Leadership Grid

What makes a good leader?

This question isn’t easy. Is it personal characteristics, like being confident, or does it have to do with behavior, like your interpersonal skills? Do soft skills contribute to effective leadership, or are hard, measurable skills the greatest indicator of success?

There are hundreds of factors that influence the effectiveness of a leader. Despite the sheer quantity, it might be possible to group these factors into different styles of leadership. The Leadership Grid is a model of behavioral leadership that focuses on what leaders do rather than who leaders are.¹ By reading the descriptions of five different kinds of leaders plotted on the grid, you can identify what kind of leadership style you embody, better understand its effectiveness, and adjust your priorities accordingly.

The grid, which was developed by Robert R. Blake and Jane S. Mouton, identifies five different kinds of leaders according to two behavioral dimensions of leadership on a scale of 1 to 9: concern for production and concern for people.¹ The five kinds of leaders that Blake and Mouton identified were impoverished, produce or perish, middle of the road, country club, and team.¹ Each leadership style was plotted on a grid to show whether the leader was most concerned for the task, the people, or had a healthy balance of both, as described below:⁷

• An impoverished leader lacks concern for people or productivity. These leaders show little regard for their team and focus on self-preservation. They want to make sure their hands are clean of wrongdoing, and they appear successful but don’t care about the overall success of the team. On the grid, they are plotted at 1,1.¹
• A produce-or-perish leader ranks high on their concern for productivity but low on their concern for people. They are excessively harsh towards their employees and care only about the numbers they are producing. On the grid, they are plotted at 9,1.¹
• A middle-of-the-road leader tries their best to balance out the needs of the team with the production needs of the company. However, in their effort to make sure both aspects are fulfilled, neither is adequately cared for. They are likely to have average employee satisfaction and production levels. On the grid, they are plotted at 5,5.¹
• A country club leader is gung-ho about the people. Their actions are all directed towards ensuring their employees are happy and prioritize this over all else. They show little concern for productivity rates. On the grid, they are plotted at 1, 9.¹

Those who fit the team leader style show concern for productivity and people. This strong leadership style emphasizes the importance of teamwork, which increases happiness levels and productivity. On the grid, they are plotted at 9,9.¹