The types of leadership style is the reflection of the leader’s behavioral pattern that enables them to manage their employees by directing and motivating them towards a common vision. The type of leadership styles also determine a leader’s approach to strategize and implement methods while fulfilling the business expectations and focusing on the team’s growth.
A leader often owns multiple leadership styles to tackle different business situations.
What is Leadership?
So what is leadership, one may ask? Leadership is the art of motivating people to work and focus towards a planned objective. It also encourages them to take up responsibilities and grow personally and professionally.
In an organization, leadership is a vital management function that ensures improved efficiency and achievement of business objectives. Effective leadership provides clarity of purpose and guides the organization to its mission.
An effective leader is someone who:
- Inspires and motivates others
- Has a vision and directs the path to achieve it
- Ensures the development of their team members
What is a Leadership Style?
A leadership style is a way in which a leader accomplishes their team’s objective by motivating employees to work towards the common goal and focusing on their well-being.
Why leadership style matters
Here are some reasons why leadership style matters:
- Increases team engagement
- Improves team communication and collaboration
- Strengthens the effectiveness of the team
Different Types of Leadership
What are the types of leadership styles. Lets look at some of them
Democratic Leadership
A democratic leader makes decisions based on their team’s opinion and feedback. In simpler words, they get everyone involved in the decision-making process.
Autocratic Leadership
This is precisely the opposite of democratic leadership. The opinions of team members are not considered while making any business decision. Instead, leaders expect others to adhere to their decisions, which is not sustainable in the long run.
Empowering Leadership
This leadership style empowers team members and holds them accountable for their work. This motivates many team members to put their best foot forward, improving the organization’s efficiency and productivity.
Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership is when leaders use their skills and capabilities to help team members and organization achieve their long-term goals. Strategic leaders strive to get the best out of people or situations.
Motivating Leadership
This style of leaders inspire others to achieve the unexpected. They aim to transform and improve team members’ and organizations’ functions and capabilities by motivating and encouraging them.
Action and reward Leadership
This type of leadership is task-oriented, which means team members who meet the leader’s expectations will be rewarded, and others will be punished. It is a prevalent leadership style based on the action-and-reward concept.
Leadership coach-style
This leadership style focuses on identifying and nurturing a team member’s strengths and weaknesses. A coaching leader develops strategies that emphasize team members’ success.
Though this is similar to strategic and democratic leadership styles, the focus here is more on the individual.
Bureaucratic Leadership
This kind of leadership style sticks to the rules. For example, they might listen to their team members’ opinions while deciding.
How to choose the right style of leadership
Here are some ways in which you can choose the right leadership style for you:
- Try different leadership styles before choosing one
- Find a mentor to help you hone your leadership style
- Ask peers for feedback
- Take a leadership style assessment that helps you determine your leadership style
- Learn about Leadership Styles to Become a Leader
- Understanding the types of leadership can add much value to the organization and create a good impact on your team members.
