We all hear the word ‘Leader’ daily in our everyday life. This term might sound easy, but there are so many questions in everyone’s mind. Who is a leader? What are the types of leadership styles? Which style do I own? It doesn’t matter whether you are a politician, businessman, or an athlete. The term ‘Leadership’ is applicable in every aspect of our life.
This article will define the term ‘leadership’ and talk about various types of leadership styles. We hope that by the end of it, you will find your leadership style as well.
Table of Contents
What is Leadership?
If you ask ‘what is leadership’ to ten people, you might get ten different answers as well. The reason behind it is that leadership has no theoretical definition. It depends on people’s mindset and thinking abilities. Thus more the people, the more meanings of leadership you’ll receive. For a business person, leadership is managing your team and reach your goals. In any industry, the working culture and surroundings can change whenever there’s a new leader.
Who’s a leader, and what are the types of leadership styles?
Now that we’ve narrowed the meaning of leadership, we’re still left with one more question. Who is a leader? Ideally, any person who has the vision of improvement and the right mindset to create positive changes is a leader. If someone is leading a group of people, but their ideas are inhumane, then that person isn’t a leader. Moreover, a leader doesn’t need to follow the path of his predecessors.
Let’s take football or any sport for an example. Every sports team has one captain, but their captain doesn’t have to be a leader. A great football manager and coach, Jose Mourinho defined the difference between a captain and a leader excellently. He described how many of his teams never had any leader and the meaning of aggressive leadership.
Various types of leadership styles
As we mentioned above, different people have different types of leadership styles. The way they work, their vision, and their strategies are the definitions of their leadership styles. After taking a look at our world’s history, we can define these types of leadership styles into 8 categories. Let’s dig deeper and understand all of them one by one.
Bureaucratic Leadership
The first of many types of leadership styles is Bureaucratic Leadership. Most governments of different nations follow this style of leadership. In this particular style, organizations have a proper structure and rigid set of rules. However, due to the presence of such laws, an organization might lose its creativity. In conclusion, bureaucratic leadership offers a proper working environment with less creativity and innovation.
Coaching Leadership
The style where a leader is more of a mentor is known as the Coaching Leadership style. Training and Development are the two most important factors of such kind. These types of leaders have excellent communication and understanding skills. As a result, it makes them a great coach for every employee. The coaching mentality can help employees in adjusting and learning the work quickly.
However, this leadership can’t offer you instant benefits, and you’ll spend most of your time correcting the wrong things.
Participative Leadership
This type of leadership is born from democracy. Participative leadership involves team members in the decision-making process. As a result, your workers will have more motivation and productivity. However, during disagreements, the process can become more time consuming as well. Also, if your workers are not skilled enough, then you might end up with poor decisions. Thus, you might increase productivity but at the cost of possible failures.
Servant Leadership
This style of leadership runs on empathy and the idea of serving others. In this model, leaders think more about the improvement of their workforce. Most of the employees prefer this model because of the presence of empathy. Servant leadership can strengthen the relationships between employers and employees. However, this leadership style is a bit tough because it requires a selfless trait in the leader.
Transactional Leadership
This type of leadership is based on rewards and recognition. For example, if you’re throwing a task with a bonus on it, then it’s part of transactional leadership. These types of leadership styles are the best source for getting things done. Above all, it can also motivate your workers and bring the best out of them. But, at the same time, it can pause the levels of creativity.
Transformational Leadership
If you’re the someone who wants to become a role model for your employees, then this is your leadership style. In this style, a leader motivates innovation and helps employees in becoming better. This model usually requires a leader who has excellent vision and good communication skills. As the leaders put their trust, this leadership style can take the creativity level to new heights. However, this creativeness can also increase the level of instability and confusion.
Delegative Leadership
In this type of leadership style, your employees have the freedom of working by themselves. This style is beneficial if your employees are responsible and competent. As a leader, your main work is to offer the right tools and resources to your workers. It also increases the creativity and sense of loyalty among everyone. However, if your workers are not the right people, they can create many kinds of issues.
Charismatic Leadership
If you have a particular type of charm and excellent communication skills, then you’re a Charismatic Leader. This style of leadership works on aspects like understanding and problem-solving skills. It requires a confident leader who can find the solution for different kinds of problems. Besides, it also increases the comfort level for employees. But, if the leader is not selfless enough, then this leadership style can become a failure.
Now that we have described all leadership styles, let’s focus on which kind is the right fit.
Among all types of Leadership styles, yours is…
If you want to know which kind of leader you are, you have to ask yourself first. The main reason behind it is that leadership’s definition changes from people to people. You’ll need to know your weaknesses and your strengths. These are some questions which you can ask yourself:
- What is my biggest weakness?
- What is my greatest strength?
- Am I tested enough in difficult situations?
Tip: If you’re not able to decide or answer these questions, then observe historical leaders. This process can reflect your choice of leader and help in determining which type of leader you are.
Concluding on types of leadership styles
Any team or company is incomplete without a leader. Thus, having a person with the right skills and mindset is crucial at every step. If you want the best for everyone, answer those questions, and understand your employees. Remember that different situations require different types of leadership styles. Take those situations as the test of your personality.
Once you have made the right choices, then we’re sure that you’ll become an exemplary leader. Lastly, let us know which leadership style attracted you the most. We’d love to hear more from your end as well.
