Lesson 6
Leadership Styles for Decision Making
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Purpose
• to understand a range of leadership styles for decision making
• to determine how to choose a leadership style
• to decide who the leader involves in making a decision
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Which of the following leadership
styles is better?
• “I put most problems into my team’s hands and leave
it to them to carry the ball from there.”
• “I believe in getting things done. Someone has to
call the shots around here, and I think it should be
me.”
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Leadership Styles
• Do all leaders use the same style?
• Do all effective leaders use the same style?
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Leadership Styles
• Mutual – leader allows group to reach whatever
decision it chooses within limits.
• Consult – leader receives input, makes final
decision
• Test –
leader presents tentative decision subject
to change
• Sell –
leader sells a decision already made
• Tell –
leader announces decision already made
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Planning the Company Picnic
Mutual - We need to plan our annual picnic. Set a time and place.
Your only constraint is that it must take place within 10
miles of our location and be held some time in July or
August.
Consult - I would like your suggestions on when and where to have
our picnic and I will then make a decision.
Test -
What do you think of having our picnic at Clearbrook Park,
on Saturday, July 15th?
Sell -
We will have our picnic at Clearbrook Park on Saturday,
July 15th because everyone liked going there last year.
Tell -
We will have our picnic at Clearbrook Park on Saturday,
July 15th.
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Leadership Behavior
greater use of
authority by the
leader
Mutual
Consult
Test
Sell
greater
freedom of the
followers
Tell
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Is one leadership style better than another?
• No one style is best for all circumstances.
• Effective leaders use whatever style is most
appropriate.
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How does a leader choose a style?
• time
• technical quality of the decision and skill level
of participants
• degree of commitment required
• availability of the fewest number of people
who should be involved
• leader’s willingness to be influenced
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Who does a leader involve?
• decision-makers
• technical experts
• people who need to be informed about the
decision
• person not directly involved but who
maintains veto power
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Observations
• Teams function best when the leader chooses
the proper decision making style for the
particular situation.
• Teams are less effective when the leader
chooses an inappropriate style.
• Teams function especially poorly when team
members believe leaders are in one style, but
are in reality in another.
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What About You?!
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Frequency of Use
Position the five styles according to how often you
employ them
Least
Frequently
Most
Frequently
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Style and Comfort of Use
• People tend to use the leadership style with which
they are most comfortable.
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Observation
• When leaders use the most appropriate
leadership style, followers are more likely to
move up the scale of possible responses.
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Which of the following styles is better?
• “I put most problems into my team’s hands and leave
it to them to carry the ball from there.”
• “I believe in getting things done. Someone has to
call the shots around here, and I think it should be
me.”
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Implications for Leaders
• Leaders are typically unaware of the leadership styles they use.
• Awareness will result in choosing the right style.
• As followers increase their knowledge and skills they can
more fully participate in the decision-making process.
• By making everyone aware of this process, collective learning
is enhanced.
• This tool is a key to creating exceptional organizations.
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Summary
• There are five leadership styles: tell, sell, test, consult, and
mutual.
• The leader needs to choose the right style for the particular
situation.
• The leader needs to involve the appropriate people in a
decision.
• Teams function best when the leader uses the right style.
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Bibliography
Tannenbaum, Robert and Warren H. Schmidt. “How to
Choose a Leadership Patter,” Harvard Business
Review. Boston: Harvard Business School
Publishing Division, March-April 1958.
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This lesson is a modified excerpt from the book, Compass – Creating Exceptional Organizations: A Leader’s
Guide, written by William F. Brandt, Jr., cofounder and former CEO of American Woodmark Corporation –
the third largest producer of kitchen cabinets in America.
Copyright 2013
William F. Brandt, Jr.
This lesson may be copied, presented and/or distributed to up to five people. Distribution beyond five is
subject to a user fee as described in the website: CompassCEO.com
The book and related materials are also available from the website: CompassCEO.com
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