What Defines Pacesetting Leadership?
The motto of this leadership style is “Do as I do, not as I say,” since managers lead by example and pave the way for employees to follow suit. Pacesetting leadership focuses on high efficiency, speed, and great results, and leaders communicate this message by applying it to their own work. Managers uphold employees to the highest levels of standards and expectations and require them to meet deadlines and succeed at their tasks by following certain methods and guidelines. Additionally, they usually expect everyone to be as productive and efficient as they are or even exceed their standards. To achieve that, leaders assign each employee tasks they are fully equipped to do and don’t trust them with responsibilities they don’t have the necessary training to see through.
The Attributes A Pacesetting Leader Must Have
Self-Motivation
A pacesetting leader must have a strong drive to succeed that derives from their personal need and willingness to progress, not external factors. Their high self-motivation pushes them to work hard, achieve their goals, and show continuous improvement. Showing initiative is also necessary for them to lead their teams. They can clearly assess every situation and understand when they must intervene and help employees with their tasks. As a result, the entire team can succeed in achieving its goals, and individuals can flourish.
Create Balance
Leaders should be aware of each employee’s strengths and skills. This way, they can assign tasks accordingly and trust individuals to perform at a high-efficiency rate. When adequately equipped employees take on tasks, the completion time improves. As a result, everyone feels independent enough to complete their work since they operate with minimal direction. If, on the other hand, team members have trouble tackling a project, their manager can step in and delegate appropriately to ensure the best possible result.
Set Clear Expectations
Upon assigning tasks, a pacesetting leader clearly states their expectations and requirements. They set guidelines and explain in detail what they expect from each member of staff. They don’t expect people to read their minds, but they don’t micromanage every little task either. They require everyone to work on their projects as efficiently and quickly as possible and to ask questions when they need extra clarity. Transparent communication and clearing of any doubt are crucial for them to entrust company goals to individuals.
The Advantages Of Pacesetting Leadership
Teams Achieve Goals Quickly
Pacesetting leadership focuses on results. Leaders realize short-term and long-term goals quickly and assign tasks accordingly. Knowing each employee’s strengths and weaknesses, they assign projects that must be completed swiftly by fully equipped personnel. This tactic is especially beneficial for time-sensitive matters, as leaders feel confident letting someone finish a project within tight deadlines when they have deep expertise on the specific matter. Meanwhile, by succeeding at their tasks, professionals further highlight their abilities and show how competent they are even with little to no supervision.
Teams Identify And Address Issues Fast
In such a fast-paced and goal-oriented management style, leaders identify not only the employees’ strengths but also the areas of improvement. As a result, when problems arise and goals aren’t met, they easily identify the root of the issue. Next, they carve out meticulous paths toward overcoming the struggles as quickly as possible. While solving the issue may not always be possible, at least they can keep a close eye on it and control the situation.
Teams Have Freedom To Perform
Pacesetting leadership does not focus on micromanaging but instead lets people manage their tasks with autonomy and minimal supervision. Employees have the opportunity to perform better and learn new skills to overcome possible struggles. More importantly, without continuous guidance, they are encouraged to step outside their comfort zone and exceed expectations, increasing their confidence and trust in their abilities.
Leaders Highlight Their Teams’ Competencies
Pacesetting leaders are well aware of each person’s skills and abilities and assign them tasks that best align with them. They may also challenge them sometimes to drive up their engagement and allow them to take a leap and improve. By leveraging each one’s strengths, leaders increase their team’s and the whole organization’s success rates and encourage everyone to achieve even more. However, it’s crucial to set realistic goals for them and not overfill their to-do lists.
Disadvantages Of This Leadership Style
Loss Of Trust And Disengagement
In pacesetting leadership, managers expect employees to follow specific steps to complete their tasks. This means that individuals don’t have the freedom to come up with unique solutions. They may sometimes even feel like their manager does not trust them enough to let them make decisions. On top of that, if they start seeing their job as a mundane routine, their engagement levels may drop drastically. Professionals will also know what each day and task looks like and feel no excitement while continuing to feel pressured to meet deadlines and perform at a high level, stifling their sense of motivation.
Increased Stress Levels
Working on urgent tasks and under tight deadlines with a boss who sets the bar extremely high can add severe pressure on anyone. People’s anxiety may increase due to their leader’s expectations. Instead of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, professionals may work even longer hours to achieve their goals and keep their bosses happy. Additionally, they may not feel like they can ask for help when feeling overwhelmed because they fear that asking for extra guidance shows incompetency or inadequacy. As a result, their self-esteem may suffer, and they can experience burnout.
Reduction Of Innovation
A company’s long-term success depends on innovation and thinking outside the box. Nevertheless, pacesetting leaders can focus a lot on results without leaving much room for creativity. Therefore, work becomes repetitive and monotonous since innovation is not encouraged. Staff members aren’t excited to perform their daily tasks, and the company’s success might take a hit in the long run. Although innovative initiatives may be a risk, they are important for anyone to feel productive and engaged.
Decreased Feedback
In pacesetting leadership, managers sometimes don’t offer enough positive feedback to their teams. They might simply take over or delegate tasks when someone is having trouble instead of investing in providing feedback to help them improve. They are good at giving instructions but may not congratulate people for their success. This behavior is damaging since the majority of employees work harder when they receive positive feedback.
Conclusion
This leadership style has many benefits but can also damage a company and its workforce if not applied properly. Some team members may require more guidance and not have the confidence or the skillset required to work independently at a fast pace, and pushing them may cause burnout and hurt the organization’s success. That’s why leaders must avoid setting unreasonable expectations and instead show trust in their employees and provide regular feedback pointing out both positive aspects and areas for improvement.