Hiring With Leadership Style in Mind

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Is your leadership style helping or hurting your hiring results? The influence of leadership style on hiring practices is often underestimated, yet it plays a significant role in the long-term success of any business. The costs associated with hiring and onboarding a new employee can easily exceed their annual salary, not to mention the future impact their performance can have on the organization. So, prioritizing the hiring process and approaching it with careful consideration is crucial.

Leadership styles are commonly categorized into six descriptors: autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire, transformational, transactional, and servant. Let's explore how each of these styles influences hiring practices.

Autocratic Leaders

Autocratic leaders tend to make decisions in a top-down manner. They believe there is one "best" way to recruit and make hiring decisions independently, without seeking input from others. While this approach may be advantageous in terms of speed, it can negatively impact team chemistry. Bias can easily creep in, as hiring like-minded individuals may become a priority, which can hinder the diversity of ideas and creativity within the team. High-functioning teams are created when members have a personal investment, and that investment is easier when they have the opportunity to influence the composition of the team.

Democratic Leaders

Democratic leaders take a more collaborative approach, actively seeking input from others in the recruiting and selection process. They are open to various recruiting sources and processes to identify high-quality candidates. Panel interviews or a sequence of individual meetings, followed by a debriefing session, are common in this approach. There is greater buy-in and investment in the outcome when you involve team members in the hiring decisions. However, scheduling multiple interviews and managing differing opinions can be challenging.

Laissez-faire Leaders

Laissez-faire leaders excel in delegation. They trust their managers to handle the recruiting process and make hiring decisions. Each manager has the freedom to create their own team based on their perception of performance needs. While delegation is essential, the challenge lies in the variation of what is considered "quality" in the hiring process. Flexibility is desirable, but it can lead to unpredictable results.

To read this entire article, which appeared in the July 2023 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.