Why No One Wants Too Much of This Leadership Style and Why PT’s Often Get It • Posts by EIM | Evidence In Motion Skip To Content

Why No One Wants Too Much of This Leadership Style and Why PT’s Often Get It

September 22, 2017 • Practice Leadership

Have you ever experienced a leader who is a master at what he or she does and people still hate working for them? If so, you’ve got a lot of company. How can someone so skilled technically be so toxic when it comes to leading others?

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I often have my coaching clients complete a best and worst “bosses” exercise. After several years of this, what surfaces almost every time is that the distinguishing characteristic of the best bosses is a high-level of social and emotional intelligence (SEI), not technical skills, expertise or accomplishment. It’s the exact opposite for the worst bosses.

Although the study of leadership is typically considered qualitative and somewhat art, we have some quantitative evidence to inform us well.

 

What we know about Leadership

Here is what we know from a study of almost four-thousand successful executives selected out of a random sample of over twenty-thousand executives world-wide:

  • Social and emotional intelligence (SEI) is the foundation of great leadership; leaders lacking in it are rarely rated as outstanding
  • There are at least 6 predominate styles of leadership correlated with SEI competencies that are behaviorally defined.
  • All 6 styles are have a place when applied in the right measure and at the right time
  • Four of these styles have a positive effect when consistently applied
  • Two of these have a negative effect when consistently applied.
  • One of the styles with a negative effect “fakes-out” most people because it looks noble but in fact is destructive.

 

Pacesetting Style of Leadership

The obvious question is “What is the one leadership style that fakes people out easily and that no one want too much of?” It’s called Pacesetting.A leader characterized by a Pacesetting style is

  • Typically highly skilled
  • Has an unrelenting drive to achieve
  • Set’s high standards for performance that he or she exemplifies themselves.

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The style in a phrase is “do as I do, now”. What could be wrong with that? Nothing, unless you force those same standards and expectations on those you lead, .everyone, .all the time.

Make no mistake, the Pacesetting style works well when used selectively with smaller teams of similar, highly skilled and motivated individuals to achieve a specific result on time or ahead of schedule. However, when used exclusively or extensively people will feel overwhelmed and resentful.In fact, they often take on characteristics of learned helplessness.

This type of leader assumes people know what are the expectations of excellence, doesn’t trust people to get the job done as well as it needs to be, and doesn’t extend the trust required for others to take initiative. After all, if you want to get the job done right, you have to do it yourself, right? Wrong.Leadership, at it’s very core, is getting work done through others.

 

Why It’s Common

So why is the Pacesetting style of leadership so common in physical therapy, especially among those leading teams of clinicians and in small to medium sized practices and organizational units?The same reason it’s pervasive among most professions that require a high-level of technical competency and/or specialization: pride in hard gained personal knowledge, skill, and performance. The other key reason is that people assume that the same ingredients that make for a great clinician also make for a great leader.Unfortunately that isn’t the case, as many who have been bludgeoned and burned out by this style can attest to. One unfortunate outcome is that often a great clinician becomes disillusioned and believes that they can’t lead. Another one is that the people who have been led by them become embittered or have left the organization.

Evidence indicates the most effective leaders use a mix of the six leadership styles, ..at the right time, with the right people and in the right context. That sounds a lot like how a great clinician treats patients. The approach is the same and the competencies are different. The good news is that leadership competencies and styles, like clinical skills, can be learned through deliberate practice.

Question: Where am I experiencing or demonstrating a Pacesetting style of leadership?

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––– Comments

Tyler

Commented • January 7, 2020

*waves arms* Oooooh nooooo!!! It's soooo horrible!!! My boss wants me to come in on time and perform my agreed upon work duties in a highly professional and timely manner!!! What a TERRIBLE leader!!!

Robert Wainner

Commented • October 2, 2017

Indeed I am! You can reach me directly at rob@eimpt.com Best of Success!

Maggie Fillmore

Commented • October 1, 2017

Thank you for those suggestions. I'll let you know how it goes if you are interested. M

Robert Wainner

Commented • September 25, 2017

Maggie, Thank for you comments and appreciate your interest. As with any crucial conversation, start with you first. What is your motive and intent in speaking with you boss? What part of your situation do you own? Be honest. Also, determine what it is specifically that you want to accomplish in your conversation with him. Is it to make him aware? Make a change (if so, what)? or receive something. Doing so will maximize the probability that the next part is as effective as possible. Ask for a time to talk and up front establish a common purpose you both agree to and identify with (i.e. maximize team effectiveness, flourishing, productivity, etc.). Then Ask instead of Tell. Ask them how he thinks it's going and whether things can improve. Listen very carefully as he shares because you will likely learn a lot about what you need to be talking about with him (i.e. it's important to him and you and he is interested in talking about it). One he is done, ask if you can share your concerns with him. By this time, you've earned the right to and will likely be listened to in return. When done, make sure to ask a powerful, open ended question that is related to the topic. Then listen. Lather, rinse and repeat.

Maggie Fillmore

Commented • September 22, 2017

Thank you for this description of a leadership style that I am presently dealing with in one of my bosses. Who happens to be a devotee of yours for good reasons, as I have been following you. How can an employee communicate to a boss who thinks he is a great leader...that he is not. He is good on in accomplishing many tasks, but as you point out, without the help of his (so called) "team"). One on one meetings with him, identifying where/how the team is not operating well, have not helped. Any thoughts on how else to approach this?


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