Before we go into detail about leadership styles , let's start by defining what leadership is. Leadership is a set of skills used to lead a group, influence and even inspire them to get the best out of it.
However, this is not a static practice; leaders are always changing and improving the way they lead and support the group to achieve established goals. If we want to be better leaders, we must constantly transform our way of leading a team or group .
All leadership styles depend on several factors, including the company, geographic location, and cultural characteristics.
Learn about the leadership styles that exist to determine if you need to change the way you perform this role.
leadership styles
Here we will detail the most common leadership styles , these are the different attitudes, skills and ways of leading that have been catalogued so far.
This does not mean that there are no other ways to lead. In this article we will explain some leadership styles , but it does not mean that they are the correct or adequate ones, because the important thing about leadership is to motivate and influence people in an organization to obtain better results.
1. Autocratic leadership
Among the leadership styles , autocratic leadership is a form of leadership where leaders have absolute power over workers, that is, all responsibility and authority falls on this figure. Despite its dominant, inflexible and unidirectional nature, this does not mean that it is not effective on some occasions.
Some of its advantages are:
✅ It exempts the rest of the team from responsibility because everything falls on the leader.
✅ Quick decision making, low probability of the team not doing its job, because it is fully controlled.
✅ Efficiency in projects that require short-term results.
Some of its disadvantages are:
✅ Low motivation, because everything focuses on results, but not on team motivation.
✅ High levels of stress due to the amount of work and pressure exerted to meet the goal.
✅ Zero creativity, team opinions are nullified, remembering all decisions are based on the leader's ability.
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2. Bureaucratic leadership - leadership styles
Bureaucratic leadership is a leadership style characterized by strictly following all the rules, without deviating from what is established or planned. It is a style that has advantages when working with security risks or when large amounts of money are involved.
3. Charismatic leadership - leadership styles
Charismatic leaders believe much more in themselves than in their team. This can generate problems and instability in the organization's projects in the long term, because the team normally thinks that without the charismatic leader, the goals could not be achieved.
4. Participatory or democratic leadership
The democratic leader has the final say, but along the way he integrates the team so that they contribute to the process, that is, each one has a role, they are listened to, which makes them feel in control of the situation and increases group satisfaction.
Therefore, in this style of leadership, the team, under the influence of a democratic leader, is motivated to work harder and better for a reward that is not only financial. This can be adopted when it is essential and when quality is more important than speed or productivity.
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5. Laissez-faire leadership - leadership styles
The expression “Laissez-faire” is French and means “let it be.” This style of leadership motivates the team to make its own decisions, and the figure of the leader is not so marked and present. He only monitors and communicates progress to the team on a regular basis.
In this type of leadership style, it is usually very effective when workers have extensive experience and also their own initiative.
6. People-oriented leadership - leadership styles
This leadership style is fully dedicated to organizing, supporting, and developing the work team. It is characterized by being participative, fostering team unity, and creative collaboration. Most leaders who focus on people also exercise task-oriented leadership.
7. Natural leadership - leadership styles
Natural leadership, as its name indicates, is not formalized. It occurs in a simple way when another person meets the needs of a team. This person is described as a natural leader. It is characterized by being a democratic leadership, because it allows the participation of the entire team in the decision-making process.
Every day this style of leadership is more popular because importance is given to values, however, this is compromised when there are other leaders who use different leadership styles.
8. Task-oriented leadership - leadership styles
Leaders who focus on the task are oriented to get their work done, and may also require autocratic leaders. They are very good at defining and organizing the work and everything necessary to meet goals. But they leave the well-being of the team aside, which can cause problems with the group, its motivation and satisfaction, which results in a constant loss of collaborators.
9. Transactional leadership - leadership styles
It is considered a leadership style but it points even more to management. This leadership style is based on the team's idea of reaching an agreement to obey the leader figure and the relationship works as a payment for the change of effort and acceptance of the tasks assigned by the leader.
In addition, the leader may retaliate against someone who is not doing the job thoroughly. He is focused on the execution of tasks that must be completed in the short term.
10. Transformational leadership
- leadership styles
Transformational leadership is considered by specialists in the field to be true leadership, because it is based on inspiring the team, generating trust and transmitting enthusiasm. The characteristic of these leaders is that they only need to feel supported by certain employees. It is a reciprocal relationship, which is why many companies opt for this vision and values for a leader to exercise his role.
As you can see, here we show you 10 leadership styles, but there are many others.
If you want to learn more about leadership, you can find more information in our following articles on leadership.
- leadership styles - leadership styles
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