In honor of Father's Day, which is fast approaching, I thought I'd do a piece about paternalistic leadership. While I'm not a big fan of this particular style in non-family groups, for reasons I'll explain, I do encourage everyone to go out and grab a nice gift for your dear-old dads. You've only got a few days to spare!
Now, it is most commonly called "paternalistic leadership," but ladies, you are not off the hook in this post. In fact, many women lead in this manner, evoking the more gender-neutral phrase, "parental leadership." The terms are synonymous and refer to the following characteristics being present in a leader:
Strong sense of control and authority by leader is present and pronounced
Leader feels the need to "protect" followers because he/she knows what's best
Leader governs in such a way that all decisions rest with him/her
Leader expects allegiance and trust from followers
Leader expects obedience from followers
This leadership style can be both useful and successful in situations in which a strong hierarchy is in place and little creativity is required from subordinates. In situations that are less straightforward, this leadership style can actually be an impediment to the team's progress. The latter is what I have seen more frequently which is why I'm not a proponent of this style and why I believe it is critically important to know if you are a paternalistic leader and if you are in a setting where it is appropriate. Here are a few ways to check for this to help us all lead more effectively.
How to Determine if a Paternalistic Style is Fitting For Your Organization
First, ask yourself about the nature of your business, product and mission. What are you here to do? Who are you here to serve and what are the characteristics of that client/customer? What needs to be true for that person to be served? For example, if you are the manager of a dog-walking service to every subdivision in a certain part of town, you may be in a situation that merits your being paternalistic with your employees. Your aim is clear and leaves little room for deviation. You want your employees to provide the service, according to the safety guidelines and to consult you regarding any deviation to that plan. You know your scope of service and there is little room for staff members to get inventive. However, if your business exists to tutor children, you may want to give your tutors the freedom to be creative in meeting the students' needs. Some kids may need them to read aloud while other kids may need them to draw pictures on the board. The tutors would need the autonomy to make decisions or adjustments accordingly. Depending on your end goal, paternalistic leadership may or may not be fitting.
What to Do If You Suspect You May Be Paternalistic Leader in a Space Where It Doesn't Fit
1. Evaluate the questions your followers ask you. If you are constantly being asked questions you think your staff members should either know the answers to or be able to work through, it is possible that you are a paternalistic leader. This means that you've sent a message that says you are always the smartest in the room and every decision ends with you, which has decreased their confidence in their own work. You may have even caused them to feel like their voice matters least and they can only operate through gaining your constant approval. This will eventually wear you down as a leader and you will begin to feel very burnt out from the constant pull. To change this, start replying in the form of questions. Instead of offering your ready-made solution, say something like, "Well, I'm interested in your thoughts on that. What do you think?" Asking them questions rather than giving them the answer will begin to retrain their brain about their ability to contribute to the team and create solutions.
2.Check your expectation. If you, for example, are bringing order to your staff meetings in the same way a 2nd grade teacher might do her class, flipping the lights or raising your hands with an index finger over your lips, you are probably a paternalistic leader. Inadvertently treating your staff members like children is an easy habit to fall in to. To break it, you must constantly remind yourself that they are adults, you are not their parent, and that people will always reach for the bar when the expectation is set high. Don't nag. Expect better and you will get better.
3. Pay attention to introductions. If you always introduce yourself as "John Smith, Director of such and such," you may be in trouble. Putting the emphasis on your title may signal that you've developed an unhealthy sense of worth in your title, which can lead to unnecessarily pronounced authority over your subordinates. If a member of your team introduces you, especially if they introduce you as "Director" rather than "colleague" or "coworker," pay attention to their body language. Do they send off signals that say they are weak, stressed or under social threat? This can look like a hand placed on the neck, inability to make eye contact, poor posture, etc. The inflection of their voice may even change. If these signs occur, this may point to a damaging effect stemming from paternalistic leadership. To tackle this, work to engage your team more, even casually around the office or in the break room. Get their feedback about decisions that matter. This will help you put your own "position of power" into proper perspective and make them feel valued, as they should.
4. Check for trends in exit surveys. Hopefully your company/organization doesn't have an issue with high turnover. If so, you might have deeper issues in addition to ill-employed paternalistic leadership and you should figure out how to stop the bleeding. Still, some level of turnover will be expected for every business. Humans move, change and grow making every job temporary. When people leave, it is good practice to ask them some questions. Prompts that will shine the light on the presence of paternalistic leadership are those about whether or not they had the ability to contribute, felt respected, felt valued and were treated fairly--often times, paternalistic leaders develop "favorites" among the team members. If you see negative trends as to why people are leaving, use it as a learning opportunity and take the steps to genuinely improve! It's not the end of the world; you can always work on your leadership. We should all always be working on our leadership.
Again, this style is more appropriate in some arenas than others and it is up to you to decide if it works for your purposes. When in doubt, I say steer clear. In a world with the technology and innovation we get to experience today, there are other styles and tactics that are far more effective than this. It is also important to note that you can have a work environment that is "like family" without the need for this style of leadership. If you are the "parent" that implies that those who follow you are "children" and somehow considered "less than," which I disagree with on a visceral level. Usually, when people say their work environment is "like family," they are referring to a sense of belonging and inclusiveness that the parental style does not always foster. I believe that the best teams are those that acknowledge and celebrate the differences in backgrounds and roles but employ everyone's unique perspectives and strengths in propelling the team forward. Still, the choice is yours. What's rolling down your hill?
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