Leadership Styles

What kind of a Leader are you? Are leaders born or made? Are you effective as a leader? What makes a Great Leader? How do I become a Great Leader?

Many questions come to mind when I think of which leadership style I lean towards. I have read a couple of articles to give direction on which leadership style brings out the best in people while achieving company goals.

All of us have taken a leadership role at some point in time. Whether you’re leading a meeting, a project, a team, or an entire department, you might consider identifying with or adopting a defined leadership style. Even at home, we are leading a family, children, or a house manager.

Most professionals develop their own style of leadership based on factors like experience, personality, and organizational culture. While every leader is different, there are 10 leadership styles commonly used in the workplace.

I worked in one of the biggest Telcos in East and Central Africa in the technology division. I observed two leadership styles from the CX level. When I joined the company, the top leadership was Autocratic or Authoritarian. Most people worked in fear, not wanting to cross paths with senior management.

Later on, the CX leadership changed and a visionary leader joined the organization. This new leadership was inspiring rather than bulldozing. In my opinion, it brought out the best in people. In addition revenues and profits continued to soar.

The paradox is that even with the authoritarian leadership revenue and profits were growing. My two cents is that maybe in the formative stages of a company this authoritarian leadership style helps to rapidly scale the business.

In later years when market dominance or share is reached the leadership style needs to change to inspire the next curve of growth.

10 Most Common Leadership Styles

1. Coaching style - A coaching leader is someone who can quickly recognize their team members’ strengths, weaknesses, and motivations to help each individual improve
2. Visionary style - Visionary leaders have a powerful ability to drive progress and usher in periods of change by inspiring employees and earning trust for new ideas
3. Servant style - Servant leaders live by a people-first mindset and believe that when team members feel personally and professionally fulfilled, they’re more effective and more likely to regularly produce great work. I believe Jesus in the Bible exemplified this leadership style.
4. Autocratic style - Also called the “authoritarian style of leadership,” this type of leader is someone who is focused primarily on results and efficiency.?They often make decisions alone or with a small, trusted group and expect employees to do exactly what they’re asked.
5. Laissez-faire style - This is the opposite of the autocratic leadership type, focusing mostly on delegating many tasks to team members and providing little to no supervision.
6. Democratic style - The?democratic style?(also called the “participative style”) is a combination of the autocratic and laissez-faire types of leaders. A democratic leader is someone who asks for input and considers feedback from their team before making a decision.
7. Pacesetter style - The?pacesetting style?is one of the most effective for achieving fast results. Pacesetter leaders are primarily focused on performance, often set high standards, and hold their team members accountable for achieving their goals.
8. Transformational style - The?transformational style?is similar to the coach-style in that it focuses on clear communication, goal-setting, and employee motivation.
9. Transactional style - A?transactional leader?is someone who is laser-focused on performance, similar to a pacesetter. Under this leadership style, the manager establishes predetermined incentives—usually in the form of monetary reward for success and disciplinary action for failure. Unlike the pacesetter leadership style, though, transactional leaders are also focused on mentorship, instruction, and training to achieve goals and enjoy the rewards.
10. Bureaucratic style - Bureaucratic leaders are similar to autocratic leaders in that they expect their team members to follow the rules and procedures precisely as written.

Find out what kind of a leader you are and if you bringing out the best or the worst in others. Wherever you are on your leadership journey, there is always room for improvement and constant learning.

You are never too old to learn and never too young to lead.