

Like a carrot and a stick, this binary style presumes that good outcomes and bad outcomes are driven solely by either the fear of punishment or the anticipation of a reward. Transactional or exchange leadership is built around rewards and punishments. This generates shared respect for one another, however, very much like in a real family, this respect is often based on loyalty and the need to feel part of a community. Advocates of this style would suggest treating their team as a family and focus on maintaining personal relationships. paternalistic leadership is centred around treating subordinates like a parent would. This type is more heavily focused on one-sided feedback and communication than other styles. While you don’t have to be a dictator to use this style, an autocratic management style certainly involves direct supervision and unwavering support of the message from leadership. Authoritarian/Autocratic leadershipįirst, we have authoritarian (or autocratic) leaders and as the name implies they focus on control and chain of command to achieve results. How would you like to be treated? This is typically a great starting point. It's also important to put yourself in your team's shoes. Think about how your personal attributes match up to the different styles. Are you an excellent motivator? Or have you had lots of experience dishing out tasks? Perhaps you have an excellent capacity for empathy. Once you have identified the kind of leader management would like you to be, you can consider your personal strengths, abilities and experiences. But there are many things you can consider when you pick how you want to lead your teams.Ī lot depends on the culture and values of your company. Each of the styles that we will discuss in this post have their individual merits and drawbacks. Understanding your current approach establishes a baseline which you can use to make improvements. And in order to be a good leader you need to understand the fundamentals of leadership and where you want to go. Moreover, to have the greatest impact as a leader, you need to be a good one. It will also help you to align your values, strengths, abilities and experience with those of the company. Understanding your approach to leading will allow you to take ownership and responsibility for your teams. Importance of developing a style of leadershipīefore we get into the different ways you can approach leadership, you might be thinking, why on earth does leadership types matter? To build on this, let's see together the most common types of management style, drawn from Daniel Goleman's discussion of leadership styles that get results: We know that there are various styles of leadership, all of which can be effective in the right setting. Whilst some people are born with personality traits that align well with leadership roles, many of us have the capacity to be great leaders depending on the situation. They must inspire others by displaying excellent self-leadership and encourage others to develop leadership qualities. That being said, a leader's role is to enable their teams to do their best work by guiding them towards success. Each member of a team is a cog in a machine, some are larger cogs than others but without all of them working together, the machine falls apart. Whilst management is the day-to-day supervision and guidance of the team, leadership is the inspirational and motivational aspects that help each of them understand their purpose within the company and encourage them to challenge themselves. “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it, not because your position of power can compel him to do it” When it comes to deciding on the most effective way to lead, we can take a look at a statement from Dwight Eisenhower: After all, each approach to leadership will inspire distinct responses from team members depending on the situation. Almost all of the types have their uses, even servant leaders.

From charismatic leaders to bureaucratic leaders, there are many different types of leadership. Sometimes it feels as though there is an endless string of leadership styles to learn and master.
