From the course: Management Tips

When it’s time to be autocratic

From the course: Management Tips

Start my 1-month free trial Buy for my team

When it’s time to be autocratic

“

- As professionals, we've been taught that great leaders are democratic. They strive to be open, collaborative, inclusive, and transparent. These are great ideals. Employees want to feel like they're part of a team that cares, that they do work that matters, and that their boss is a good person for whom to work. And you can achieve these outcomes when you adhere to democratic ideals at work. However, the truth is that you're not supposed to be a democratic leader 100% of the time. Usually yes, but not always. About 10 to 15% of the time you will need to be autocratic. That means you just do what you feel needs to be done without consulting the team in any way. There are at least three different times it makes sense to act in an autocratic fashion. The first is when you face a difficult and unexpected deadline. Sometimes when you think you have weeks left to finish something, the client calls and needs it within days, or an executive moves the deadline, or you're running out of a key resource and have no choice but to try and finish as soon as possible. No time for discussion. You just have to make the call. Another example is when emergencies pop up that require immediate attention. For instance, something happened in the plant and there's an injury. Or a very important team member quit unexpectedly, leaving crucial work unfinished. Who knows? Emergencies happen. And very often, when they do, your job is to act quickly and deal with the team later. Finally, there are plenty of situations that are sensitive because they're topics over which employees shouldn't have strong input. For example, a potential change being discussed about the compensation system, the discussion of with whom to strategically partner as an organization, and so on. Some things are legitimately above most employees' pay grade. So if you find yourself in these situations and need to act quickly without any real collaboration, just remember three things. First, always follow up any autocratic behaviors or decisions with a clear and genuine explanation. Let them know why you did what you did. Next, show gratitude for their willingness to follow a little blindly when those rare occasions occur. A sincere thank you does go a long way. Finally, reassure them that you know acting autocratically isn't ideal and will not become common. It's just a last resort when facing certain difficult challenges that require immediate attention. You know what? No one loves an autocrat, but they will follow a good democratic leader who once in a while must act autocratically if you know how to do it correctly. Good luck.

Contents