Leadership Styles for Product Operations

Which style or styles make the best Product Ops professionals?

In this article, I explore the alignment of the 10 most common leadership styles in business, according to Forbes, and how each matches the needs of Product Operations roles. Lets dive right in:

1. Autocratic

An autocratic management style puts the manager at the top of the pyramid on a team. They make decisions and control projects without soliciting input from team members or other stakeholders.

How to identify an autocratic leader
An autocratic manager is likely to take complete control of projects and teams, making decisions without input from others. They’re more likely to give directions than to inspire team members toward solutions, and they might be more focused on details than the big-picture vision. They aren’t likely to elicit feedback, especially from subordinates, and the feedback they give might be more critical and punitive than constructive.

When autocratic leadership works best
In most cases, autocratic management isn’t productive for a team, because it takes a top-down approach that leaves employees feeling disempowered and on edge. However, autocratic leadership can be useful temporarily when a business faces a crisis. Autocratic leaders are skilled at making decisions fast and moving forward, which is incredibly valuable when you don’t have time to seek input and weigh options.

What about for Product Operations
Autocratic leadership qualities do not fit well with Product Operations roles. To best support teams, you need to elicit feedback from them, gain their support and iterate with their help to make improvements to processes that work for them - across the business. Dictating changes without input for those that will actually use the tools or processes is doomed to fail from day 1.

2. Democratic

A democratic management style, opposite of autocratic, puts the voice of the team at the forefront of decision-making and project management. The manager seeks input from subordinates and other stakeholders to drive the vision and direction of projects.

How to identify a democratic leader
A democratic manager is likely to solicit and implement feedback and input from members of their team, company leadership and other project stakeholders before making final decisions. They might even designate decision-makers other than themselves for various projects to ensure variety and diversity of opinion. They’re not prone to snap decisions; instead, they foster an environment of consideration and debate to give everyone a voice in every step of a project.

When democratic leadership works best
Democratic leadership has a place on most teams, because it ensures team members have their voices heard and have a stake in the work they do every day. Opening decisions up to multiple voices also ensures projects and goals are seen from diverse perspectives, deepening a company or team’s ability to innovate, adapt and serve a broader customer base.

However, true democracy is a slow way to make decisions, and it could result in regular stalemates that keep projects from moving forward. Democratic leadership is best for the early stages of a project, so all stakeholders can have a say in the vision and direction. It’s best to designate decision-makers for the minutiae of projects to ensure efficiency and progress.

What about for Product Operations