If someone asked you what the basics of good leadership are, what would you tell them? Most would reply with something along the lines of “having integrity”, “leading from the front”, “inspiring people” and a whole array of additional phrases. Good leadership involves a variety of attributes. However, there are four common factors that link many of them. In this post, we’ll explore Four Factor Leadership, which defines four basic dimensions of effective leadership. We will then discuss how you can use these dimensions with your team.
About the Four Factor Theory of Leadership
David Bowers and Stanley Seashore developed the Four Factor Theory of Leadership in the min-1960s and officially published it in 1966. The research duo reviewed the findings of several other leading researchers, who were looking into what effective leadership looks like. While reviewing their peer’s work, they noticed that there were four dimensions, or themes, that consistently emerged in each study.
The four factors of leadership are:
- Providing Personal Support – helping people value themselves and their work so that they can develop a sense of self-worth.
- Encouraging Teamwork – encouraging people to establish close, collaborative, successful working relationships with one another.
- Focusing on Goals – inspiring people to feel enthusiastic about and committed to shared goals, and motivating them to want to perform well.
- Helping People Work Effectively – helping people meet goals by supporting them, and providing resources, materials, or knowledge.
Bowers and Seashore concluded that leaders need to engage in all of these activities in order to lead effectively.
Applying the Four Factor Theory of Leadership
Even though most consider Transformational Leadership as the ideal approach to use in business situations, it is helpful to keep Bowers and Seashore’s factors in mind as you engage with your team. When all is said and done, it helps to know about a variety of leadership styles, so that you can apply the best approach for a given situation. That being said, let’s unpack each of the four dimensions that make up the Four Factor Theory of Leadership. Ready? Let’s go!
Providing Personal Support
With this dimension, leaders support their team on an emotional level by developing people’s feelings of self-worth. Leaders can accomplish this by helping their team feel appreciated and valued.
For leaders, this means showing your people that you value the work they do. Acknowledge your team by saying “thank you” when people had done a job well, or have gone beyond the call of duty. If you’re operating on a tight budget, don’t think you have to reward your team with cash – there are plenty of other ways to motivate your team with other incentives.
You can also support your team emotionally by building up their self-confidence, and by showing empathy regularly.
Remember, most (if not all) of the people on your team just want to know that their work has value. Take the time to recognize the work they do and show your genuine appreciation.
Encouraging Teamwork
Leaders work on this dimension when they encourage the members of their team to establish close, collaborative relationships with one another. Teams are most effective when individuals trust each other and communicate efficiently. As a leader, you need to help develop this sense of trust and communication.
Build the trust of your team by engaging honestly with your people. Admit when you’ve made a mistake, and acknowledge that team members might know more than you in certain areas. This sense of humility will go a long way in establishing trust with your team.
Your team looks to you for clues in terms of how to act – if you display trust and communicate openly, people are likely to follow in your footsteps. So walk the walk as an authentic leader and be a positive role model.
Strong communication is a must for successful teams. People who know how to express themselves clearly, even when discussing difficult topics, are more effective and successful than those whose communication tends to break down under pressure.
Focus on Goals
Leaders use this dimension to communicated shared goals and to motivate people to achieve their goals.
One great way to help your team focus on their goals is to frame them in terms of the organization’s larger overarching goals. When individual, team, and company goals align, people will most likely be happier and more productive.
It’s also critical that you encourage enthusiasm in terms of the organization’s mission. A great way to inspire your team is to help them understand how their work contributes to the overall greater good.
Next, you want to ensure that your team has SMART goals in place. If your team isn’t certain of its goals, or if its goals are constantly shifting, productivity and morale will fall.
Lastly, you can always communicate your team’s goals effectively via a team charter. Doing so further clarifies objectives, and explains what people can and can’t do to achieve the team’s mission.
Helping People Work Effectively
Leaders work on this dimension when they provide the tools and resources that people need to meet their work goals and expectations.
It’s your responsibility as their leader to keep your team safe and healthy. You can start by making sure that they have a healthy workspace in which to work.
You also want to make sure that your team has all of the resources necessary to do their work effectively and to meet their objectives. Don’t forget that resources also include assets such as time, knowledge, and support from other teams!
Last, but not least, make sure that you train and develop your team effectively. Make sure that people know their priorities so that they can manage their time and resources accordingly.
