Which of the styles in leadership management are you?
Do you make sure everyone follows the rules, or are you easy-going and put a lot of trust in your employees?
Are you getting complaints about your leadership style either from your boss or your team?
There are many different leadership styles that people tend to use and sometimes it is best to change your leadership style depending on the situation and the people that work for you.
So, what kind of leader do you want to be?
Do you want to change your current style of leadership or are you satisfied with how you lead?
Just knowing the kind of leader you are can help you be a better leader. It’s time to think about your leadership skills, what works for you and what doesn’t, and what is working for your team.
1. Laissez-Faire Leadership
This leader is NOT directly involved in decision-making and puts a lot of trust in the team. The leader with this style will know what’s going on and gives feedback when needed.
Laissez-faire is French, and it means “hands-off.” One positive feature of this style of leadership is your employees feel appreciated and confident that they can make good decisions.
One downside of this style, employees may take your hands-off approach too far and begin to slack off or take advantage of your approach.
2. Pace-Setter Leadership
Just like the pace car in a race, a pacesetter leader is one that sets the bar high and expects work to be done fast and right. This is perfect for highly energized professionals who know what they are doing and are driven to succeed.
The biggest downside to this style is that some employees, no matter how driven, can become over-stressed and burned out.
This is a leadership style that will work best when introducing an exciting new product or service to the world.
3. Autocratic Leadership
As the name implies, this leadership style is one person controlling everything. This person makes the decisions, and that is final. Also, there is no input from other people in decision-making.
While this can be great in times of crisis or when there are safety concerns of the employees, it may not always be the best because your employees will feel devalued and look for work elsewhere.
This type of leadership is best applied to circumstances where there is little or no time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most informed or knowledgeable member of the group.
4. Democratic Leadership
Democratic Leadership is the middle ground between Laissez-faire and Autocratic. This leader will listen to others’ opinions but will make the final decision.
The leader still is very involved in day-to-day activities but will allow for more creative thinking to flourish. The downside of this style is that a decision has to be made right away.
5. Servant Leadership
In this style, the leader is second to the employees. This model follows a people or idea’s first premise. The leader highlights the individual or the team as opposed to him or herself.
This is one of the best styles for nonprofits or other humanitarian businesses because the people are as important as the mission.
Servant Leadership is also good to use when the team suffers from low morale.
6. Transformational Leadership
Do you have a vision and share it with your team to get them excited about your vision? Then you might be a transformational leader.
This leader is self-aware, authentic, empathetic, and humble. These leaders want everyone to succeed and accomplish the shared vision.
And when people feel they are sharing in something great, they will make every effort to be the best and do the best work.
7. Transactional Leadership
Transactional Leadership is a reward/punishment model. For example, if one of your team members sells the most cars in one month, they will be rewarded with a gift card to their favorite restaurant.
Another example would be a promotion for a certain person—should they finish the project before the deadline.
On the other hand, there is the punishment side, such as if someone doesn’t sell their quota, they could lose working hours, be demoted, or have other punishments.
This leadership style may inspire some to do better because something they want is on the line. Yet, this leadership may also lower morale because of the punishments.
8. Charismatic Leadership
Charismatic Leadership is the leadership style that comes with a personality that people just love. These leaders inspire, motivate and energize the team.
The Center for Association Leadership says this style may increase team morale and success. Oprah Winfrey is a charismatic leader.
Of course, not everyone is born with natural charisma, but you can learn to be motivational and inspiring, and you can become charismatic with a little effort over time.
Leadership Styles
It is in your best interest as a leader to learn about various leadership styles. What may have worked ten years ago may not be as effective today. Not every situation will call for the same leadership style, and you must stay flexible and informed to lead your people the right way.
If something is not working with your leadership style and you are changing, be aware that your people may take a little longer to accept your new style, so be patient.
Also, being a leader is an ever-evolving skill that takes knowing who you are, your people, and what task needs to be done.
A good piece of wisdom is consistency with your leadership styles and situations.
To be the best leader you can be, you need to grow and adjust your leadership styles for overall success.
Related Article
Which of the Styles of Leadership in Management Are You?
If you have ideas about styles of leadership in management that might be helpful to readers, share them in the comments section below. Thanks!
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There are other types of leaders based on what they provide for group and not just the style.
I disagree. What kind of leader they are and what they provide are entirely different.
Example are those who lead through expertise. You have pointed out good and bad sides to leadership, except for charismatic. There is a negative side to this in that people that cultivate inspiring and motivational personalities often do this at the expense of caring and
competence. Inspirational leaders often mislead others.
Great article!
really insightful comment melissa!!
Insightful. Inspiring. Enlighting.
AGREED
A leader / perfectionist would probably be a Laissez-Faire / Democratic / Servant / Transformational Leader.
This article is highly effective in understanding the leaders ability to be a chammoline or change their spots for the most timely and best outcomes for a project.