Leadership that is both forceful and enabling

Kaplan, R.E. (1999). Leadership that is both forceful and enabling. Leadership in Action, 19, 1-6.

Leaders need to be forceful – to assert themselves, be a force intellectually, push others to perform, make tough calls. Leaders also need to be enabling – to empower others, be receptive to others’ ideas, coach, give recognition. Every manager uses a mix of both of these approaches, but most managers favor one over the other. In the extreme cases, managers become so wedded to one way that they have little use for the other. Rather than see forceful leadership and enabling leadership as complementary, they experience the two as polar opposites. This article is about how managers, leaning toward forceful or enabling leadership, can become more versatile. The challenge is not just to learn new skills; it is to overcome negative attitudes about the other approach.

Reprint available at: Leadership in Action

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