Typically any leader will at some point in their career, question how they think their colleagues perceive them. But is it better to be loved or feared? Here, managing director Justin Cobb of Pan Atlantic recently read an article on the topic on entrepreneur.com, which inspired them to inform their leaders of the advantages and disadvantages to both.
The article explains how research has found that when leaders were perceived as angry, employees felt they were more powerful. At the same time, leaders who were seen as sad were less powerful in a traditional sense but had more personal power. So which is more effective? Managing director Justin Cobb of Pan Atlantic was not surprised when the research concluded that neither were efficient and finding balance is key to effective leadership. As marketing consultants who develop and lead their team to management roles, CEO Justin Cobb of Pan Atlantic has developed a healthy balance and using the article; they explained to their team why balance is so important in leadership.
Research shows that leaders who are angry, yearn for more power, this, in turn, is seen as threatening by colleagues, and they will do their best to impress you out of fear of being punished, but you won’t earn their trust by acting like this. CEO Justin Cobb of Pan Atlantic firmly agrees that fear will only get leaders so far. Real effective leadership requires a blend of respect and trust.
In the opposite scenario where leaders are loved, it is usually because they are caring and empathetic. Like a catch 22 situation, these leaders had a decreased power to punish among employees, but an increased personal power. While this kind of leadership possesses many advantages and expresses a much healthier attitude towards colleagues, simultaneously employees may think they can get away with slacking off, and taking advantage of the rules as they do not fear their leader.
For this reason, Pan Atlantic want to share with their leaders about why finding a balance between the two is crucial to your business and well-being of the team. The article advises leaders to be empathetic to employee concerns and communicate openly, striving to build relationships with employees. But at the same time, they need to show authority when necessary, take control of situations and motivate employees to deliver. When leaders get this balance right, employees won’t fear or love them — employees will respect them as effective leaders.