10 Leadership Styles That Are Common: You might eventually take on a leadership position in your career. You might think about identifying with or adopting a specific leadership style, whether you are in charge of a meeting, a project, a team, or an entire department. The majority of professionals create their own leadership philosophies based on personal traits like experience and personality as well as the particular requirements of their organization and its culture. Although each leader is unique, ten different leadership philosophies are frequently applied in the workplace.
Why Are Leadership Styles Important?
As you gain leadership abilities, you’ll probably apply various strategies and techniques to fulfil the demands of the subordinates you supervise as well as the goals of your employer. You may employ multiple different leadership philosophies at once to manage effectively. By taking the time to become familiar with each of these leadership philosophies you might identify some areas to strengthen or broaden your own leadership style. You can learn how to collaborate with managers who have various management styles from your own and recognize other leadership styles that might better serve your current objectives. Here are the ten most common leadership styles which are as follows:
Coach
A coaching leader is someone who can immediately identify the motivations, limitations, and strengths of each member of their team in order to assist them all to grow. This kind of leader frequently aids team members in developing wise goals and then regularly offers feedback on difficult projects to foster improvement. They have the ability to establish clear expectations and foster an environment that is encouraging and motivating. For both employers and the personnel they oversee, the coach leadership style is one of the most beneficial. Unfortunately, it’s frequently one of the least used styles of leadership, in large part because it can take more time than other kinds. A sales manager, for instance, calls a conference with his group of account executives to go over lessons learned from the previous quarter. They begin the discussion by jointly evaluating the team’s performance in terms of its strengths, flaws, opportunities, and threats. The manager then acknowledges particular team members for outstanding work and reviews the team’s goals. In order to encourage the salespeople to achieve their objectives, the manager concludes the meeting by introducing a contest that will begin the following quarter.
Visionary
Visionary leaders have a strong ability to progress society and usher in times of transition by inspiring employees and fostering trust in new ideas. Another talent of a visionary leader is creating a strong organizational connection. They strive to foster trust among direct subordinates as well as colleagues. This sort of leadership is very helpful for both smaller organizations that are expanding swiftly and larger organizations that are undergoing transformations or corporate restructuring. For example, A teacher establishes a group at work for co-workers who wish to support students in overcoming worries and problems they encounter outside of the classroom. The intention is for students to focus more intently and perform better in class. In order to quickly and effectively uncover significant ways to assist pupils, he has devised testing methodologies.
Servant
Servant leaders put the needs of their teams first because they know that happy employees are more productive and likely to consistently create high-quality work. They frequently garner greater levels of respect as a result of their emphasis on teamwork and employee pleasure. A servant leader is a great type of leader for businesses of any size and in any sector, but they are most common in non-profit organizations. These leaders are particularly adept at boosting employee morale and encouraging individuals to get back into their jobs. For e.g.- Every month, a product manager arranges one-on-one coffee meetings with anyone who has suggestions for improving the product or questions about how to use it. She wants to use this time to respond to the needs of anyone who is using the product in any way and to offer assistance.
Autocratic
This kind of leader is nearly totally concerned with productivity and results. They frequently make choices alone or in small, trusted groups, and they count on workers to carry out their instructions exactly. Consider these leaders to be military commanders if it helps. In organizations with rigorous policies or in sectors with a high requirement for compliance, this leadership style may be beneficial. It can also be helpful when used for workers who require a lot of monitoring, such as inexperienced or less experienced workers. However, this management style may inhibit innovation and cause workers to feel constrained. For e.g.- Before performing surgery, the surgeon meticulously goes through with each team member who will assist him or her with the procedures and rules of the operating theatre. In order for the surgery to run as well as possible, she wants to make sure that everyone is aware of the expectations and follows each step precisely. For instance, Keisha tells new hires that her engineers can set and manage their own work schedules as long as they are working toward and achieving team-defined objectives. They are also free to explore and take part in projects outside of their team that they may be interested in.
Democratic
The authoritarian and laissez-faire styles of leadership are combined in the democratic leadership style, also known as the participative style. Before making a decision, democratic leaders consult with their team and take their suggestions into account. A democratic leadership style is frequently credited with promoting higher levels of employee engagement and workplace happiness because team members feel that their voice is heard and their contributions matter. It’s a great leadership style for organizations that value creativity and invention, like those in the technology sector, because it encourages dialogue and involvement.
Pacesetter
One of the best leadership philosophies for producing quick outcomes is pacesetting. Performance is the main area of attention for these leaders. They frequently have high expectations and hold their team members responsible for achieving their objectives. The pacesetting leadership style can be inspiring and useful in high-stress situations where team members need to be energized, but it isn’t always the greatest choice for team members who require guidance and criticism. Pacesetting is one of the best leadership principles for achieving speedy results. These leaders focus their attention mostly on performance. They frequently hold their team members accountable for completing their goals and have high expectations of them. The pacesetting leadership style can be motivating and helpful when team members need to be energized in high-stress situations, but it isn’t always the best option for team members who need direction and criticism.
Transformational
The coach leadership style and transformational leadership both put an emphasis on clear communication, goal-setting, and employee motivation. However, the transformational leader is motivated by a dedication to the organization’s goals rather than investing the majority of their energy in the particular aspirations of each person. The greatest teams for this style of leadership are those that can handle a lot of assigned duties without regular supervision because these leaders tend to focus a lot of their attention on the larger picture.
Transactional
Like a pacesetter, a transactional leader is totally committed to performance. In accordance with this management approach, the manager sets up specified incentives, typically in the form of monetary compensation for success and disciplinary action for failure. Unlike pacesetter leaders, transactional leaders place equal emphasis on mentoring, teaching, and training in order to accomplish goals and reap the benefits. While this kind of leader is excellent for groups or teams entrusted with achieving particular objectives like sales and money, it’s not the ideal leadership style for fostering creativity.
Laissez-faire or hands-off
The antithesis of the autocratic leadership style, this one emphasizes giving team members a lot of responsibility while offering little to no direct oversight. Laissez-faire CEOs frequently have more time to devote to other tasks because they do not closely manage their staff. When every team member is highly skilled, well-trained, and needs little supervision, managers may use this leadership style. However, it can also result in a decline in productivity if staff members are unclear about their manager’s objectives or if some team members require constant encouragement and constraints to function well.
Bureaucratic
In that they anticipate strict adherence to the written rules and procedures from their team members, bureaucratic leaders are comparable to authoritarian ones. The bureaucratic leadership style prioritizes defined roles within a hierarchy, each employee having a predetermined list of duties, and there is minimal need for cooperation or originality. This management approach works best in highly regulated fields or divisions like banking, healthcare, or government. Managers at the department of motor vehicles’ office give their staff particular guidelines for how to work within a given framework. To do a task with tight order and guidelines, they must go through numerous processes. Most leaders use a number of styles to attain different objectives at different points in their careers. Despite the fact that you may have excelled in one sort of leadership in the past, your team may need a different set of habits in order to function at its best.
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