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12 Different Types of Leadership Styles

According to Research by asaecenter, leadership style is the way a person uses power to lead other
people. Research has identified a variety of leadership styles based on the number of followers. The
most appropriate leadership style depends on the function of the leader, the followers and the
situation.

Some leaders cannot work comfortably with a high degree of followers’ participation in decision-making.
Some employers lack the ability or the desire to assume responsibility.
1. Autocratic Leadership
Autocratic leadership style is centered on the boss. In this leadership the leader holds all authority and
responsibility. In this leadership, leaders make decisions on their own without consulting subordinates.

They reach decisions, communicate them to subordinates and expect prompt implementation. An
autocratic work environment normally has little or no flexibility.

In this kind of leadership, guidelines, procedures and policies are all natural additions of an autocratic
leader. Statistically, there are very few situations that can actually support autocratic leadership.

Some of the leaders that display this kind of leadership include: Albert J. Dunlap (Sunbeam Corporation)
and Donald Trump (Trump Organization), among others.

Steve Jobs is another leader who was famous for using fear to inspire people to get their work done.
This leadership style can obviously stifle the leader’s subordinates, but can also be useful in a crisis when
important decisions need to be made without delay. You can read leadership quotes by Steve Jobs and
many other visionary leaders.

2. Democratic Leadership
In this leadership style, subordinates are involved in making decisions. Unlike the autocratic style, this
leadership is centered on subordinates’ contributions. The democratic leader holds final responsibility,
but he or she is known to delegate authority to other people, who determine work projects.

The most unique feature of this leadership is that communication is active upward and downward. With
respect to statistics, democratic leadership is one of the most preferred styles of leadership, and it
entails the following: fairness, competence, creativity, courage, intelligence and honesty.

3. Strategic Leadership Style

Strategic leadership is one that involves a leader who is essentially the head of an organization. The
strategic leader is not limited to those at the top of the organization. This style is geared to a wider
audience at all levels who want to create a high performance life, team or organization.

The strategic leader fills the gap between the need for new possibility and the need for practicality by
providing a prescriptive set of habits. Effective strategic leadership delivers the goods in terms of what
an organization naturally expects from its leadership in times of change. 55% of this leadership normally
involves strategic thinking.
Sports is clearly an area where we can observe many leadership styles, and one in which strategy is
crucial. Hockey player and coach Wayne Gretzky is well-known for his skill in strategizing.

Strategic leaders anticipate future needs and make decisions in the present to meet those needs.
Gretzky famously said, “‘I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.”

4. Transformational Leadership
Unlike other leadership styles, transformational leadership is all about initiating change in organizations,
groups, oneself and others.

Transformational leaders motivate others to do more than they originally intended and often even more
than they thought possible. They set more challenging expectations and typically achieve a higher
performance.

Statistically, transformational leadership tends to have more committed and satisfied followers. This is
mainly so because transformational leaders empower followers.

William Edwards Deming, a statistician and engineer, is a leader who saw the best way certain systems
could operate and taught those under him how to accomplish these goals.

5. Team Leadership
Team leadership involves the creation of a vivid picture of a team’s future, where it is heading and what
it will stand for. The vision inspires and provides a strong sense of purpose and direction.

Team leadership is about working with the hearts and minds of all those involved. It also recognizes that
teamwork may not always involve trusting cooperative relationships.

The most challenging aspect of this leadership is whether or not it will succeed. According to Harvard
Business Review, team leadership may fail because of poor leadership qualities, as well as other
challenges. For example, an airline flight crew would be much more efficient if the team remained
consistent.

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Studies have shown that teams that have worked together for a long period of time are more effective
than those that have not. But because keeping a flight crew together would be expensive, crews change
their members all the time. Situations such as this are just one example of the challenges teams face.

6. Cross-Cultural Leadership
This form of leadership normally exists where there are various cultures in the society. This leadership
has also industrialized as a way to recognize front-runners who work in the contemporary globalized
market.

Organizations, particularly international ones, require leaders who can effectively adjust their leadership
to work in different environs. Most of the leadership environments in the United States are cross-
cultural because of the different cultures that live and work there.
One example of a cross-cultural leader in sports is quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Mariota
Marcus. His Hawaiian background caused him to be an unpretentious player, in contrast to being a more
aggressive one, yet he was still successful.

7. Facilitative Leadership
Facilitative leadership is dependent on measurements and outcomes – not a skill, although it takes much
skill to master. The effectiveness of a group is directly related to the efficacy of its process. If the group is
high functioning, the facilitative leader uses a light hand on the process.

On the other hand, if the group is low functioning, the facilitative leader will be more directive in helping
the group run its process. An effective facilitative leadership involves monitoring group dynamics, as well
as offering process suggestions and interventions to help the group stay on track.

8. Laissez-faire Leadership
Laissez-faire leadership gives authority to employees. According to azcentral, departments or
subordinates are allowed to work as they choose with minimal or no interference. According to
research, this kind of leadership has been consistently found to be the least satisfying and least effective
management style.

But to a certain extent, delegating is necessary. Famous historical projects led by laissez-faire leaders
include the building of the Panama Canal and the Hoover Dam. With both projects, the presidents
involved had to delegate many responsibilities in order to succeed.

9. Transactional Leadership
This is a leadership style that maintains or continues the status quo. It is also the leadership that involves
an exchange process, whereby followers get immediate, tangible rewards for carrying out the leader’s
orders. Transactional leadership can sound rather basic, with its focus on exchange.

Being clear, focusing on expectations, giving feedback are all important leadership skills. Transactional
leadership behaviors can include: clarifying what is expected of followers’ performance, explaining how
to meet such expectations, and allocating rewards that are contingent on meeting objectives.

10. Coaching Leadership

Coaching leadership involves teaching and supervising followers. A coaching leader is highly operational
in settings where results/performance require improvement.

Basically, in this kind of leadership, followers are helped to improve their skills. Coaching leadership
does the following: motivates followers, inspires followers and encourages followers.

11. Charismatic Leadership

In this type of leadership, the charismatic leader manifests his or her revolutionary power. Charisma
does not mean sheer behavioral change. It actually involves a transformation of followers’ values and
beliefs.

Therefore, charismatic leaders are not merely a simply populist leaders who affect attitudes towards
specific objects. Rather, these leaders transform the underlying normative orientation that structures
specific attitudes.
Charismatic leaders tend to have powerful personalities and attract huge followings. Examples of such
leaders are Barak Obama and Oprah Winfrey.

12. Visionary Leadership

This form of leadership involves leaders who recognize that the methods, steps and processes of
leadership are all obtained with and through people.

Most great and successful leaders have some sort of vision for where they are going. However, there are
those who are highly visionary in their leadership.

Examples of leaders who had powerful and inspirational visions include Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Outstanding leaders will always transform their visions into realities.