the experience of a leader improves the quality of decisions taken by
him/her in situations when stress is high.
In the case of high-stress situations, having the experience to handle similar situations, the
leader can win over the situation without going deeply into it even intelligence level is not
that much. So better decisions can be made under high stress with the experience of the
leader rather than just rely upon intelligence.
4. Task-knowledge
Tasks or activities that are quite simple don’t require both intelligence and experience.
Sometimes the team is efficient enough to handle tasks assigned to them without any
direction or support. In that case, the decision-making capability of the leader is not required
as a team themselves can easily make decisions without any additional support.
The Cognitive Resource Theory of Leadership was developed by Fred Fiedler and Joe Garcia
in 1987. The cognitive resources of a leader identified in this model are their experience,
intelligence, competence and task-relevant knowledge. This theory discerns that stress can be
a factor that prevents an intelligent leader from being effective and there is no ideal leader for
all business situations and all business seasons. Leaders are said to be either task oriented or
relationships oriented. Leaders who are task-oriented tend to view person’s worth in terms of
what is to be done. Leaders who emphasize the importance of human relations tend to view
co-workers more favourably over task.
These factors confirm why there is no ideal leader profile, because every situation is
different and the leaders are required to deal with various situations under different stress
levels.
Fred Fiedler states that a leader uses his or her intelligence to formulate strategies,
communicate action plans to the group and then seek the support from the group members to
execute the plans. At any one of these phases, stress may change or have an impact on the
effective outcome.
The leader is more effective when his style is more orderly, premeditated and
authoritarian. However, Fred Fiedler believed that intelligence is not always an important and
essential factor in leadership. An intelligent leader or a leader with a high IQ can work
effectively and able to think out of the box under low-stress situations, where as an
experienced leader will rely more on past occurrences and experiences.
As an intellectual person will seek for rational solutions but, not all problems have
rational solutions probably he may not be resourceful under high-stress situations. In a highstress situation, a person with lower IQ level but more work experience may be able to lead
better. Further, if a leader has poor relationships with the group, stress could be an
impediment in achieving leadership potential.
A leader needs to be an effective communicator to in
struct and guide. An
intelligent leader provides intellectual effort in planning, rationalizing, strategizing and
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decision-making to realize business objectives. He seeks support from team members and
depending on the level of work stress and his relationship with his team members, decides
how efficiently he will be able to deal with a situation.
If he is not in good terms with his team members then his leadership qualities may be
diluted in execution. When under stress, intelligence does not help and that’s where a forceful
commanding ability with experience is required. Hence, for a leader, effective
communication is a must and therefore must have clarity of purpose, scope and expectations
of a task to be directive. However, without the support from his team members, a leader
cannot be effective and that depicts dependency.
Intelligent leaders speak more when in high-stress situations than less intelligent
leaders. They feel the punch of the deadline pressures and generally people in their teams
contribute less to creative ideas. They could end up being upset and could also overreact to
small things, negatively-affecting other team members too.
Stress can be transferred from one person to the other if a stressed-out person is
unable to handle it. The theory also states that simple jobs or tasks do not require intelligence
or experience. If a job is simple and it does not require directions and guidance then no matter
how good the leader is, his support will not be needed by his team. Therefore, such jobs
require minimum leadership, more management. In using the Cognitive Resource Theory,
there are a number of pre qualifications and limitations to be mindful of.
Assumptions
Cognitive Resource theory is based on the following assumptions:
 The success of a leader depends on certain factors like Intelligence, experience, and
other cognitive means.
 Leadership success is not based on cognitive capabilities only.
 Stress affects decision-making ability.
Advantages
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The Cognitive Resource Theory helps in understanding the role of intellectual
abilities and organisational performances in solving tasks. Stress is common in
leadership situations and this theory emphasizes how it limits even an intelligent
person’s ability to lead.
It differentiates the abilities of a skilled labour from an experienced labour and
indicates how they are useful. The theory helps to predict whether a certain type of
person will be able to lead in a stressful situation.
The theory helps the placement of persons in leadership positions by suggesting
that people be tested for intelligence and the ability to manage stress in addition to
assessing leadership qualities.
Limitations
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Although there are many types and degrees of intelligences including Intelligence
Quotient (IQ), Emotional Quotient (EQ), Spiritual Quotient (SQ), Physical Quotient
(PQ) the Cognitive Resource Theory doesn’t account for them.
The nature of tasking itself is not addressed. There are many types of tasks a group
may need to achieve and each may involve a different level of stress and hence,
require a different leadership method.
Types of stresses have not been covered in this theory. Physical stress and
psychological stress can have different impacts on an individual’s task-solving ability.
Further, the stress could be positive or negative from the recipient’s perspective.
Stress often is measured subjectively, this in the face of the many measurable effects
in the cognitive, psychological and physical domains. Without a quantitative
evaluation instrument, it is difficult to create research instruments to evaluate the
theory.
Cognitive resource theory also, does not talk about those leaders who have both, a
good IQ and a good work experience.
Irrespective of the above criticisms, the Cognitive Resource Theory holds an
important place in the leadership theories and in organisational development. Nonetheless,
the Cognitive Resource Theory demands further extension and exploration. In conclusion the leader’s abilities and intelligence aid organisational success when they are directive, in a
stress-free situation, the organisations’ members are supportive and the task requires high
intellect. “The quality of leadership, more than any other single factor, determines the success
or failure of an organisation.”
Effect of Stress
Cognitive resource theory states that, an intelligent leader or a leader with a high IQ
can work efficiently under low stress situation. This is because the stress impairs a person’s
ability to think effectively. As an intellectual person will seek for rational solutions but, not
all problems have rational solutions and that is why he may not be resourceful.
In a high-stress situation, a person with lower IQ level but more work experience will be able
to lead better. Similarly, the theory indicates that a leader with higher IQ/ intelligence will
perform better than a more experienced leader in low-stress situations. This is because an
experienced leader will rely more on past occurrences and experiences than being able to
think out of the box. His experience, in a way, becomes his way of reacting to a stimulus. On
the other hand, an intelligent leader will be able to use his intellect to seek solutions.
GOLMAN’S EMOTIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORY
Brief History
Daniel Goleman (born March 7, 1946) is an author, psychologist, and science
journalist. For twelve years, he wrote for The New York Times, reporting on the brain and
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behavioral sciences. His 1995 book Emotional Intelligence was on The New York
Times Best Seller list for a year and a half, a bestseller in many countries, and is in print
worldwide in 40 languages. Apart from his books on emotional intelligence, Goleman has
written books on topics including self-deception, creativity, transparency, meditation, social
and emotional learning, ecoliteracy and the ecological crisis, and the Dalai Lama’s vision for
the future. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Goleman
Daniel Goleman (1946) is a Ph.D. graduate in psychology from Harvard University.
He is also the founder of the Emotional Leadership styles and the five components of
emotional intelligence. It is the ability to perceive emotions so as to assist thought, to
understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to
promote emotional and intellectual growth.
Emotional Intelligence
The term emotional intelligence describes a person’s ability to perceive, interpret,
and evaluate others’ emotions. Emotionally intelligent people can also demonstrate a wide
range of emotions and regulate their feelings to match the situation.
Emotional intelligence helps leaders to perceive, reason with, understand and regulate
their emotions and that of the followers. It will help them to apply the appropriate style at
appropriate situation at work place.
The following are four of the most critical elements of emotional intelligence:
Perceiving Emotions
An emotionally intelligent person can pick up on changes in people’s emotions and label
them accurately. They know when someone is happy, sad, disappointed, angry, etc. based on
factors like tone, body language, and facial expressions.
Reasoning with Emotions
Emotionally intelligent leaders can also reason with emotions and use them to
prioritise effectively. For example, if a leader notices that an employee is frustrated, they may
decide that coaching that employee is a top priority and that working with someone else can
wait until later.
Understanding Emotions
Perceiving emotions is the first part of emotional intelligence. Truly emotionally
intelligent people can also take things a step further, though, and get to the bottom of what’s
causing the emotion.
For instance, say a leader sees that an employee is frustrated or angry. If they’re
emotionally intelligent, they should be willing and able to interpret the cause of those
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emotions rather than making assumptions or snap judgments. This in turn will lead
to managing any conflict more effectively or avoiding it in the first place.
Regulating Emotions
Finally, emotional intelligence involves emotional regulation. An emotionally
intelligent person is not ruled by their or others’ emotions. They know how to regulate their
feelings and respond appropriately based on the situation and the needs of their team.
Emotional Leadership Theory
The Goleman Leadership Styles (or the six emotional leadership styles) are styles that
leaders can take to make sure of a healthy working environment.
According to the Goleman Leadership Styles model, leaders should have the ability
to deal with the changing environment on the work floor. The model is for this reason
associated with emotional intelligence, a term created by Peter Salovey and John Mayer, but
Daniel Goleman popularized it.
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize and understand personal emotions
and know how these influence the emotions of other people. His explanation of his research
into emotional intelligence is more in detail described in his book ‘Working with Emotional
Intelligence.’
Since leaders deal with different emotions of employees, they should be able to
understand the emotions of others and know how to deal with these emotions so that a
positive ambiance on the work floor will be created. If a leader can effectively apply Daniel
Goleman's Leadership Styles in the right situations, they will be more effective in changing to
changing environments.
According to the Goleman Leadership Styles, every style has a different impact on the
team of an organization. Therefore, it is essential to understand that there is not a right or
wrong leadership style. A leadership style of the Goleman Leadership Styles can work
excellent for a particular situation, but it might work horribly in another case. The leader
must possess the knowledge to understand the leadership styles and have the capability to
perform the right leadership style.
The six Goleman’s Leadership Styles are as follows:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Commanding leadership style
Visionary leadership style
Democratic leadership style
Coaching leadership style
Affiliative leadership style
Pacesetting leadership style
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According to Goleman’s model of situational leadership, there are six different
leadership styles based on various types of emotional intelligence. Each of the six styles is
explained in detail below:
The Commanding Leadership Style
Commanding leadership is also known as coercive or directive leadership. It involves
the leader making all the decisions for their team. Where democratic leadership style fails,
commanding leadership style can be employed.
Commanding leaders give orders without explanation and follow up often to ensure
the job is being done correctly. They also set clear roles and expectations and carefully define
the roles each team member must carry out.
Characteristics of a Commanding Leader
Commanding leaders typically exhibit the following characteristics:
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Demands total obedience from employees
Exercise full control over all aspects of their job
Focus more on missteps than accomplishments
Offer limited praise to employees
Rarely if ever delegate authority
Can be intimidating or highly demanding
Can be critical or forceful
Make decisions quickly
Merits of Commanding Leadership
Commanding leadership is generally the most efficient leadership style. It works well
for inexperienced teams who need a lot of guidance. It’s also effective in high-pressure
situations where decisions must be made quickly.
Demerits of Commanding Leadership
Despite these pros, commanding leadership also comes with certain downsides. For
example, it can easily lead to micromanagement, which harms employee engagement and
morale. It can also cause employees to feel dehumanised and seen as machines rather than
intelligent and creative individuals.
Authoritative Leadership Style
Authoritative leadership is also known as visionary leadership. This style involves
leaders who have a detailed understanding of the big picture and can set a long-term path for
their team to follow.
Authoritative leaders do an excellent job of communicating their long-term vision,
breaking it down into manageable steps, and gaining buy-in from team members. They
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promote their vision in a way that inspires their employees and encourages them to make
meaningful contributions.
Characteristics of an Authoritative Leader
Authoritative or visionary leaders typically exhibit these traits:
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Think “big”
Create clear visions
Set common goals
Give team members room to experiment and take risks
Allow team members to speak their minds
Encourage transparency
Set clear standards
Create reward and recognition systems
Share knowledge openly
Consistently remind people of the big picture
Merits of Authoritative Leadership
Visionary or authoritative leaders are often inspiring to their team members. They get
those they manage excited about accomplishing tasks and helping the organization get closer
to achieving a major goal. They can boost motivation and create a more engaging
organization culture.
Demerits of Authoritative Leadership
A potential downside to visionary leadership is that it requires clear communication
and the ability to set smaller goals. If an authoritative leader sets lofty goals but doesn’t
clarify the steps needed to achieve them, employees may end up feeling frustrated or
confused.
Affiliative Leadership Style
Affiliative leadership focuses on relationships. Affiliative leaders work hard to build
strong relationships with all team members and ensure they’re happy and satisfied with their
jobs. They also encourage team members to build relationships with each other, resulting in a
more harmonious and trusting organization culture.
The affiliative leadership style is characterised by ongoing feedback, regular
recognition, and frequent rewards. When used appropriately, this approach can help to boost
team spirit and create a more cohesive environment.
Characteristics of an Affiliative Leader
An affiliative leader may possess the following traits:
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Strive to create strong bonds
See people, not just employees
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Focus on needs and feelings
Make time for deep conversations
Offer frequent praise
Encourage risk-taking
Aim to create resonance and harmony
Don’t set strict rules
Give employees plenty of freedom
Offer positive feedback often
Work to build a sense of belonging
Offer recognition and don’t take credit for others’ work
Merits of Affiliative Leadership
One of the greatest benefits of affiliative leadership is that it brings people closer
together. It fosters teamwork and provides employees with ongoing support which helps
them achieve goals and improve their performance.
Affiliative leadership is often great for workplace morale and may increase
employee loyalty. If someone feels that they have a positive relationship with their manager
or co-workers, they’ll be more inclined to stick with the organization long-term.
Demerits of Affiliative Leadership
A potential con of affiliative leadership is that it can lead to blurred lines between
leaders and their people. If leaders try too hard to always be friends with their employees,
they may be hesitant to offer constructive criticism or address problems. They may become
conflict-averse or fail to hold people accountable for their mistakes.
Democratic Leadership Style
Democratic leadership invites all team members to participate in the decision-making
process.
Democratic leaders empower their team members to make decisions and offer
suggestions. They strive to reach a consensus when making decisions.
These leaders ultimately have final approval. However, they work hard to ensure
everyone feels heard and is on board before making a particular choice.
Characteristics of a Democratic Leader
A democratic leader may exhibit the following characteristics:
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Listen to others’ opinions and concerns
Don’t criticise employees or their ideas
Don’t punish others for telling the truth
Take the time to understand other viewpoints
Encourage others to be involved in the decision-making process
Let people set their own goals
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Value commitment, trust, and respect
Manage conflict effectively
Are team players
Merits of Democratic Leadership Style
Democratic leadership can be beneficial because it empowers employees.
Democratic leaders let team members know that their opinions and ideas matter. They also
encourage team members to contribute, share their insights, and participate when making
decisions that will affect them.
The democratic leadership style naturally lends itself to more employee engagement and
increase motivation. It can boost morale and improve the organization culture.
Demerits of Democratic Leadership Style
One of the biggest drawbacks to democratic leadership is that it can be less efficient
than other types.
When leaders wait for everyone to share input before deciding, it takes longer to reach
a final conclusion. In high-pressure situations, this isn’t always the best approach.
Pacesetting Leadership Style
The pacesetting leadership style places a strong emphasis on performance and
achieving specific results.
Pacesetting leaders have high expectations for their team members and themselves.
They aren’t interested in bossing people around or bullying them into working harder.
Instead, they lead by example and encourage everyone to put their best foot forward.
Characteristics of a Pacesetting Leader
A pacesetting leader often engages in the following behaviours:
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Strive for excellence in all they do
Focused solely on their goals
Are experts in their field
Set high standards
Exemplify those standards
Demand perfection
Quickly identify poor performers
May expect people to know what to do without setting clear guidelines
May give little-to-no praise
May struggle to delegate work
Focus on numbers and tangible outcomes
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Merits of Pacesetting Leadership
Pacesetting leadership works well in many situations because it encourages a high
level of performance. It helps employees to set and achieve lofty goals, which boosts
productivity and sets the organization up for higher revenue and long-term results, examples
are bankers)
Pacesetting leadership is especially beneficial during short periods when employees
must push themselves to achieve a goal by a particular deadline. Pacesetting leaders keep
their teams focused and ensure they meet or exceed expectations.
Demerits of Pacesetting Leadership
On the flip side, pacesetting leaders can also create stressful work environments for
some employees. If people feel that they’re being held to an impossible standard, their
engagement may start to diminish. They may also start to feel frustrated and unappreciated.
Coaching Leadership Style
Coaching leadership involves a leader who coaches and encourages employees to
develop themselves and strive to become better professionals. Tell them they can do it.
Coaching leaders set clear goals, exhibit a high level of commitment, and encourage
loyalty from team members. They also nurture employees and encourage them to become
coaches themselves, creating a supportive and uplifting environment for everyone involved.
Characteristics of a Coaching Leader
Coaching leaders often possess these traits:
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Value and strive to make deep emotional connections
Are curious and ask lots of questions
Are genuinely interested in others
Enjoy holding frequent meetings
Enjoy conducting personal conversations
Listen well
Help employees identify strengths and weaknesses
Help employees set and achieve goals
Delegate easily
Can tolerate short-term failures or setbacks
Believe in others’ potential
Merits of Coaching Leadership Style
Coaching leadership is an excellent option for those who want to build strong
relationships and contribute to a positive organization culture. It also encourages employee
engagement and boosts motivation, both of which can improve team productivity and help
team members (and entire teams) achieve their goals.
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One of the most noteworthy cons of coaching leadership is that it can be more timeconsuming than other leadership styles. Coaches work with their employees to set goals,
develop their skills, and make continuous progress.
Demerits of Coaching Leadership Style
This approach can’t be fast-tracked — at least if you want to see meaningful results.
In high-pressure situations with tight deadlines, coaching leadership may not be the most
effective or efficient option.
Note:
All the Goleman leadership styles should be used to different proportions depending
on the situation. As a rule, pacesetting and commanding leadership should be used sparingly
or carefully, and the visionary, democratic, affiliative, and coaching styles should be used
regularly and in larger proportions.
Instead of finding one style that fits you or matches your behavior or personality, you
should try to use the optimum leadership style for each situation. The strategic choice would
mean to purposely select which style to use and not be reactive to situations spontaneously
and emotionally, which leads us back to the concept of Emotional Intelligence above.
Four competencies of Emotional Intelligence to determine which style should be used,
how you can use it, and then execute. It is worth repeating that all these styles should be used
on different occasions and to different degrees.
Impacts of Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Leadership theory
An understanding of Goleman’s leadership styles and the type of leadership we use
most often offers numerous benefits to managers, administrator or team leaders, employees,
and the organization as a whole.
Here are some of the most well-known benefits associated with this approach to
leadership:
It increases Employee Satisfaction
As an effective leader, the employees/staff are more likely to be satisfied with their
jobs. They’ll enjoy working with the leader and will be more motivated to achieve their
goals. Keep in mind, too, that good leadership allows for better relationships and increased
trust between the leader and followers/team. More trust can improve communication and help
employees/staff feel safer giving and receiving feedback.
It improves Employee/staff Retention Rates
When employees/staff have strong relationships with their managers, administrator
and are satisfied at work overall, they’re more likely to stick with their employer. They’ll feel
a sense of loyalty to the organization and will want to continue working with them long-term.
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Improved employee retention rates help you save money by reducing the amount you spend
on recruiting and training costs. They also improve the organization’s reputation and
contribute to a more positive organization culture.
It enhances Staff Productivity
Happy staffs are productive employees. When the leader identifies the best way to
lead his team and help them achieve their goals, he’ll find that it’s much easier to motivate
them and keep them engaged.
Increased motivation and engagement naturally help team members get more done
while also improving the quality of their work.
It boosts Organization Revenue
In addition to increasing employee productivity, understanding your leadership style,
and strengthening your leadership can also boost your organization’s revenue. Productive,
happy employees can help you improve your offerings, make more sales, and generate more
income.
We should remember that the organization is nothing without the staff/employees.
The better the leaders are at leading and directing them, the more motivated they’ll be to help
the organization to succeed now and in the future.
I have few question for us:
What’s our leadership style? Which of the six styles do you naturally gravitate toward?
Implications for Administrator
For organizations, the repertoire of emotional intelligence competencies used in
organizational assessments for hiring, training and development, and promotions must be
expanded to include the broadest range of competencies. Academic heads that have the
capacity to demonstrate a large repertoire of competencies are able to effectively respond to a
variety of situations. Educational institutions of higher learning will need to develop a
framework for identifying potential leaders with the necessary competencies for recruitment
and development.
Use of psychometric assessment instrument like the Emotional Competence Inventory
and Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire could be used to assess potential academic heads,
determine training needs, and performance evaluation.
The recruitment of and training of academic heads should involve the assessment of
academic their self awareness, self management, social awareness and social skills
competencies along with their leadership style.
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Developmental opportunities for academic heads particularly in the areas of emotional
intelligence should be created and offered on an ongoing basis, strategically selected based on
the individual academic head needs.
For academic heads, academic heads should reflect on the appropriate (or
inappropriate) use of emotional intelligence competencies and leadership style in a given
situation. It is also vital that academic heads obtain feedback from staff in order to
continuously examine their leadership style. Academic heads will need to concentrate on
those emotional intelligence competencies that relate to working with others.
Recommendations
Leaders should be trained in stress management so that they can maximum utilize
their intelligence.
Experience should be required when recruiting a leader like Head of Institution,
school or organization.
For organizations, the catalogue of emotional intelligence competencies used in
organizational assessments for hiring, training and development, and promotions must be
expanded to include the broadest range of competencies.
Academic heads that have the capacity to demonstrate a large repertoire of
competencies are able to effectively respond to a variety of situations.
Educational institutions of higher learning will need to develop a framework for
identifying potential leaders with the necessary competencies for recruitment and
development.
Use of psychometric assessment instrument like the Emotional Competence Inventory
and Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire could be used to assess potential academic heads,
determine training needs, and performance evaluation.
The recruitment of and training of academic heads should involve the assessment of
academic heads self awareness, self management, social awareness and social skills
competencies along with their leadership style.
For academic heads, they should reflect on the appropriate (or inappropriate) use of
emotional intelligence competencies and leadership style in a given situation. It is also vital
that academic heads obtain feedback from lecturers in order to continuously examine their
leadership style. Academic heads will need to concentrate on those emotional intelligence
competencies that relate to working with others.
Academic heads should understand that using cognitive leadership theory would
enhance staff’s satisfaction with their leadership style, and leadership effectiveness.
Academic heads through continuous emotional intelligence and leadership
development can learn using a combination of Golman’s emotional leadership theory and
cognitive resource theory for effective leadership.
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Conclusion
The paper has reviewed Understanding and implementing Goleman’s leadership
theory can help you identify your default leadership style, focus on your strengths, and
become a more effective and emotionally intelligent manager. Though there are different
criticisms of Cognitive Resource theory as stated above, still it holds its prominent position in
defining leadership in leadership theories. To summarize, leaders contribute to the
performance of the organization through his/her intelligence and intellectual abilities in
favorable conditions that are stress-free, cooperation from the team, high intelligence level
activities. For this, they also need to be directive in their leadership approach. The main
philosophy of theory is that intelligence deals better with low-stress situations and
experiences produce best results in high-stress situations. So, both have significance
according to stress type.
References
Carl L., (2023) The Six Leadership Styles by Daniel Goleman Retrieved from
https://www.leadershipahoy.com/the-six-leadership-styles-by-daniel-goleman/
Charles, O. I., (2019), Psychology for the Education and Health Professions. Paragraphics:
Port Harcourt.
Dineth,
R., (2015) Cognitive Resource Theory of Leadership. Retrieved from
https://www.dailymirror.lk/Columns/cognitive-resource-theory-of-leadership/23579857
Ordu, S. N., (2018), Organizational Bahviour: psychological and counselling perspective.
Emmanest Venture: Port Harcourt.
Studiousguy.com,
(2023),
Cognitive
Resource
Theory
https://studiousguy.com/cognitive-resource-theory/
Wikipedia
(2023)
Daniel
Goleman.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Goleman
Retrieved
Retrieved
from
from
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