ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE

TAGUDIN CAMPUS

COURSE: EDM 616 (Contemporary Perspective on Educational Leadership)

PROFESSOR: Dr. Tessie Dela Cruz
TIME: 2:00 – 5:00 PM
REPORTERS: Hilda Pilar C. Ped
Zenaida C. Agustin
Veronica H. Castillo

THE SIX MOST COMMON LEADERSHIP STYLES

Throughout history, great leaders have emerged, each with particular leadership styles
Leadership in itself is a somewhat fluid principle. Generally, most leaders adapt their leadership
styles to suit their situation. This is particularly true the longer they lead; they adapt their leadership
style as they learn and engage with their employees.

To become a more successful leader, leaders must understand their current leadership style. In this
article, we’ll answer the question “what a leadership style?”, then look at 6 of the most common
leadership styles and their effectiveness.

A LEADERSHIP STYLE refers to a leader’s methods, characteristics, and behaviors when

directing, motivating, and managing their teams. A leader’s style is shaped by a variety of factors,
including personality, values, skills, and experiences, and can have a significant impact on the
effectiveness of their leadership.

Their leadership style also determines how leaders develop their strategy, implement plans and
respond to changes while managing stakeholders’ expectations and their team’s well-being.

In many cases leaders will express a wide-range of leadership styles – and will likely adapt this
dependent on their situation. However, leader will often have one pre-eminent style that they tend to
express more often.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW YOUR OWN LEADERSHIP STYLE?

As a leader, understanding your leadership style is critically important. When you understand your
leadership style, you can determine how this affects those you directly influence. It also helps you
find your leadership strengths and define which leadership skills to develop.

Some leaders can already categorize their current leadership style, recognizing whether this makes
them effective. Or how their employees see them. But it is not always so defined. It is usually the
case that leaders can categorize their style; however, they often exhibit traits of many other
leadership styles.

Detailed feedback is one easy way to know your leadership style. Asking those who you lead to
provide you with open and honest feedback is a helpful exercise. Doing so will allow you to adapt
your style’s characteristics within your day-to-day responsibilities as a leader.

The six most common leadership styles are:

? Transformational Leadership
? Delegative Leadership
? Authoritative Leadership

EDM 616 (Contemporary Perspective on Educational Leadership)

vhcastillo2023
 ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
TAGUDIN CAMPUS

? Transactional Leadership
? Participative Leadership
? Servant Leadership

1. Transformational Leadership
We’ve likely all been in a group situation where someone took control, communicating with the
group and creating a shared vision. Creating unity, developing bonds, creating energy, and instilling
passion. This person is very likely to be considered a transformational leader.

Transformational leadership is a leadership style that emphasizes change and transformation.

Leaders who adopt this approach strive to inspire their followers to achieve more than they ever
thought possible by tapping into their potential. This type of leadership can be highly effective in
organizations looking to make significant changes or transformations.

Some of the key characteristics of transformational leadership include:

A focus on the future: Transformational leaders always look ahead and think about what needs to
be done to achieve the organization’s goals. They inspire their followers to do the same.

A focus on change: Transformational leaders are comfortable with change and understand it is

necessary for organizational success. They work to ensure their followers are comfortable with
change and can adapt to it.

A focus on people: Transformational leaders see the potential in every one of their followers. They
strive to develop their followers’ individual strengths and abilities so that they can reach their full
potential.

2. Delegative Leadership
Often referred to as “laissez-faire,” a delegative leadership style focuses on delegating initiative to
team members. This is generally known as one of the least intrusive forms of leadership; this
translates to “let them do.” This is therefore considered a very hand-off leadership style.

Leaders who adopt this style have trust and rely on their employees to do their jobs. They don’t
micromanage or get too involved in providing feedback or guidance. Instead, delegative leaders
allow employees to utilize their creativity, resources, and experience to help them meet their goals.

This can be a successful leadership strategy if team members are competent and take responsibility
for their work. However, delegative leadership can also lead to disagreements among team
members and may split or divide a group.

It can be challenging for newcomers to adapt to this style of leadership or staff members to develop
an understanding of who is ultimately in charge and responsible for outcomes. Therefore, this
leadership style must be kept in check.

Read more about delegative leadership »

3. Authoritative Leadership

EDM 616 (Contemporary Perspective on Educational Leadership)

vhcastillo2023
 ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
TAGUDIN CAMPUS

Authoritative leaders are often referred to as visionary. Leaders who adopt this style consider
themselves mentors to their followers. Not to be confused with authoritarian leadership, authoritative
leadership emphasizes a “follow me” approach. This way, leaders chart a course and encourage
those around them to follow.

Leaders who display authoritative traits tend to motivate and inspire those around them. They
provide overall direction and provide their teams with guidance, feedback, and motivation. This
promotes a sense of accomplishment or achievement.

The authoritative leadership style relies heavily on getting to know each team member. This allows
a leader to provide guidance and feedback on a more personalized level, helping individuals to
succeed. This means authoritative leaders need to be able to adapt, particularly as the size of their
team grows.

Authoritative leadership is very hands-on, but leaders must be cautious not to micromanage. This is
a tendency with this style, which can be overbearing for team members and create negative
sentiments.

Read more about authoritative leadership »

Develop the skills to excel as a senior global leader 🌍

Go beyond your current situation, discover new dimensions of yourself as a reflective leader,
powerfully effective, delivering much greater impact at the personal, professional levels and beyond
with the IMD Executive MBA.

Discover IMD’s EMBA

4. Transactional Leadership
Transactional leadership, often referred to as managerial leadership, is a leadership style that relies
on rewards and punishments. This leadership style clearly emphasizes structure, assuming
individuals may not possess the motivation needed to complete their tasks.

With this reward-based system, a leader sets clear team goals or tasks. Leaders also clarify how
their teams will be rewarded (or punished) for their work. Rewards can take many formats but
typically involve financial recompenses, such as pay or a bonus.

This “give and take” leadership style is more concerned with efficiently following established
routines and procedures than making transformational organizational changes.

Transactional leadership establishes roles and responsibilities for each employee. However, it can
lead to diminishing returns if employees are always aware of how much their effort is worth.
Therefore, incentives must be consistent with company goals and supported by additional gestures
of appreciation.

Read more about transactional leadership »

5. Participative Leadership
Sometimes referred to as democratic leadership, participative leadership is a leadership style that
encourages leaders to listen to their employees and involve them in the decision-making process.
This leadership style requires leaders to be inclusive, utilize good communication skills, and,
crucially, be able to share power/responsibility.

EDM 616 (Contemporary Perspective on Educational Leadership)

vhcastillo2023
 ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
TAGUDIN CAMPUS

When a leader adopts a participative leadership style, this encourages collaboration through
accountability. This often leads to a collective effort of a team to identify problems and develop
solutions instead of assigning individual blame.

This leadership style has historically been prevalent and utilized by many leaders in many
organizations. However, as working habits have changed (accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic)
and teams have become more decentralized, this leadership style is more complicated.

Spontaneous, open, and candid communication is often associated with a participative leadership
style. Remote working or virtual teams can make this particularly challenging to maintain.

Participative leadership is often favored as it helps to build trust with employees. Empowering them
and encouraging them to share their ideas on essential matters, demonstrating their value to a
team.

Read more about participative leadership »

6. Servant Leadership
Servant leadership is a leadership style that puts the needs of others first. It emphasizes creating
strong relationships with those around you and focuses on enabling them to reach their full
potential. As a leader, it requires focusing on understanding the people you are working with and
developing their abilities, while also setting a good example and understanding their personal goals.

At its core, servant leadership is about ethical decision making; if one follows this model they will be
more likely to make decisions based on what is right for everyone involved, rather than just
benefitting a select few. This approach fosters an environment where creativity and problem-solving
thrive as team members feel empowered to suggest new solutions and build upon each other’s
ideas.

Furthermore, following the principles of servant leadership can result in improved communication
between all involved parties – from senior management to front-line employees. By taking into
account the opinions of subordinates, leaders can prevent any potential conflicts while maintaining
both healthy relationships and peaceful work environments. Ultimately, these qualities help create a
stronger sense of loyalty amongst team members which consequently leads to increased
productivity overall.

Read more about servant leadership »

How to find your leadership style?

Choosing a leadership style that works for you can make you a more effective leader. Whether you
manage a large or small team, your leadership style heavily impacts how your team sees you. Here
are a few points that can help you get started.

Firstly, being clear about your goals and what you want to achieve is essential. Once you have a
clear vision, it will be easier to communicate your ideas to your team and inspire them to follow your
lead.

Secondly, experiment! There are many different leadership styles, and the best way to find your
own is to experiment with different approaches and see what works best for you and your team.

EDM 616 (Contemporary Perspective on Educational Leadership)

vhcastillo2023
 ILOCOS SUR POLYTECHNIC STATE COLLEGE
TAGUDIN CAMPUS

Finally, remember that leadership is not about being perfect but authentically leading. When you
lead from a place of passion and purpose, others will naturally be drawn to you and your message.
Remember, as a leader, it is vitally important to be open to (and to seek actively) feedback and be
willing to adjust your approach as needed.

EDM 616 (Contemporary Perspective on Educational Leadership)

vhcastillo2023