Before going into details on the different types of leadership styles, let’ find out who a leader is and what their leadership style depicts:
Who is a leader?
A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a goal. To be a leader requires great commitment and dedication. This being said, a leader strives to achieve the goal whether he has followers or not!
What is a leadership style?
This is a leader’s method and behaviour adopted when directing, motivating, and managing others.
Here are the types of leadership styles:
- Autocratic
Autocratic leadership was commonly used in the past as it’s “do as I say”. In this leadership there’s no consulting and the leader is assumed to be the smartest person in the group. The leader expects compliance without objection.
- Transactional leadership
This is more of a give-and-take type of leadership. Here the leader and followers agree on a reward and punish system. The followers are rewarded for their efforts and compliance.
- Transformational leadership
Here the leader has a vision that he inspires, encourages and empowers the team. Most leaders with this style of leadership will delegate responsibility and are rarely on the forefront.
- Pacesetting
A pacesetting leader sets high standards for the team and is more focused on performance. The leadership style best suits a fast-paced environment where team members get pushed to achieve goals faster.
- Democratic
When using this type of leadership, you involve the team in decision-making. Though the leader will ultimately make the last decision, it makes the team feel included and thus motivated to contribute.
- Coaching
When using the coaching leadership style, the leader identifies each individual’s strengths and weaknesses and motivates them to do better. The leader is supportive and offers guidance rather than giving commands.
- Affiliative
This is one of the most up close and personal leadership styles. The leader tends to pay attention and support the team’s emotional needs. It’s very effective in offering assurance in stressful times.
- Laissez-faire
This type of leadership is the complete opposite of autocratic. Here the leader delegates most of the tasks to the team. There’s little to no supervision as the leader has a team of well-experienced and trained members. It’s more hands-off!
Leadership is not for everyone. Some people are meant to be followers. Knowing your leadership style will help you become a better leader and let you understand your team better. This will determine how effectively your team works together to set goals.
Sources: Young Mogul, HubSpot, American Express, IMD, IMD, mbaknol, Indeed, Study, Leadership
