How Autocratic Are You?

An autocratic leadership style is characterized by a leader who makes decisions unilaterally without input from others, dictates rules, policies, and procedures without discussion, and directs team members on both what to do and how to do it.

This traditional style of leadership can be highly effective in emergency situations where swift action is necessary and can increase the speed of complex decisions that often bog down teams.

But while the controlling nature of an autocratic leader can lead to efficient outcomes, it typically results in low morale, dissatisfaction, and an inability to retain top talent.

In the contemporary workplace, the idea of being told what to do and how to do it by a leader is soundly rejected as demotivational.

Very few leaders openly admit or claim to be proud of the label, even though they turn to this style on occasion to move things along. The question is not whether you are an autocratic leader but how often you succumb to the allure of control and choose this path to get things done quickly.

Perhaps the best test of knowing whether you engage autocratically too often is how you launch new initiatives, projects, and assignments.

When any leader delegates or kicks off a new project or task, they have three options in setting goals and expectations: giving background, offering instruction, or mandating direction.

We can reliably say that the more often a leader offers guidance through instruction or mandates, the more autocratic they are, irrespective of their self-perception.

Non-autocratic leaders are much more likely to give background as the way to set a new project in motion.

In all three forms of guidance, team members are asked to act on the information provided to attain the desired project outcome.

When giving background, leaders tell team members what they need to know, how others have approached the same issue, and the criteria that will define a successful outcome. It is entirely up to the team members to decide how to achieve what has been laid out before them.

Leaders who offer instruction when launching a new project limit improvisation somewhat but still leave the “how” in the hands of the team members.

They describe not only what needs to be achieved but also what resources should be relied upon and how they would go about it. They offer advice about what to do and how to do it but don’t require that the team follow their process or experience.

In contrast, leaders who mandate direction give others little room to operate creatively. Such leaders not only set clear and firm expectations for the outcome but also the path to attain it. They dictate exactly what to do and how to do it, pointing out the precise steps they expect team members to follow.

While there is a place for all three approaches, the best leaders turn to mandating direction as little as possible, despite the temptation to enhance efficiency.

Those leaders who don’t think of themselves as autocratic might consider using this test to discern exactly how autocratic they really are.

Not surprisingly, some leaders who believe themselves to be highly inclusive and empowering managers turn to the autocratic style much more often than they should.

How autocratic is your leadership style? Project guidance tells the story.