The Focused, Advocating Facilitative Leader

This article on the team leader is part X of our 12-part series on the different leadership styles. You can check out October’s Monthly Huddle to get a general overview and follow along each week as we explore them in-depth. 

What Defines a Facilitative Leader?

Facilitative leaders are those that strive to set their teams up to function without them as the “person in charge.” Instead, they go through the process of downshifting the amount of time they spend in charge until they are in the position to act as a catalyst of self-reflection, mediation, and growth for the team. 

A facilitative leader is similar to a team leader in that they focus on the growth of others, rather than themselves. That is not to say that they don’t set personal growth goals, but they funnel much of their energy into kindling their team’s success. 

They also thrive on interpersonal connections. If there is conflict or strife between members of their team, a facilitative leader is likely to feel uncomfortable until the problem is fixed, intervening in meaningful ways to guide both parties towards an agreeable compromise. 

Personality

Taking on the mantle of being a facilitative leader requires that person to be a paragon of empathy, communication, and eagerness. 

Empathy is first and foremost. Not only does this help build the kind of atmosphere where teams can flourish because they feel validated and understood, but it also helps establish a fundamental expectation that the team members have towards each other. Without empathy and the ability to understand another person’s perspective, teams flounder under petty disagreements. 

Communication is crucial for any member of a team, but particularly for a facilitative leader. They must engage in active listening, ensuring that the people they work with know that what the team has to say matters. The leader must also be able to speak honestly and clearly, in all situations, whether it’s sharing expectations, guiding a team through a task brief, or guiding a discussion on growth goals for the upcoming quarter. 

Finally, a facilitative leader must be eager. They have to want their team to succeed, to find satisfaction in their role, and to know why the work they are doing is important. In turn, the team will begin to approach their professional life with the same enthusiasm. 

Decision-Making

It is in the process of decision-making that facilitative leaders shine. Unlike hierarchical or traditional leadership structures, this leader’s goal is to get their team to the point where they are only needed for decisions when the rest of the group can’t come to a consensus. Even then, they will try to mediate, walking their employees through exercises and discussions that allow each person to retain their power as a member of the professional community. 

Talking things out is typically the first tool that facilitative leaders turn to when there is a decision to be made. They want everyone to hear what each person has to say about the topic, then let the team think on those solutions or ideas before coming back together with their reflections in mind to make the final choice. 

They are particularly skilled at guided questioning, in which the team leader walks their employee through a series of inquiries with the final goal of leading that person to understand a process or concept without explicit explanation. This is often referred to as “Socratic reasoning.”

Situations Where Facilitative Leaders Thrive

• As leaders of teams that have no prior history working as a collaborative community. A facilitative leader has their own culture and norms to establish, so working with a fresh group is ideal. Otherwise, old expectations from previous leaders may cloud the process. 
• Companies that value innovation. More traditional workplaces are going to find facilitative leaders tedious, as they are used to decisions coming from one key person and in a timely fashion. Collaborative work takes time and requires everyone to be on board, something more likely to happen in a business where innovation is celebrated, not stifled. 

Wrap Up: The Pros and Cons of Facilitative Leadership

Pros

• Under a facilitative leader, all members of a team are going to have their professional and personal goals recognized. Each person is valued as a contributing and important piece of the puzzle. 
• By allowing all employees to have a say in the decision-making and brainstorming process, teams have access to collaborative ideas that they may not have thought of otherwise. 

Cons

• A facilitative leader wants to avoid conflict at all costs, but there are situations where disagreements are learning opportunities. This can be detrimental for those who are new to their careers, as they may not learn the proper steps to take when advocating for themselves and their ideas in a professional setting. 
• In some cases, a culture of “toxic positivity” can develop, in which all complaints or negative feelings are stifled under the guise of “just staying positive.” Expressing negative feelings in a healthy way is quite valuable, as it helps problems get solved and strengthens bonds between team members.