Jason Kulpa on Effective Management Styles (Pt. 2)

Effective business management is subjective in that every managed employee is different, therefore requiring a unique approach in terms of their productivity, adherence to office structure and policy, and overall learning pace. For example, some employees may hate to be micromanaged while others may hinge on it to maintain weekly organization, and these two approaches alone can be subdivided and personalized depending on the expectations and demands of the company at large.

To get the most out of your direct reports, you will need to identify and leverage anappropriate management style that will foster their strengths and mitigate their weaknesses. Bad management costs businesses billions of dollars each year, so it is imperative that you put your best foot forward as a leader and maintain a healthy management culture.

That said, there are several effective management styles commonly observed in offices spanning countless industries. I already covered a few of these styles in a previous blog, but here now are two more that may work for you.

Affiliative management
Affiliative managers are focused primarily on harmony within their respective teams, which they typically lean on to mitigate problems before the fact — and if they do, the team will be ready to meet it head-on in unison. This strong sense of foresight is applicable to any management scenario, as managers are, at times, responsible for seeing the big picture before others. Pair this with a knack for communal problem solving, and you are left with a management style that should all but guarantee order and organization, even if you only apply certain aspects of it.

Authoritative management
Many of today’s managers tend to forgo the authoritative management approach — at least at first — as it tends to come with a negative connotation in most professional circles. However, there are constructive and healthy ways to assume the authoritative role without damaging working relationships or souring yourself in the eyes of your peers. Put simply, some workplace situations simply require a firm leader to take charge and lay down the plan in its entirety — especially those that involve a chaotic or unorganized structure. This approach can be temporary to address a problem or it can become the norm to ensure such a culture never resurfaces, but either way, the best rule of thumb is to remain composed and polite in your authoritarian role; no one is saying you have to be rude, scary, or otherwise unpleasant. A manager/employee should always be as humanized as possible.

About the Author

Jason Kulpa is a San Diego, California-based entrepreneur, marketing expert, and philanthropist. He is also the founder of UE.co, a leading marketing and sales platform originally launched in 2008. Jason's years of experience have shaped him into a respected leader and innovator -- both in his field of expertise and in his community. He was named "Most Admired CEO" by the San Diego Business Journal in 2014.

To learn more about Jason Kulpa, click here.