10
COMMON LEADERSHIP STYLES
INTRODUCTION
At some point in your career, you may take on a leadership role
in some capacity. Whether you’re leading a meeting, a project, a team or an
entire department, you might consider identifying with or adopting a defined
leadership style.
Most professionals develop their own style of leadership based
on factors like experience and personality, as well as the unique needs of
their company and its organizational culture. While every leader is different,
there are ten leadership styles commonly used in the workplace.
TYPES OF LEADERSHIP
STYLES
1. Coaching Leadership
A coaching leader is someone who can quickly recognize their
team members’ strengths, weaknesses and motivations to help each individual
improve. This type of leader often assists team members in setting smart goals and then provides regular feedback with
challenging projects to promote growth. They’re skilled in setting clear
expectations and creating a positive, motivating environment.
2. Visionary
Leadership
Visionary leaders have a powerful ability to drive progress and
usher in periods of change by inspiring employees and earning trust for new
ideas. A visionary leader is also able to establish a strong organizational
bond. They strive to foster confidence among direct reports and colleagues
alike.
3. Servant Leadership
Servant leaders live by a people-first mindset and believe that
when team members feel personally and professionally fulfilled, they’re more
effective and more likely to produce great work regularly. Because of their
emphasis on employee satisfaction and collaboration, they tend to achieve
higher levels of respect.
4. Autocratic
Leadership
Also called the authoritarian style of leadership, this type of
leader is someone who is focused almost entirely on results and efficiency.
They often make decisions alone or with a small, trusted group and expect
employees to do exactly what they’re asked. It can be helpful to think of these
types of leaders as military commanders.
5. Laissez-faire or
hands-off Leadership
This leadership style is the opposite of the autocratic
leadership type, focusing mostly on delegating many tasks to team members and
providing little to no supervision. Because a laissez-faire leader does not
spend their time intensely managing employees, they often have more time to
dedicate to other projects.
6. Democratic
Leadership
The democratic leadership style (also called the participative
style) is a combination of the autocratic and laissez-faire types of leaders. A
democratic leader is someone who asks for input and considers feedback from
their team before making a decision. Because team members feel their voice is
heard and their contributions matter, a democratic leadership style is often
credited with fostering higher levels of employee engagement and workplace
satisfaction.
7. Pacesetter
Leadership
The pacesetting leadership style is one of the most effective
for driving fast results. These leaders are primarily focused on performance.
They often set high standards and hold their team members accountable for
hitting their goals.
8. Transformational
Leadership
The transformational leadership style is similar to the coach
style in that it focuses on clear communication, goal-setting and employee
motivation. However, instead of placing the majority of the energy into each
employee’s individual goals, the transformational leader is driven by a
commitment to organization objectives.
9. Transactional
Leadership
A transactional leader is someone who is laser-focused on
performance, similar to a pacesetter. Under this leadership style, the manager
establishes predetermined incentives—usually in the form of monetary reward for
success and disciplinary action for failure. Unlike the pacesetter leadership
style, though, transactional leaders are also focused on mentorship,
instruction and training to achieve goals and enjoy the rewards.
While this type of leader is great for organizations or teams
tasked with hitting specific goals, such as sales and revenue, it’s not the
best leadership style for driving creativity.
10. Bureaucratic
Leadership
Bureaucratic leaders are similar to autocratic leaders in that
they expect their team members to follow the rules and procedures precisely as
written. The bureaucratic leadership style focuses on fixed duties within a
hierarchy where each employee has a set list of responsibilities, and there is
little need for collaboration and creativity.
CONCLUSION
By understanding each of these leadership
types based on the outcome you intend to achieve, you can select the right
leadership style for your current situation.
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