Behavioral Leadership: How Behavioral Leadership Works

Behavioral leadership is the act of setting the tone for a work environment by modeling specific behaviors. These behaviors can be learned and refined over time—both by the leader themselves and by those who report to that leader.

Modern behavioral theories of leadership postulate that effective leadership is a learned behavior. Key leadership traits like initiating structure, setting goals, and fostering employee empowerment don’t always come innately to people, but the best leaders can develop these skills with concerted effort. This runs counter to “the great man theory” or “trait theory” of leadership that prevailed in the nineteenth century and postulated that great leaders were simply born great.

Academic researchers have studied the behavioral approach to leadership and drawn some influential conclusions. Here are some standout studies on the topic.

• Ohio State University study: In the 1940s, a group of Ohio State researchers challenged the prevailing trait theory of leadership to see whether good leaders could develop with training and practice. Indeed, the Ohio State studies did conclude that individuals could assimilate the types of behaviors found in the strongest leaders. Those traits included high consideration behavior, where people-oriented leaders focused on interpersonal harmony and employee well-being. The traits also included high initiating structure, which the leadership studies defined as setting clear expectations for employee roles, workflows, and company goals.
• University of Michigan study: In the 1950s, the Michigan University leadership studies used questionnaires to study leadership behaviors. They broke these into job-oriented and employee-oriented leadership behaviors. These categories aligned with those of the Ohio State studies: The most effective style of leadership was one that valued interpersonal harmony—via delegating, mentoring, and participative decision-making processes. At the same time, effective leaders also valued job-oriented tasks like project completion and hitting organizational goals.
• Blake and Mouton managerial grid: The managerial grid model developed by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton in 1964 charts two leadership concerns on a graph. One, represented on the X-axis, is a concern for production and organizational output. The other, represented on the Y-axis, is a concern for people and their emotional needs. Like the Michigan and Ohio State leadership studies, the Blake and Mouton model suggests great managers can and should possess each type of leadership.

The study of behavioral leadership has led to different types of leader profiles. Here are a few notable ones:

1. 1. Democratic leadership: Behavior leadership research describes democratic leadership behavior as one that emphasizes employee input and group decision-making. This is also known as participative leadership. Democratic leaders often have happy workforces but may struggle to make deadlines or embrace upending forms of change.
2. 2. Laissez-faire leadership: The laissez-faire leadership style is a hands-off approach that removes the key leader from major decision-making. In behavioral leadership theory, a laissez-faire behavioral style will typically preserve the status quo, but to make lasting change, you must turn to different leadership models.
3. 3. Authoritarian leadership style: Standing in stark contrast to democratic leadership or laissez-faire leadership, the authoritarian style involves a downward flow of communication and singular power at the top of the organization. Authoritarian, or autocratic, leaders can ably get large groups on the same page, but they can easily descend into micromanaging or even bullying.
4. 4. Country club leadership: The country club style of leadership prioritizes an enjoyable workplace. Country club leaders enjoy good relationships with their teams, but they rarely challenge them to excel or even to meet deadlines. This can make country club–style leadership ineffective in the long run.
5. 5. Impoverished leadership: In an impoverished leadership model, worker satisfaction takes a back seat to productivity. Workers are given few venues to offer input, and their work environment may be bleak or even dangerous. Most workers, if given options, will leave an impoverished leadership situation.
6. 6. Transactional leadership: Transactional leadership focuses on doing what is necessary to get work accomplished. Transactional leaders are goal-oriented, and they thrive atop a formal chain of command. They often cut deals that help them achieve short-term goals—both with team members and with other companies. Transactional leaders spend little time considering employee morale, unless that morale is the key to greater employee retention.
7. 7. Transformational leadership: Transformational leadership seeks to combine a leader’s abilities with those of their employees. These combined powers are used to effect transformational change upon a company or institution. This approach requires tremendous leadership skills, including a knack for communication, emotional intelligence, and a healthy dose of self-awareness.
8. 8. Task-oriented leadership: Task-oriented leaders get inspired by information accumulation and goal-setting. They tend to be self-starting and highly organized but often must be mindful of their emotional attentiveness.
9. 9. Servant leadership: The servant leadership approach stands out among the many different leadership styles as it focuses on serving others above all else. Leaders with a servant mentality must balance their natural desire to help with a need to keep their business thriving and robust. Sometimes servant leaders must build a set of behaviors that help them focus on business needs to the same degree they focus on societal needs.

Get the MasterClass Annual Membership for exclusive access to video lessons taught by business luminaries, including Daniel Pink, Chris Voss, Robin Roberts, Sara Blakely, Bob Iger, Howard Schultz, Anna Wintour, and more.