Leadership Styles:
Discovering Your Own Style
and Appreciating Differences
David M. Irby, Ph.D.
University of California
San Francisco
Preview
Understanding Your Style Preferences
 Appreciating Differences
 Communicating Effectively
 Creating Productive and Cooperative
Teams

Leadership Styles
Leadership involves achieving remarkable
results through others
 Styles are systematic ways of perceiving,
thinking and acting
 Styles provide four windows on the world

– Ideals, Action, Logic, Harmony(feelings)
Everyone has each style and has preferences
 Each style has strengths and challenges

Understanding Your
Style Preferences
Idealist
 Activist
 Analyst
 Harmonizer

Idealist Style
Pursues excellence and
ideals
 Helps and supports
others
 Stresses cooperation,
participation and loyalty
 Does what is right
 Listens to others

Idealist Style: Challenges
Set realistic
expectations
 Initiate action
 Remain flexible

Activist Style
Action and task
oriented
 Takes charge and
gets results
 Leads in direct and
forceful manner
 Organizes others and
achieves results

Activist Style: Challenges
Reduce speed
 Involve others
 Focus
 Follow procedures

Analyst Style
Analytical, methodical,
practical
 Objective and rational
 Establishes and
follows plans
 Relies on fair policies
and procedures

Analyst Style: Challenges
Move more rapidly
without data
 Set priorities
 Be sensitive to feelings

Harmonizer Style
Enthusiastic and
sociable
 Flexible and adaptable
 Seeks consensus and
harmony
 Works for flexible and
adaptive solutions

Harmonizer Style: Challenges
Be organized and task
oriented
 Maintain direction
 Confront differences

Four Style Preferences
Idealist
 Activist
 Analyst
 Harmonizer

Understanding Differences

Select your most preferred style
– 1. Idealist, 2. Activist, 3. Analyst,
Harmonizer

Assemble by style
– If more than five, sub-divide
Introduce yourselves
 Appoint a recorder
 Discuss the case (general approach)

4.
Four Style Preferences
Idealist
 Activist
 Analyst
 Harmonizer

Communicating Effectively
Lead with your
strength
 Appreciate
differences
 Adapt to different
styles
 Use multiple
approaches

Creating Productive and
Cooperative Teams
David M. Irby, PhD
University of California
San Francisco
Preview

Style Differences:
How they help and what they want

Case Discussion

Creating Effective Teams
How Idealist Helps

Helps by being available,
non-directive, encouraging

Wants to be responsive
and helpful, to pursue
ideals and excellence, and
to show concern for others
How Activist Helps

Helps by taking initiative,
offering suggestions, seeing
opportunities, confronting
problems

Wants opportunities to
perform, to meet a challenge,
to take initiative and to be
responsible
How Analyst Helps

Helps by providing
informative and practical
advice, analyzing problems
step by step

Wants opportunities to be
analytical, to use familiar
procedures, and to build on
what is known
How Harmonizer Helps

Helps by listening with
warmth and empathy, and
helping others to come up
with their own answers
and meaning

Wants a chance to be with
others, to use humor, and
to be in the spotlight
Working as a Team: A Case
Study
Assemble by number
 Introduce yourselves and describe your
styles
 Discuss the case

– Identify the styles of each team member
– Describe how each of you would orient the
team
– Obtain reactions of others to your proposal
Four Style Preferences
Idealist
 Activist
 Analyst
 Harmonizer

Creating Effective Teams

Orient and provide clear expectations
– Ask for learner goals, interests, background
Create an enthusiastic and supportive
learning climate
 Provide direction, follow-up, feedback
 Coordinate with senior resident and seek
assistance when problems arise

Conclusion

Teams work most effectively when:
– differences are acknowledged and affirmed
– Each persons’ unique contributions can be
made
– Decisions and actions are based upon
diversity of perspectives