Styles of leadership Management A coaching leader is someone

Styles of leadership Management

Types of leadership styles......................

Styles of leadership Management. Here are 8 of the most common leadership styles, including benefits, challenges, and examples of each:

1. Coaching leadership style

A coaching leader is someone who can quickly recognize their team members’ strengths, weaknesses, and motivations to help each individual improve. This type of leader often assists team members in setting smart goals and then provides regular feedback with challenging projects to promote growth. They’re skilled in setting clear expectations and creating a positive, motivating environment.

The coach leadership style is one of the most advantageous for employers as well as the employees they manage. Unfortunately, it’s often also one of the most underused styles—largely because it can be more time-intensive than other types of leadership.

You may be a coaching leader if you:

Are supportive
Offer guidance instead of giving commands
Value learning as a way of growing
Ask guided questions
Balance relaying knowledge and helping others find it themselves
Are self-aware

Styles of leadership Management

Benefits: Coaching leadership is positive in nature and it promotes the development of new skills, free-thinking, and empowerment, revisits company objectives and fosters a confident company culture. Leaders who coach are often seen as valuable mentors.

Challenges: While this style has many advantages, it can be more time-consuming as it requires one-on-one time with employees which can be difficult to obtain in a deadline-driven environment.

Example: A sales manager gathers their team of account executives for a meeting to discuss learnings from the previous quarter. They start the meeting by completing an assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats regarding the team’s performance.

The manager then recognizes specific team members for exceptional performance and goes over the goals achieved by the team. Finally, the manager closes the meeting by announcing a contest to start the next quarter, motivating the salespeople to reach their goals.

2. Visionary leadership 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. A visionary leader is also able to establish a strong organizational bond. They strive to foster confidence among direct reports and colleagues alike.

Visionary style is especially helpful for small, fast-growing organizations, or larger organizations experiencing transformations or corporate restructuring.

You may be a visionary leader if you are:

Persistent and bold
Strategic
Risk-taking
Inspirational
Optimistic
Innovative
Magnetic

Benefits: Visionary leadership can help companies grow, unite teams and the overall company and improve outdated technologies or practices.

Challenges: Visionary leaders may miss important details or other opportunities because they’re so focused on the big picture. They may also sacrifice the resolution of present-day issues because they are more future-oriented, which could leave their team feeling unappreciated.

Example: A teacher starts a group at work for colleagues who want to help resolve anxieties and issues students are having outside of school. The goal is to help students have better focus and succeed in school. He has developed testing methods so they can find meaningful ways to help students in a quick, efficient way.

Styles of leadership Management

3. Servant leadership 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. Because of their emphasis on employee satisfaction and collaboration, they tend to achieve higher levels of respect.

Servant style is an excellent leadership style for organizations of any industry and size but is especially prevalent within nonprofits. These types of leaders are exceptionally skilled in building employee morale and helping people re-engage with their work.

You may be a servant leader if you:

Motivate your team
Have excellent communication skills
Personally care about your team
Encourage collaboration and engagement
Commit to growing your team professionally

Benefits: Servant leaders have the capacity to boost employee loyalty and productivity, improve employee development and decision-making, cultivate trust and create future leaders.

Challenges: Servant leaders can become burnt-out as they often put the needs of their team above their own They may have a hard time being authoritative when they need to be.

Example: A product manager hosts monthly one-on-one coffee meetings with everyone that has concerns, questions or thoughts about improving or using the product. This time is meant for her to address the needs of and help those who are using the product in any capacity.

4. Autocratic leadership 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. It can be helpful to think of these types of leaders as military commanders.

Autocratic style can be useful in organizations with strict guidelines or compliance-heavy industries. It can also be beneficial when used with employees who need a great deal of supervision—such as those with little to no experience. However, this leadership style can stifle creativity and make employees feel confined.

You may be an autocratic leader if you:

Have self-confidence
Are self-motivated
Communicate clearly and consistently
Follow the rules
Are dependable
Value highly structured environments
Believe in supervised work environments

Benefits: Autocratic leaders can promote productivity through delegation, provide clear and direct communication, reduce employee stress by making decisions quickly on their own.

Challenges: Autocratic leaders are often prone to high levels of stress because they feel responsible for everything. Since they lack flexibility and often do not want to consider other people’s ideas, these leaders are often resented by the team.

Example: Before an operation, the surgeon carefully recounts the rules and processes of the operation room with every team member who will be helping during the surgery. She wants to ensure everyone is clear on the expectations and follows each procedure carefully and exactly so the surgery goes as smoothly as possible.

5. Laissez-faire or hands-off leadership style

The laissez-faire style is the opposite of the autocratic leadership type, focusing mostly on delegating many tasks to team members and providing little to no supervision. Because laissez-faire leader does not spend their time intensely managing employees, they often have more time to dedicate to other projects.

Managers may adopt this leadership style when all team members are highly experienced, well-trained and require little oversight. However, it can also cause a dip in productivity if employees are confused about their leader’s expectations, or if some team members need consistent motivation and boundaries to work well.

You may be a laissez-faire leader if you:

Effectively delegate
Believe in freedom of choice
Provide sufficient resources and tools
Will take control if needed
Offer constructive criticism
Foster leadership qualities in your team
Promote an autonomous work environment

Benefits: This style encourages accountability, creativity and a relaxed work environment which often leads to higher employee retention rates.

Challenges: Laissez-faire leadership style does not work well for new employees, as they need guidance and hands-on support in the beginning. This method can also lead to a lack of structure, leadership confusion and employees not feeling properly supported.

Example: When welcoming new employees, Keisha explains that her engineers can set and maintain their own work schedules as long as they are tracking and hitting goals they set together as a team. They are also free to learn about and participate in projects outside of their team.

6. Democratic or participative leadership 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. Because team members feel their contributions matter, a democratic leadership style is often credited with fostering higher levels of employee engagement and workplace satisfaction.

Because this type of leadership drives discussion and participation, it’s an excellent style for organizations focused on creativity and innovation—such as the technology industry.

You may be a democratic/participative leader if you:

Value group discussions
Provide all information to the team when making decisions
Promote a work environment where everyone shares their ideas
Are rational
Are flexible
Are good at mediation

Benefits: Under this leadership style employees can feel empowered, valued and unified. It has the power to boost retention and morale. It also requires less managerial oversight, as employees are typically part of decision-making processes and know what they need to do.

Challenges: This leadership style has the potential to be inefficient and costly as it takes a long time to organize big group discussions, obtain ideas and feedback, discuss possible outcomes and communicate decisions. It also can add social pressure to members of the team who don’t like sharing ideas in group settings.

Example: As a store manager, Jack has hired many brilliant and focused team members he trusts. When deciding on storefronts and floor design, Jack acts only as the final moderator for his team to move forward with their ideas. He is there to answer questions and present possible improvements for his team to consider. Styles of leadership Management

7. Pacesetter leadership 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.

While the pacesetting leadership style is motivational and helpful in fast-paced environments where team members need to be energized, it’s not always the best option for team members who need mentorship and feedback.

You may be a pacesetter leader if you:

Set a high bar
Focus on goals
Are slow to praise
Will jump in to hit goals if needed
Are highly competent
Value performance over soft skills

Benefits: Pacesetting leadership pushes employees to hit goals and accomplish business objectives. It promotes high-energy and dynamic work environments.

Challenges: Pacesetting leadership can also lead to stressed-out employees as they are always pushing towards a goal or deadline. The fast-paced work environment can also create miscommunications or a lack of clear instructions.

Example: The leader of a weekly meeting recognized that an hour out of everyone’s schedule once a week did not justify the purpose of the meeting. To increase efficiency, she changed the meeting to a 15-minute standup with only those with status updates. Styles of leadership Management

8. Bureaucratic leadership style

Bureaucratic leaders are similar to autocratic leaders in that they expect their team members to follow the rules and procedures precisely as written.

The bureaucratic style focuses on fixed duties within a hierarchy where each employee has a set list of responsibilities, and there is little need for collaboration and creativity. This leadership style is most effective in highly regulated industries or departments, such as finance, health care or government.

You may be a bureaucratic leader if you:

Are detail-oriented and task-focused
Value rules and structure
Have a great work ethic
Are strong-willed
Have a commitment to your organization
Are self-disciplined

Benefits: The bureaucratic leadership style can be efficient in organizations that need to follow strict rules and regulations. Each person in the team/company has a clearly defined role which leads to efficiency. These leaders separate work from relationships to avoid clouding the team’s ability to hit goals.

Challenges: This style does not promote creativity which can feel restricting to some employees. This leadership style is also slow to change and does not thrive in an environment that needs to be dynamic.

Example: Managers at a Department of Motor Vehicles office instruct their employees to work within a specific, defined framework. They must take many steps to complete a task with strict order and rules. Styles of leadership Management

How to choose and develop your leadership style

As someone who is interested in the leadership path or looking for more structure in their leadership approach, it can be helpful to choose a leadership style that feels authentic to you. Some questions you may ask yourself when trying to determine which style is right for you include:

What do I value more—goals or relationships?
Do I believe in structure or freedom of choice?
Would I rather make a decision on my own, or collectively?
Do I focus on short or long-term goals?
Does motivation come from empowerment or direction?
What does a healthy team dynamic look like to me?

These are just a few examples of questions to ask yourself while reading through leadership styles to help you decide which style you relate most with. To develop your leadership style consider these strategies:

Styles of leadership Management

Experiment. Try out varied approaches in different circumstances and pay attention to the outcome. Be flexible in changing your approach.
Seek a mentor. Consulting a leader with more experience than yourself can offer great insight into how they developed their style and what worked for them.
Ask for feedback. Constructive feedback helps you grow into a successful leader. Seek feedback from individuals you trust that will give you an honest answer.
Be authentic. If you are trying to perfect a leadership style that is in opposition to your personality or morals, it will come across as inauthentic. Try to choose a leadership style that’s in alignment with your strengths and work to improve it.

While a certain leadership style may be impactful in a specific job—for example, autocratic leaders tend to do well in military settings—the best leadership is using a blend of these styles. Knowing what style to enforce in workplace situations comes with time, practice and emotional intelligence. Remember, most leaders borrow from a variety of styles to achieve various goals at different times in their careers.

While you may have excelled in a role using one type of leadership, another position may require a different set of habits to ensure your team is operating most effectively. By understanding each of these leadership types, and the outcomes they’re designed to achieve, you can select the right leadership style for your current situation.