To push or pull? Perfecting your management style

Have you ever been in an awkward situation where you’re pushing on a door with all your might, but it just won’t open? Then, seconds later, you realise it needs to be pulled. Don’t worry, we’ve all done that. The same principle applies to management styles. 

Managers can often push their team through direct orders, insisting on what has to be done and how, to mixed success. Instead, they should be pulling their team by actively encouraging participation and collaboration. Is one approach better than the other, though, or do you find yourself struggling to hit the right balance? Hello Leaders digs into the push and pull management styles to uncover the perfect combination in the workplace. 

The push management style

• Often relies heavily on authority to tell others what they must do
• When a problem is spotted, solutions are quickly presented and acted on
• There is a clear focus on the end result rather than the journey
• Push managers can be one-dimensional: they present the ‘how, who and what’ but rarely explain the ‘why’
• It can be very effective when time is of the essence, although an over-reliance on the manager’s input can develop

The pull management style

• Participation is highly encouraged through clear communication and delegation
• When a problem is spotted, the manager works with their team to find new solutions
• Framing is essential as employees are provided context and understanding – the ‘why’
• Pull managers typically recognise the strengths of their team and know how to utilise the tools at their disposal
• This is an effective approach when time allows for collaboration and professional development 

Is one better than the other?

It’s easy to frame certain management or leadership styles in a negative way; something that is authoritative and direct isn’t a good fit for the modern workforce, right? Not at all. Like all “bad” things, it just has to be used in moderation. 

Pushing is all about giving direction and telling others what to do. But it’s not just handing out orders and watching with a bird’s eye view to ensure staff members follow every step. There is still accountability and leaders want to be reassured that their staff can and will follow orders.

Pulling, on the other hand, seemingly has more freedom to it. You’re describing a task, seeking solutions and finding the best way to accomplish it. Team members are handed more responsibility and they can truly work together with a manager to achieve success. And yet there’s still a high level of accountability. Goals still have to be met and there are often repercussions if that doesn’t happen.

Interestingly, research shows that leaders are better at pushing, rather than pulling, by a whopping 76% competency rate compared to 22%. Just 2% of leaders are apparently good at achieving the perfect mix of push and pull.

So although managers do have to drive results and push their staff, there needs to be more give. Basically, that ‘push’ door at the entryway really should be a sliding door full of opportunity.

How to balance your management style

Let’s face it, there’s never push without some pull. You have to have the right balance here because too much of one style will leave your team, and perhaps the organisation as a whole, in stagnation.

Push managers often feel a strong sense of responsibility. You believe all ideas have to come from you, perhaps due to a sense of personal accountability or past team failures. But unless you give others a chance for redemption or change, no one will grow. 

So you do have to take on a pull approach through teamwork and collaboration to reduce the amount of pressure on yourself and increase team capability. Your team will be pitching ideas and taking the lead in no time, allowing you to better focus on your own direct responsibilities.

Now, what happens if there’s an urgent deadline or a chaotic environment and you have a young, inexperienced team? This is where push and pull combine. You may have to take an authoritative approach at first, but this doesn’t mean there’s no room for learning, that just occurs later on. 

It can be difficult to recognise when you should pull rather than push. What you can do is give yourself the time to reflect on each day and assess how the team performed and whether they had opportunities to develop or if that needs to be followed up on. If you can be conscious of your own management style you can certainly take the steps you need to make it more flexible.