Do you lead like Simon, Cheryl, Danni or Louis?

Love it or loathe it, you can’t deny the impact that ITV’s The X Factor has had upon popular culture. Acres of newsprint have been devoted to it, some of its contestants can be seen in the upper echelons of the hit parade and, lately, even yoghurt companies have jumped up onto the bandwagon.

The X Factor is a massive money-spinner for ITV, and for Simon Cowell’s Syco entertainment company. In 2009, X Factor brought in £75m in revenue and is projected to smash through the £100m mark this year. And of this not including money made from the phone-In votes, live shows and appearances, merchandising, download sales via iTunes or the eventual record sales of the winner.

Like all great commercial enterprises, The X Factor is a success because of the vision and dedication of the people who make it. And like many great commercial enterprises, The X Factor has a distinctive leadership team – Simon Cowell and his three co-judges, Dannii Minogue, Louis Walsh and Cheryl Cole. Each of the judges brings a distinctive flavour, personality and style into the mix. The competition between the judges adds the element of conflict necessary to create the tension that is at the heart of the show’s weekly vote-off and it could be argued that the secret of The XFactor’s success lies in the interplay between these different leadership styles.

There are many academic theories and models out there that aim to unlock the secrets of effective leadership and characterise different leadership styles. Among these is Bass &Colleagues’ model of the five distinct styles of leadership. Looking at these five styles through the lens of The X Factor, we can see that our four judges match up with four of these distinctive leadership styles.

Simon Cowell – Directive leadership style
Characterised as a leader who exercises complete control over followers, the directive leader tells people what to do and when and how to do it. The classic Svengali, Cowell architects his act’s every move and song. His final act to remain in the competition, boy band One Direction, are a great example of Cowell’s directive style – the band itself was created by Cowell from contestants who had all auditioned as soloists.

Dannii Minogue – Participative leadership style
For Minogue, the directive leader is the antithesis of what she aspires to be; she far prefers reaching decisions by consensus and sees herself as a member of a team, rather than as someone atop a structural hierarchy.Minogue epitomises the participative leader, creating a real team atmosphere amongst her acts, who pick this up in turn, behaving in a very supportive manner to each other. “Team Dannii” contestants who have been voted off often go on to publically back their teammates to win. When her acts are criticised, Minogue is defensive and displays behaviours to suggest that she feels that she herself is in the firing line.

Cheryl Cole – Consultative leadership style
Similar to Minogue’s participative leader, Cheryl Cole is very much a consultative leader. She is at pains to stress the time she spends with her acts and that they are very much involved in the decision-making process. The consultative leader leverages the particular skills and talents of individuals in their team to achieve results; witness the four very different acts Cheryl worked with this year, each maintaining their distinctive style throughout the competition.

Louis Walsh –Delegative leadership style
Although his success with bands such as Westlife would suggest that he’s more of a directive leader, on the current series of The X Factor, Walsh has generally displayed behaviours more associated with the delegative style of leadership. Walsh has repeatedly stated that his acts are genuine and self-directive, autonomous artists rather than puppets dependant on his direction and advice. Walsh tends to avoid decision making whenever possible, for the most part doling out generic platitudes rather than constructive criticism. The delegative style is most effective when your team members are trustworthy and solid; the leader can trust them to make good decisions. However, the delegative style falls down when used with people who need more direction and guidance.

With all this in mind, we were curious to see who our customers thought would make the best boss. Out of the four X Factor judges, you may be surprised to hear that Simon Cowell was the runaway winner. Could it be that, when it comes to work and career, many of us still like the security and surety of someone telling us what to do? Are consultative or participative leaders less effective in practice? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.

Posted in: Cheryl,Danni,Louis,Simon