No matter where you are in your career path, you have no doubt met many different leaders. Some may have frustrated you while others might have inspired you to the point where you’re driven to emulate them in your own leadership role.
Leaders are individuals with their own distinct personalities, perspectives, and skillsets. And, as individuals, each will have particular approaches to supervising and guiding others. Having said that, it has long been noted that leaders can be divided into different groups according to how they tend to lead others. Let’s take a closer look at seven unique leadership styles that researchers have found and the benefits and drawbacks of each one.
Affiliative
As the name suggests, these kinds of leaders are most concerned with building good relationships with their employees. They favor a team approach where collaboration is prized and strong bonds are forged. Their attitude is that this is the way to foster trust and harness the synergy of collective action.
Pros: Staff feel supported with encouragement for teamwork, constructive feedback, and permission to speak up.
Cons: Some individuals may become too attached to their supervisor since they value the relationship, in contrast to others who may try to take advantage of an affiliative leader.
Autocratic
Sometimes referred to as an authoritarian leader, these individuals give their people clear direction with detailed expectations, including how the work must be carried out. They do not seek out feedback and are not too receptive to issues that staff may try to bring forward.
Pros: These confident decision makers get the job done efficiently, especially when action is necessary in a time of crisis.
Cons: Innovation and ingenuity suffer and employees may disengage, believing that their opinions are not important and their personal growth is not given enough priority.
Bureaucratic
Bureaucratic leaders rely on a hierarchy or chain of command. In their world, there is a well-defined process to follow when making decisions and one’s authority comes from the particular position they occupy. This comes with rules and responsibilities.
Pros: Stability and clarity are the hallmarks of this well-organized approach with transparent and readily available procedures for staff to follow.
Cons: Decisions can be delayed and creativity is stifled with processes that are inflexible and take time and patience to navigate.
Charismatic
People are drawn to these leaders due to their larger-than-life personalities. They are personable and persuasive, inspiring others with their conviction and drive. Charismatic leaders use their superior communication skills to motivate their team and urge them forward to achieve common goals and do their best work.
Pros: Teams are inspired to accomplish common goals and bring their personal best to the job.
Cons: Charismatic leaders can be prone to lose their way and overlook other priorities due to their intense focus on certain objectives.
Coaching
Leaders who have this style take the time to identify the strengths of their team members and where each can improve with guidance. Coaching leaders communicate openly and are used to giving and receiving feedback, with the intent to work together creatively towards a better outcome.
Pros: Employees are motivated to achieve more and develop skills that will increase their productivity, and are encouraged to coach new colleagues.
Cons: Coaching can be time consuming and requires team members who are willing to learn from their leader and work together.
Democratic
This style of leadership is also known as participative. Basically, these leaders listen thoughtfully to what their team has to say and weigh all sides of a discussion before making a final decision. Where they can, they demonstrate flexibility and are excellent mediators when conflicts within the group arise.
Pros: Staff morale is generally quite high, trust is promoted, creativity is boosted, ideas are openly shared, and people feel empowered to reach goals.
Cons: This is another leadership style that takes time primarily due to the amount of consultation, and it can be much less efficient and costly in circumstances where decisive action is needed and deadlines are looming.
Laissez-faire
A laissez-faire leader practices being hands-off as much as possible. This can be a refreshing change from someone who micromanages every action their employees take. These leaders make sure that their team has the appropriate resources and tools needed to do the job and enough latitude to make their own decisions, troubleshoot problems, and learn from their mistakes.
Pros: The faith placed in staff to perform well paves the way for a high level of commitment, more innovation, and successful results.
Cons: Confusion and disorganization are the risks with this leadership style if staff are given insufficient guidance and are not all on the same page with what needs to happen to complete assignments and meet their responsibilities.
In closing
While these seven leadership styles are not the only ones you may encounter, they are some of the more common ones. As you can see, there are situations where each of these approaches can be beneficial and, certainly, some downsides to these methods too.