Although all leaders should display the same characteristics, this does not always look the same. There are five main different styles of leadership that managers or business owners show. It is important to understand that while some businesses are best suited to a particular style, the leadership others might not benefit from that type of management. This means that these differences in business leadership styles must be considered when finding the right team leader for the company.
The five leadership styles
- Participative
- Autocratic
- Laissez-Faire
- Transformational
- Servant
Participative leadership style
The participative leader is inclined to involve employees and team members in decision-making processes. This means that the views of the company are widely expressed by the majority of the team. Voting is a major component in this leadership style and issues are resolved by finding a solution on which the majority had agreed.
This leadership style is well suited to company’s where morale is vital. With a chance to voice opinions and make decisions, team members feel as though they are an important part of the company as they are actively involved.
While this style is beneficial for the general self-esteem of the employees, it does have its drawbacks as decisions are not made quickly.
Autocratic leadership style
The autocratic leader is the opposite to the participative leader. Autocratic leadership occurs is cases where the leader is given complete power and control of decisions. In a company where the managers use autocratic leadership, the employees are given instruction and are not asked for their opinion on the methods. Often this style sees a manager delegate duties to the employees with the expectation that tasks will be completed.
Autocratic leaders has the advantage of being able to make quick decisions and there is no stress from employees when it comes to planning and implementing processes. The style is also well suited to team members who thrive with guidance and rigid strategy.
The disadvantage of autocratic leadership is that there is often no room for the team to voice their opinions, which can create a problematic divide between managers and employees. While things might be completed quickly, there is often a high staff turnover when there are autocratic leaders in management.
Laissez-Faire leadership style
The Laissez-faire, or “do as you will” style of leadership is laid back, giving employees more autonomy in their work. This caters well to create companies where team members are trusted to complete the work in their time and style. The hand-off style allows employees to feel relaxed and confident, and can result in creative, unpressured work to emerge.
The downside to a Laissez-faire leadership style is that deadlines are not always met and performance might not be as efficient as if the leader was more actively involved in management.
Transformational leadership style
Transformational leadership is a leadership approach which aims to create a change in individuals and working systems in the business. If incorporated correctly, a transformational leader causes a positive shift in the team with the intention of developing new leaders to take over. This style of leadership relies on motivation and encouragement from the leader towards the team and often results in a strong team with a good working attitude.
Servant leadership style
A servant leader is one who puts the focus on the employee and keeps management in the back scenes. This is in order to make sure that the staff feel looked after in order to encourage work from an assistance capacity, rather than an active management approach.
Often a servant leadership style is found in non-profit organisations where the leader is managing volunteers or staff who are focused on the mission. Because of the nature of servant leadership, it might not be well-suited to company or business management unless coupled with another leadership style.
Learning leadership styles
One of the best ways to learn different approaches to leadership is to observe other leaders and see how they conduct their management. Another great way is to take an online short course where there is a strong focus on the practical and theoretical methods of leading and management.
Get a Leadership certificate from the University of Stellenbosch by studying an online short course on https://masterstart.com/
Courses range from 6 to 12 weeks.
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