One of the biggest perks people see in the franchise sector is the opportunity to become their own boss. The change to being a leader is invigorating and also an exciting challenge. Franchisees are very diverse. Some have been highly successful senior managers leading large groups, others might just be stepping out of college with little business experience.
While every franchisee is different, franchises offers the support and guidance everyone needs to succeed. This means no one is embarking on this adventure alone. And while the franchisor may oversee things a certain way, the franchisee’s leadership style might be completely different. Yes, there are many variations in approaches to leadership. Can you recognize your leadership style?
1. The Directive Leader
This leader looks for immediate compliance, working on orders rather than giving context and guidance. While a directive approach proves most beneficial during a crisis, it’s not a long-term solution for managing and nurturing a team.
2. A Visionary Approach
This particular leadership style is always thinking about the big picture. It relies on setting a broader context to achieve a future goal. The Visionary provides a definitive scene regarding the business’ prospects and how every individual should work to make it a reality.
3. Affiliative Leadership
Focusing more on their team and relationships, an Affiliative leader creates trust and compatibility across the team. Affiliate leaders take the time to understand the wants of the individuals they work with, without putting a high priority on performance levels or results. For these leaders the performance of their team sometimes is tolerated or overlooked out of loyalty.
4. Being Participative
This is a hands-on leader who also engages others in the leadership practice. A key goal of this style is to explore new ideas and solutions with the team. This approach relies heavily on the concept that teams make better decisions than any individual. However, this model only works if the team members understand the organizational vision.
5. Pacesetting for Success
Leaders with pacesetting behavior aim for high-performance standards and work hard to guarantee those standards are met. Although they can be hesitant to collaborate, they lead by example. This leadership style is often successful in small group settings.
6. Leading through Coaching
Franchisees who rely on coaching mechanisms focus on the unique strengthens and vulnerability of their team. Their goal is to help their organization improve the behaviors and skills of employees to meet their professional aspirations. This tends to be one of the most effective leadership styles in the long term. The coaching leader provides ongoing support and feedback through the growth trajectory of its team for future opportunities.
Sources: http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/how-to-develop-a-leadership-style/
