You are on page 1of 1

Leadership Styles - Free Rein Leadership By Lucas Lin Ads by Google Innovation & Leadership www.kpmg.

com/wef Driving innovative cultures at KPMG WEF great transformations addressed Business Management www.LSBF.org.uk/MBA Training. Full/Part-time or Online Valid ated by University of Wales! International Air Tickets Cleartrip.com/Pay_in_EMI Call 1860 233 8000& Get a Cha nce to Win Rs.1,00,000 &Other Weekly Gifts The free rein leadership style is one that favours autonomy and abhors control. This model caters for minimal control by the leader or manager and maximum flexi bility for the team members. As such, the team leader often takes a back seat ro le and functions to coordinate and direct the actions of the team rather than di ctate it. It is wise to remember that free rein leadership is at the extreme of freedom, away from the extreme of control, and that most teams operate within th e continuum between. The free rein leadership style may be likened to the role played by a mentor or a coach. Rather than being the one determining the course of action to be taken by a team, the free rein leader or manager offers advice and guides the team thr ough the process, just as how a mentor leads his student in the right direction and how the coach gives his team directions. The free rein leader is neither actively involved in information gathering and d ecision making. He acts as a coordinator both in a brainstorming session to gath er and consolidate information, and in the final decision making session. This i s known as the 'Gaining Consensus' method of making decisions, according to Mich ael Watkins in his book, the First 90 Days. This is unlike the consult-and-decid e method in the participative leadership model, nor the dictatorial style in the autocratic leadership model. Evidently, such a leadership style would be disastrous if administered on a high ly inexperienced or immature team. The team may well end up bickering and critic ising unconstructively, and no decision would be made eventually. Should individ uals in the team be having their individual agenda, they would mount delay tacti cs, holding back the decision making. Rather, a strong team of professionals who are highly matured should be ideal. This way, each member puts the intent of th e team above themselves and their individual agenda, hence contributing to the t eam's decision. Free rein leadership can often be found in teams of professionals, such a team o f doctors or engineers, as they form to achieve a goal or solve a problem. It is also often neither transformational nor transactional as the motivation of the team is assumed. Lucas Lin is a renowned expert in the field of leadership and management. Having held leadership positions ranging from management executive to operations manag er, Lucas is in the prime position to offer advice on leadership and consulting services to leaders across the hierarchy. His years of experience in leadership render his advice highly sought after. Having served in leadership positions in various organisations, including a country club, a school and the military among others, Lucas developed an intimate knowledge of value-based leadership, which can be applied to all vocations. Visit Lucas Lin for Timeless Leadership Lessons at http://leadership-lessons.com

You might also like