7 Amazing Different Types of Leadership Styles

What are the different types of leadership? Can people be categorized into what kind of leaders they are?

To know that, one must first really understand who a leader is. The definition of a leader may vary from person to person, depending on various situations.

The most common definition of a leader is someone who knows how to solve a problem or improve the current situation and can direct his team to achieve the goal.

A leader mainly needs to influence people, ensure they are aware of their roles, and execute them as and when required.

Since leadership varies according to different factors, situations, and skills, different people adopt different leadership styles.

7 Different Types of Leadership Styles That Will Motivate You

1. Autocratic Leadership Style

This is one of the different types of leadership styles that many people do not like. In Autocratic leadership, one person alone takes control of all the decisions and asks for little or no input from the other group members.

A leader who adopts this style solely decides on his beliefs and commands other members. Thus, the credit for the work is given to the leader, not at all to the members. However, there are both pros and cons to this leadership style.

Advantages of Autocratic Leadership

1. Crises are correctly handled.
2. It reduces the stress of employees to an extent.
3. Autocratic leadership results in quicker decisions.
4. The productivity is higher, and there is negligible scope for misunderstanding.
5. This leadership helps inexperienced workers well.

Disadvantages of Autocratic Leadership

1. No credit for the work is given to employees.
2. This type of leadership leads to a lack of trust.
3. It can get frustrating for the team members as there is no joy.
4. Since the leader is responsible for all the tasks and actions, the work burden increases a lot for the leader.

2.  Transformational Leadership Style

Transformational leadership is one of the different types of leadership in which a leader inspires and encourages the members of the group to initiate and work towards the change that will lead to the success of the organization.

Although this leadership is mostly used in startups, it is generally seen in all the sub-levels of the organization, be it divisions or departments. Transformational leaders believe in taking risks, and so are daring.

Advantages of Transformational Leadership

1. It has proved to be a highly effective leadership style among all others.
2. Transformational leaders are honest and intend to do the right thing most appropriately.
3. The leader is willing to adapt to the changes himself so that he can drive his team towards the change.
4. Leaders who adopt this transformational style can retain their customers as well as employees for a much longer time than other leaders.
5. There is clear and excellent communication between the team members and that of the leader, which lacks within different organizations.

Disadvantages of Transformational Leadership

1. Continuous feedback is required in this leadership style.
2. The leader needs their team to agree with all the decisions made.
3. Sometimes unnecessary risks are taken, which may prove to be harmful for the organization.
4. Transformational leaders mostly focus on the outcome only and not on the small steps needed to achieve the change.
5.  This leadership is not always morally correct. Osama Bin Laden and Adolf Hitler are examples that proved it.

3. Laissez-Faire Leadership Style

Also known as delegation-oriented leadership, Laissez-Faire is the leadership style in which a leader allows the team members to make the decisions. The leader provides all support to the team members, is available to guide them if needed, and also is comfortable with mistakes, if any are committed.

Out of all different types of leadership styles, this one may sound good, but it is not productive for any organization, as shown by various studies.

Advantages of Laissez-Faire Leadership

1. It helps all team members to grow individually.
2. Since the employees are free to make decisions, it helps them innovate more and makes them creative.
3. The employees do not have to wait for any approval to move ahead with decisions that result in a quick decision-making process.

Disadvantages of Laissez-Faire Leadership

1. There is no direct guidance from the team leader, so the members are unaware of their roles in various situations.
2. The leader may seem not involved in the organization at all, which may lead to the members caring less about their work.
3. If a project fails, the leader may step back and not take responsibility for it at all.
4.  This leadership can be harmful for an organization to such an extent that the leader may not even recognize the effort of the team members and not motivate them at all.

4. Pacesetting Leadership Style

In pacesetting leadership, the leader sets high targets for his team members as well as for himself and wants the members to achieve them with little management. The leader mainly requires his team to follow him. He would not ask his team to carry out any task that he would not do.

However, not all members can work at the same pace as they do not share the same spirit or motivation. Mostly, there is no positive feedback from the leader due to lack of time.

Advantages of Pacesetting Leadership

1. The target is to achieve quickly.
2. High performance by the team.
3. Issues are addressed timely as the leader requires continuous progress updates of the work.

Disadvantages of Pacesetting Leadership

1. Employees may get replaced if they do not complete the target on time.
2. The leader may jump in and take over the task if employees do not fulfill the requirement
3. Employees may feel pressurized and demotivated.
4. There is very little or no trust between the team leader and the members.

5.  Democratic Leadership Style

Also known as participative leadership, it is a type of leadership in which members of a team play an essential role in the decision-making process. This type of leadership is found in many organizations, whether it be private or government ones.

Unlike other different types of leadership, this one is mainly about empowering the team members, making them feel that they play an important in the organization and aiding the process of decision-making.

Advantages of Democratic Leadership

1. It leads to problems being solved efficiently.
2. The employees are satisfied and feel important.
3. This leadership can be applied to any workplace.
4. Honesty is the topmost priority in democratic leadership.
5. It helps to build team relationships.

Disadvantages of Democratic Leadership

1. It may lead to procrastination.
2. It takes a lot of time to reach a collective decision.
3. It does not guarantee the perfect solution or the one which will benefit the organization.
4. No one comes forward to take responsibility for the failures.
5. During a crisis, this leadership style is not effective at all.

6. Coaching Leadership Style

This leadership style is trendy among the organizations because, in this style, the leader is willing to help the employees in their personal growth and development by recognizing their weaknesses, strengths and providing them the guidance they need, which is rare in other different types of leadership.

The leader not only helps the employees achieve their personal goals but also has to see how they all fit together and contribute to the success of the organization.

Advantages of Coaching Leadership

1. As the leader invests his time guiding the employees and giving them feedback, the employees understand better what is needed from them and how they can contribute to the organization.
2. There is a continuous dialogue between the leader and employees, which keeps them motivated to give their best at work.
3. Leaders who adopt this leadership style can recognize the weaknesses of the employees and turn them into their strengths.

Disadvantages of Coaching Leadership

1. The leaders require a lot of time and investment to make this type of leadership effective.
2. If the employees are uninterested and unwilling to learn, the coaching becomes ineffective.
3. Specific coaches are required depending on the situation.

7. Authoritative Leadership Style

It is one of those different types of leadership in which the leader takes complete control of the organization. The leader sets a target and determines what tasks must be done but overlooks the steps necessary to reach the goal. There is very little input from the members.

Such leaders are experts in their work and know precisely how to accomplish a task and progress towards success. The exciting part about this leadership style is that the leader does define the goals but also lets the team members decide on what way works out the best to achieve the goal.

Advantages of Authoritative Leadership

1. The decisions are taken quickly.
2. The result is generally consistent.
3. Such leadership tends to boost productivity.

Disadvantages of Authoritative Leadership

1. It may have adverse effects on employee productivity.
2. Mostly, employees are unwilling to support the leader’s initiatives.

These were seven leadership styles that are common in organizations and adopted by people at present. You should now try to figure out your dominant leadership style.

Why? Because that will not only develop your personality but will be beneficial for your organization. The following steps will help you understand your leadership style:

A. Know your traits

Try to know yourself better. One of the best ways to know your characters are taking feedbacks from your colleagues and being open to feedback.

B. Understand the concept of different leadership styles

Once you understand the leadership styles mentioned above, you will be able to match your traits with those of the leadership styles, which will help to know your dominant feature.

C.  Practice

If you feel your qualities are not sufficient enough to fit into a particular leadership style, try teaching them. Only practice can help you inherit those qualities naturally.

To know leadership styles adopted by some great and famous leaders, click here.

A true leader is one who knows himself the best and moves together with his team towards success. The idea of success is different for different people, and there are various ways to achieve success.

Which leadership style did you like the most? Comment your answers below!

Last Updated on August 2, 2024 by Sathi