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 is a topic I think about constantly because CEOs often default to control when things feel uncertain or pressure is high. I’ve been there myself. When results aren’t coming fast enough, it’s easy to think, If I just take charge and tell everyone exactly what to do, we’ll get there faster. But that’s false efficiency.
Pause before reacting and ask yourself two key questions:
Is this truly a crisis that requires my direct intervention?
Would stepping in now build capability in my team or weaken it?
And I'm always a proponent of “trust, but verify.” Set clear expectations, establish regular checkpoints, and resist the urge to micromanage between those moments.
In a leadership group I managed, some of the ops managers pointed out that in an emergency, autocratic leadership has its place.
If the whole rail network is down because of a broken-down train, you have to get it up and running pretty quickly, or it's all over the news.
Outside of emergency situations though, it's better to grow teams that can think, solve problems and manage themselves and autocratic leadership won't do that.
Input from your team is always invaluable.
This is a topic I think about constantly because CEOs often default to control when things feel uncertain or pressure is high. I’ve been there myself. When results aren’t coming fast enough, it’s easy to think, If I just take charge and tell everyone exactly what to do, we’ll get there faster. But that’s false efficiency.
What is your recommended behavior for the leader who defaults too quickly, Joel?
Pause before reacting and ask yourself two key questions:
Is this truly a crisis that requires my direct intervention?
Would stepping in now build capability in my team or weaken it?
And I'm always a proponent of “trust, but verify.” Set clear expectations, establish regular checkpoints, and resist the urge to micromanage between those moments.
In a leadership group I managed, some of the ops managers pointed out that in an emergency, autocratic leadership has its place.
If the whole rail network is down because of a broken-down train, you have to get it up and running pretty quickly, or it's all over the news.
Outside of emergency situations though, it's better to grow teams that can think, solve problems and manage themselves and autocratic leadership won't do that.