How to unleash potential? Ditch top-down leadership

For years, people have known me as an advocate for flat organisational structures, delegation of control and decision-making, and for removing traditional hierarchies. In a recent conversation I have shared two key reasons why ditching traditional, top-down leadership styles can give you huge benefits.

Most of us are aware that being a directive and micro-managing boss creates frustration, establishes bottlenecks, and hinders collaboration within your teams. With a supportive, engaging leadership style you aim to create more transparency which allows information to flow bottom-up and which enables fast decision-making. And, there are two more reasons I want to share here:

1. Unleash Innovation - when you allow people to speak up and share their opinion, the expertise of the entire organisation can come together and spark creativity. This allows you to go beyond the solutions you already know and build a learning organisation.
2. Create Free Time - holding your teams and employees at a short leash requires a lot of your time to direct them and think for them. When you start to delegate control, you not only allow your teams to give their best, you also free up time for yourself; this will give you time to think strategically, nurture relationships in the wider ecosystem, and get to know your team members.

What are your favourite leadership styles - supportive, transformational, participative, achievement-oriented, directive? ​

Work with us to build structures that enable delegation of control