This type of leader is laser-focused on goals and performance, often incentivizing performance with rewards and punishments.
This type of leader is not the best for creative environments. Being so focused on short-term goals means that this form of leadership often overlooks the importance of long-term strategy, meaning companies can struggle with overcoming adversity.
The coaching leader quickly and instinctively understands their team members’ weaknesses, strengths, and motivations. With this understanding, they can set clear, achievable goals and create a positive, motivating environment.
It’s a very valuable style of leadership, but it is often not prevalent in organizations. The reason for this is because it requires a “hands-on” approach and a lot of effort.
This style of leader is someone who is supportive, self-aware, and questioning. These leaders ask guided questions and often balance relaying knowledge with helping others find it themselves.
The servant-style leader isn’t the most flattering title for someone who, rather kindly, puts people first. They tend to strive to help their employees achieve higher levels of satisfaction, which earns them respect.
These types of leaders are great at getting people to reengage with their work. The servant leader genuinely cares about the team, has excellent communication skills, and collaborates well.
One major challenge that the servant-style leader faces is burnout. The risk is that they put others’ needs above their own and underserve themselves. They may also have a hard time being authoritative.
The laissez-faire or hands-off style leader is the opposite of the autocratic leader. They focus on delegating responsibility and tend not to micromanage.
This leadership style can only be adopted when employees are experienced and know what they’re doing. A leader cannot give 10 employees instructions and walk away if they don’t have the training or skills to carry out the tasks.
This leadership style is associated with giving constructive criticism, promoting autonomous work, and encouraging creativity and a relaxed environment. However, this form of leadership, as mentioned, won’t work for new employees.
The pacesetting leadership style is effective in driving fast results. These types of leaders are most concerned with performance and hitting targets.
These leaders help set a high bar in terms of standards, are slow to give praise, are highly competent, and value performance over soft skills.
Challenges associated with this form of leadership are linked with stress. They are constantly pushing to hit targets and deadlines, leaving employees feeling unappreciated. Miscommunication is also a challenge associated with this style of leadership.
These leaders value the rules, are highly motivated and confident, dependable, and highly value structure. Employees benefit from reduced stress due to this leader’s quick decision-making, and the organization benefits through their efficient delegation.
The risks for this type of leader are related to their own stress. This type of leader tends to bear all the weight of decision-making. Also, their rigidness and lack of interest in hearing others’ inputs in decision-making processes often results in resentment.
This style of leader is similar to the coach-style leader in motivating employees and being transparent in communication. However, they are less focused on individual employees and more concerned with organizational goals.
These leaders tend to have a good grasp of the big picture while also providing encouragement and attending to the individuals’ motivational and intellectual needs.
As these leaders have one eye on the team and one eye on the entire organization, challenges occur when they lose focus of one of the two.
This style of leader governs and is governed by rules and procedures. They value hierarchy, fixed responsibilities, and rarely look to collaborate. This style of leader is instrumental in finance, government, and healthcare, for some examples.
They are detail-oriented, value structure and rules, and have a strong work ethic.
A bureaucratic-style leader’s challenges will become evident in environments intended to promote creativity, collaboration, and teamwork. They may find it difficult to accept change and may not thrive in dynamic environments.
The democratic leadership style can be understood as a mix of autocratic and laissez-faire types. Democratic leaders make decisions factoring in their team’s inputs, fostering good employee engagement and workplace satisfaction.
Democratic leadership style types promote a healthy workplace environment, value group discussions, and are flexible and rational.
The main challenge of this leadership style is that it takes more time, and therefore is more costly. It takes time to organize group discussions, generate ideas, and discuss possible outcomes and solutions.
These forms of leaders are the ones who can promote change by inspiring those around them. This type of leader also can develop a strong bond with those around them.
This form of a leader is one that we most often see in popular culture. The visionary leader is inspirational, optimistic, magnetic, and risk-taking.
Visionary leaders help companies to grow by uniting teams, inspiring, and pushing things forward. However, this form of leader brings with them their own set of challenges.
Visionary leaders will often overlook and miss things because they are so focused on the big picture. They may sacrifice present-day issues for future concerns, leaving their teams feeling underappreciated or unheard.
Sources: (Indeed) (Masterclass)
See also: Inspirational women who changed history
Transactional leaders micromanage, are reactionary, don’t question authority, value corporate structure, and are practical and pragmatic.
We often associate leaders with only one kind of leader: the visionary. However, many different types of leaders have intrinsic value. For example, although the autocratic-style leader may be rigid and less open to ideas from their employees, they also possess the focus, commitment, and quick decision-making skills to keep things moving along.
There are actually 10 common styles of leadership. To explore what they are, click through this gallery.
Also known as authoritarian-style leaders, these leaders are individualistic in their decision-making process. They expect their subordinates to do as they are told, similarly to a military commandant.
The most common styles of leadership
Find out why leaders don't always lead
LIFESTYLE Management
We often associate leaders with only one kind of leader: the visionary. However, many different types of leaders have intrinsic value. For example, although the autocratic-style leader may be rigid and less open to ideas from their employees, they also possess the focus, commitment, and quick decision-making skills to keep things moving along.
There are actually 10 common styles of leadership. To explore what they are, click through this gallery.