An effective leader is the first and foremost condition for a successful business. The hugely successful leaders adopt a combination of multiple leadership styles or just one selective style.
As a fluid practice, leadership is always changing and improving the way the company grows. There are different types of leadership styles exist in a work environment. The culture and vision of an organization determine which one is the most suitable style.
Types of Leadership Style
- Transformational Leadership
One of the most effective leadership styles is the transformational leadership style. Transformational leaders inspire their staff through effective communication and collaboration and thus initiating the path to success. They set challenging goals and higher expectation from each employee eventually achieving a greater result.
These individuals are often blue-sky thinkers. For the successful implementation of their strategic visions, the organization might need more detail-oriented managers.
- Democratic Leadership
Democratic leadership is another highly effective leadership style. Often known as Participative leadership, in this style the leaders often ask help and collaboration from their subordinates.
This leadership usually reports higher levels of job satisfaction and the company can benefit from individualistic creativity. However, this style involves more than one individual in the decision-making process which makes the process slower.
- Laissez-faire Leadership
The term ‘laissez-faire’ literally means ‘let them do’ in French. In leadership, this is typically translated to ‘let it be’.
In this leadership style, the leader allows the employees to make decisions. Laissez-faire leaders are known for their hands-off approach which is often criticized for poor role definition for managers.
Such leadership style is effective in creative jobs and workplaces with experienced employees. However, active monitoring of performance and effective communication regarding the expectation from the leader’s end is must to get the most out of this style of leadership.
- Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership is basically focused on group organization, establishing a clear chain of command and implementing a carrot-and- stick approach to management activities. According to Boundless.com, transactional leadership includes: clarifying what is expected of followers’ performance; explaining how to meet such expectations; and allocating rewards that are contingent on meeting objectives.
- Autocratic Leadership
As the name suggests, the autocratic leadership style is the extreme version of transactional leadership. Autocratic or authoritative leaders take control of the staff and rarely accept or consider employees’ views or suggestions. Ruling with an iron fist is rarely appreciated by staff, which can lead to high turnover and absenteeism. Autocratic work environment rarely has any flexibility.
- Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership is a commonly effective leadership style. This leadership style involves a leader who is essentially the highest authority of the organization. Strategic leaders are not, however, limited to the top authority of the company. They include a wider audience at all levels who want to create a high- performance life, team or organization. This is because of this approach this is one of the most desirable styles of leadership.
- Bureaucratic Leadership
Bureaucratic leadership models are most suitable for highly regulated or administrative environments, where adherence to the rules and a defined hierarchy are important. In this leadership style, the leaders set a strict set of rules, regulations, and policies which they follow precisely, and they expect their teams to follow the line.
- Charismatic Leadership
A tinge of resemblance is evident in both charismatic and transformational leadership. Both the leadership styles rely heavily on the positive charm and personality of the leader.
However, this style of leadership is seldom considered to be effective because the success of projects and initiatives are closely linked to the presence of the leader.