There is more than one leadership style that can lead to success. In fact, several different leadership styles can inspire your employees to follow you, and to achieve great things for your company. Sometimes it’s a conscious choice and sometimes it isn’t – but any good leader will adopt a leadership style which is well-suited to his/her own personality and employees’ motivations. Here are some common leadership styles which could pave the way for success in your company.
Paternalistic style
This leadership style is one which is characterized by fatherly benevolence and a strong sense of moral integrity, similar to the relationship a parent might have with their child. This style of leadership involves taking a hard-line approach when it’s necessary to do what’s best for the company, while also adopting an attitude of concern for the welfare of employees.
Democratic style
As in a true democracy, a leader who adopts the democratic style tends to involve his employees with decision-making, with everyone having input. Even though the leader has to make the final decision on all major issues, he/she feels compelled to invite team members and valued employees to contribute to the process of making decisions. This can pay off handsomely in some cases, because employees feel more engaged and like they are part of the process. That feeling motivates them to perform at a higher level.
Authoritarian style
As opposed to the democratic leadership style, the authoritarian style of leadership calls for little or no input from employees, as the authoritarian leader establishes a well-defined relationship of authority over subordinates. Although it may sound like a dictatorial setup, it has probably been the most dominant form of leadership style throughout the corporate history of America. The upside of an authoritarian leadership style is that there is no question about what team members are expected to do, and there’s no uncertainty about consequences of actions. This is one of the most useful leadership styles when high-stress situations are commonplace on the job, for instance routine deadlines which have to be met.
Laissez-faire style
This is a somewhat unusual leadership style which calls for the person in charge to pretty much allow employees to manage things for themselves. Underlying this leadership style is a considerable amount of delegation, with competent employees making decisions which benefit the company. This doesn’t entirely take the leader off the hook, because it will still be necessary to provide feedback to employees on how they’re doing, to offer analysis when it’s called for, and to provide recommendations for process improvement. This leadership style generally only works in an environment where there are a number of talented and trustworthy employees, who can be relied upon to make intelligent and effective decisions.
Transformational style
Leaders who adopt a transformational style need to be very adept at having a clear vision for their company, and at imparting that same vision to their subordinates. In general, this involves less emphasis on details and more on the bigger picture. Transformational leaders are generally those with a good deal of charisma, who are unafraid of risk-taking, and who are also very effective at relating the benefits of achieving objectives to their employees. It’s also practically a necessity for the transformational leader to be passionate about his/her company, because this is what will inspire subordinates to rise above themselves, and to become more effective in their own way.
If you would like to discuss leadership styles and which might be right for you and your team, Business Partner Alliance is here for you. We provide targeted coaching, consulting and business advisory services to help small and medium sized business owners achieve new heights. We put our passion and experience to work to help business people achieve their goals. Let’s meet for coffee to see how we can work together.
Emory Ware