Understanding the Coercive Leadership Style

The Coercive Leadership style may not make sense when it comes to the day-to-day operations within an organization, but it certainly has its place among the six major styles of leadership. This style holds a lot of power, but it’s critical that it’s leveraged properly and only during times when it’s called for. It’s one of two leadership styles (the other being Pacesetting) that has an overall negative effect on workplace climate, but within certain types of scenarios, it’s the only style that is effective.

Discernment is key with this potentially volatile style — use it when it’s not called for, and you’ll see why it’s the least effective way to lead a team. However, when it’s time for a huge change that involves shifting employee habits for good or leading your organization and its people through a terrifying crisis, the Coercive Leadership style is exactly what’s needed. Leaders need to be acutely aware, though, of when to turn it on and when to turn it off.

Coercive leaders demand that their people do what they’re told without question. They don’t have the time or patience for things like questions and feedback. And they care very little — if at all — for the morale of the team or the overall climate of the company. They demand immediate, complete compliance from their people. New ideas from team members are not welcome; only those ideas that come from the top are acceptable, which leads employees to believe that they are not valued within the organization. This style also has a way of killing flexibility and building a sense of resentment for leadership.

But the Coercive Leadership style cannot be dismissed completely, even though it can be difficult to understand when it’s appropriate to use.

Coercive Leadership: The Good and the Bad

The Coercive Leadership style should only be used sparingly, when it’s absolutely necessary.

Here’s how it can work:

• During times of crisis — when the building is on fire, for example — Coercive Leadership ensures that people work together and follow a single set of unwavering rules
• When the workplace has become stagnant and unproductive with apathetic employees, the Coercive style has a way of shaking things up and shocking employees into a new way of working
• When it’s time to give a problem employee his or her final chance at success, the Coercive Leadership style may be the only thing that can save them and salvage their ability to help the organization succeed

Here’s why it usually doesn’t work:

• People feel disrespected, no value and belittled
• Team members lose all sense of accountability, believing that they are there as cogs in a machine that’s being fully controlled by a dictator
• It has a way of eroding the pride people feel in their work
• There’s no place for employees’ understanding of “The Big Picture” in the mind of a Coercive Leader, which leads to increased apathy and disengagement

Be Honest — Are You a Coercive Leader?

Maybe you’ve been feeling a wave of self-awareness (and perhaps a bit of shame) as you’ve been reading this. After all, I’m not painting a pretty picture of those for whom the Coercive Leadership style comes naturally. If your natural style is the coercive style, you may be frustrated by your inability to drive real results and engagement, but you can transcend your tendencies by increasing your self-awareness and applying the appropriate leadership style.

Being aware of your tendencies as a Coercive Leader is the first step in transforming your effectiveness at leading your team. What’s key is understanding that your dominant style shouldn’t be eliminated; instead, it should be set aside for those times when it’s truly needed. During times of crisis or when major changes are required, your ability to employ this style will help your organization immeasurably.

But most of the time, you will need to keep your tendencies in check, deferring to other leadership styles, even though they may not come naturally to you.

Key Strategies for Coercive Leaders

You don’t need to change who you are — you just need to expand your definition of what you can be as a leader.

Here are some strategies:

1. Check in with yourself on a regular basis — are you leaning on your dominant style when it’s not called for?
2. Take the time to learn what you can about the other five leadership styles and how they are effective in the workplace. What other styles resonate with you? What styles seem foreign to you?
3. Understand that the mood of your team members is important to engagement and the overall climate. Your style has a huge impact on morale, so be sure you can recognize when your dominant way of leading is wearing your people down.
4. Learn to recognize when the crisis is over. Your leadership through a tough time was crucial, but your coercive style is no longer appropriate once the storm has passed.
5. Although it may not come naturally to you, it’s important to take the time to let your people know how they fit into the grand scheme of things. You may need to deliberately make this a habit if you want to transcend your Coercive Leadership tendencies!

A Time and Place for Coercive Leadership

Although the Coercive Leadership style is not widely accepted in the workplace, it cannot be dismissed as a legitimate way to lead people when the time and situation calls for it. Most organizations will experience times of stress, strain, and crisis, and during those times, the Coercive Leader is exactly the person who is needed. As with all other leadership styles, the key to using it effectively — and in this case, sparingly is most effective.

Be sure to stay tuned to this space; I’ll be wrapping up my series on the six leadership styles next time with a look at Democratic Leadership. See you soon.