Although good leaders use all three Leadership styles (Authoritarian, Participative or Delegative), with one style normally dominant, bad Leaders tend to stick with only one style.
There is no one right Leadership style that will suit all situations. Your Leadership style needs to subtlety change and shift between the various different Leadship styles to suit the particular situation that you and your team experience.
The style of Leadership that you use with a very senior and experienced First Officer (likely Participative or Delegative) will be inappropriate for use with an inexperienced Junior First Officer (Authoritarian may be appropriate, gradually merging into Participative when trust and competence has been gained).
In time critical situations where safety is involved an extremely Autocratic style may be required. You do not have the time to discuss the situation as the risk is too great.
In other situations you may be so involved with the other responsibilities of Command that you have little choice but to be extremely Delegative to manage your workload.
The Delegative style is also effective when your followers know more about the situation than you do (e.g. you have never operated into a new Port, but your First Officer has operated into there numerous times or a member of your crew has experienced an unusual situation or emergency before).
All three styles can be used for complex and unusual situations. For example, you may determine that the present course of action is not working and so direct a new plan (Authoritarian). In implementing this new plan you may ask for your team’s information, input and ideas to refine your plan (Participative). Finally you may delegate tasks to implement action to effect the plan (Delegative).
Remember that you are always ultimately responsible for the conduct of the flight and are accountable for not only your decisions and actions but also for your followers decisions and actions (right or wrong).
As a general rule, the members of your team are all adequately trained and skilled, with the requisite level of knowledge and will normally prefer a Participative style of Leadership – they desire and want to be involved. This style is the best to promote CRM.
So be prepared to alter your Leadership style to best suit the particular situation you and your team find yourself facing.
There is no one right Leadership style that will suit all situations. Your Leadership style needs to subtlety change and shift between the various different Leadship styles to suit the particular situation that you and your team experience.
The style of Leadership that you use with a very senior and experienced First Officer (likely Participative or Delegative) will be inappropriate for use with an inexperienced Junior First Officer (Authoritarian may be appropriate, gradually merging into Participative when trust and competence has been gained).
In time critical situations where safety is involved an extremely Autocratic style may be required. You do not have the time to discuss the situation as the risk is too great.
In other situations you may be so involved with the other responsibilities of Command that you have little choice but to be extremely Delegative to manage your workload.
The Delegative style is also effective when your followers know more about the situation than you do (e.g. you have never operated into a new Port, but your First Officer has operated into there numerous times or a member of your crew has experienced an unusual situation or emergency before).
All three styles can be used for complex and unusual situations. For example, you may determine that the present course of action is not working and so direct a new plan (Authoritarian). In implementing this new plan you may ask for your team’s information, input and ideas to refine your plan (Participative). Finally you may delegate tasks to implement action to effect the plan (Delegative).
Remember that you are always ultimately responsible for the conduct of the flight and are accountable for not only your decisions and actions but also for your followers decisions and actions (right or wrong).
As a general rule, the members of your team are all adequately trained and skilled, with the requisite level of knowledge and will normally prefer a Participative style of Leadership – they desire and want to be involved. This style is the best to promote CRM.
So be prepared to alter your Leadership style to best suit the particular situation you and your team find yourself facing.
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