Leadership styles

Leadership styles…. There are six commonly accepted leadership styles Different types of leadership styles exist for different personalities and businesses. One leadership style might naturally suit you best, or you might have to adapt to one due to the company you work for. All of these styles are important in the right enviroment. Don’t think one is the perfect method. In certain situations each of them has positives and negatives. It’s best to understand how each of them work and watch them in your boss or other supervisors. Know how you are being managed. How does it make you feel? Which style do you prefer to be managed with? Types of Leadership: Laissez Faire Laissez Faire leaders are very “hands off” in their management style. Face time with their team members is minimal. Some managers seem to employ this type of leadership – if you can even call them leaders – because they don’t want to get involved. It’s more of a “lazy” type leadership for them. This is not laissez faire leadership. The laissez faire style works well if you have a team of highly trained individuals who are also highly motivated. They know what needs to be done, they do it, and they do it well. One problem that can come up with this style is the employees don’t feel valued or appreciated. Types of Leadership: Autocratic An autocratic leader has the total authority to make decisions. They make the rules, period. The autocratic leadership style can work well on teams needing close supervision and are new or still learning. But it’s not so effective when you’re working in an environment where team collaboration is necessary. Many people find this style to be stifling and they don’t feel valued if their boss uses this style exclusively. This is a good method when there is an emergency and someone has to take charge. This is also a good method when handling a dispute between a couple employees. Types of Leadership: Democratic The democratic leader, on the other hand, has the authority over the final decision, but they go to the employees to get their input and suggestions. Because the team has a part in the process, they feel ownership of the decision and are more likely to embrace it. Even if they don’t agree with the ultimate decision, they know they were heard and considered. They also have the benefit of knowing the “whys” of the decision and understand the big picture better than someone under an autocratic leader. This method is great for building teams and the why behind that will fill up another entire page! A dry erase board or giant paper with an easel comes in handy when using this type of management style during a meeting. Ask a question or describe the problem then have everyone contribute ideas to answer a question and write them down. Then systematically go through the answers and ask the group the pros and cons of each. I often knew the outcome of the question I asked but instead of just telling everyone what to do I knew they would do it better if I involved them in the decision. This method is great if you are trying to develop junior managers. You can go through all the steps of your thought processes by asking questions and letting the group begin the journey of understanding the why behind solutions. If you use this method exclusively you can run into problems just like the other methods, although this leadership style has the least amount if used correctly. The people that don’t appreciate it are the people who want things “perfect” or who believe completely in the chain of command. I have had employees that would rather not be involved in a decision, they want to be “told” what to do, it reassures them and makes them more comfortable. The other people this method doesn’t work well with is the disengaged employees, they might think you are “weak” just because they aren’t in touch with the rest of the group. Types of Leadership: Bureaucratic If you’ve ever been managed strictly “by the book,” you’ve experienced a bureaucratic leader. While it might sound outdated and unpopular, “by the book” bureaucratic leadership types work well and are necessary in some fields. Universities, hospitals and banks benefit from bureaucratic leadership. The strictness of following particular rules helps increase security within the company, and reduces corruption. A downside is that it’s slow-moving in order to ensure adherence to policies and procedures. This leader has a tendency to be very un-motivating and is prone to not having synergy in their teams. They don’t like “flow” because you have to “fly by the seat of your pants”, they just want things exactly as they have dictated. They are necessary and excellent in certain fields or positions. If this type of manager works for you it’s important to follow up with their people and ensure they feel appreciated and valued. It’s easy to forget to tell this manager the same thing, so make sure they get told, usually they won’t tell you they enjoyed hearing it, but they do. Types of Leadership: Charismatic Charismatic leaders are all about energy and motivation. Teams led by a charismatic leader can have a very difficult time when that leader leaves. If you are taking over a management position that was previously led by a charismatic leader, be prepared for some challenges. In certain positions at certain times I have been very charismatic, and indeed the manager behind me had a difficult time. This method is perfect if you are trying to feed energy into a group. Feed energy you may ask, yes, FEED energy. When I was doing this it was to bring the intensity level up in the group, the energy level, the drive. It is extremely exhausting to do it, you have to be consistent, do it every single day. But it works! It’s a great method to increase sales or get some big projects done. You also need to make really big deals out of every positive, thank EVERY person exuberantly. Say “hi” to everyone. You have to stay highly visible for it to work. Plan this well because it can take a few days or even a few weeks for it to even begin to work, but once the energy in the group is going it usually starts to snowball and feed itself. Also be aware, this method doesn’t work if you don’t have employees that care and respect you. You have to have trust and respect first. Types of Leadership: Relational A relational (or transformational) leader is opposite the laissez faire leader. They are highly communication based and highly visible. This is not to be confused with a micromanager. Relational leaders are focused on the big picture and they are surrounded with people who accomplish the details of the big picture. They don’t usually care about the details of something, they care about the who. Who is doing what? How is so and so doing? How was your weekend? Who is doing that? If you start to go over a bunch of details you will find their eyes start of glaze over and their mind wanders. They care about the who. What’s Your Style? You might have natural tendencies towards particular types of leadership. Your company may require you to lead in one of these particular methods, which can be difficult if you’re used to an opposite style. Learning to manage in a different style will only benefit you in the long run. If fact, using only a couple will slow your career down. You need to understand when to use the different styles to fit your employees. It’s even possible… NO… I would say you will need to alter your leadership type multiple times working for the same company if you take on different teams or projects over your years of employment. Most likely you will need to change your style multiple times a year at a minimum.

Related posts:

1. Leadership