Leadership Styles: Finding What Works Best for You and Your Team

1. Introduction

When leading a team, whether in your professional or personal life, it is extremely important to have a leadership style. This ensures that the work environment remains productive, cohesive, and never toxic. In fact, did you know that according to the Corporate Leadership Council, a good leadership style is the top driver of employee commitment and the most reliable indicator of personal and team performance? This is just one of the many statistics that prove that leadership styles are not just an exercise in semantics, but have a real and tangible impact in the workplace. Unfortunately, while many of us are asked to have or understand our leadership style, there is no one size fits all mandate. Leaders can be highly effective if they have a leadership style that meets the needs of their team in a particular situation – from directive to collaborative, and no one style is better than the other. Through the course of this full guide, it is my hope that the reader will walk away with an understanding of what their leadership styles are, how flexible that style is and how well it aligns with those around them – and be able to adapt and grow. From discussing what leadership is to what leadership could be, providing a clipboard test, or walking through real-life examples, different learning tools can be used to propel the reader into “I’ve got it” moments. This article could be used for a variety of means, such as a tool to create stronger leadership development within a company or as a roadmap for a manager who is interested in moving from singularly focused leader to a more effective, engaging one. No matter its use, the goal is to inspire and push the reader into action – to see what their style and what they bring to the workplace – and hopefully find a new passion for working with their team.

1.1. Importance of Leadership Styles

Different leadership styles may affect organizational outcomes in various ways. For instance, some may work towards improving the morale of the employees while some may work towards increasing the production by the employees. Moreover, the kind of work in which leaders are engaged is also of importance. Those leaders who are engaged in routine non-illuminative kind of work may adopt a particular style, for example, autocratic style. On the other hand, those who are involved in illuminative kind of work, for example, managers of research and development, may adopt democratic or laissez-faire styles of leadership. One thing is sure that leaders are a great asset of an organization, particularly, for those who are interested in new and creative kinds of work, they enable the organization to adapt to changes and to remain competitive. It is clear that when the leaders work well and even when they do not because some of the leaders of the organization may not be aware of their actual leadership style, this may cause a big gap in the choices, strategies and decisions that are made. It is a good thing, therefore, for the leaders and managers to get to know and recognize their natural leadership style. There are various ways in which individual leaders may exercise their power and control over their subordinates in their environment and also their work. This is what is described by the leadership style. It is important to note however, that the effectiveness. Given the amount of time leaders and managers are at work, it is equally important to focus not only on the style in which one is using but also in those circumstances that call for that style. Vice versa, it is necessary to employ different styles at different times – a matter of a situational leadership. Situational leadership also indicates that the individual leaders are flexible and as a result, they can adapt their style. The study of leadership has been an important and central part of the literature on management and organizational behavior for over a century. Leaders do not only make a difference to the success of their organizations but they can also make a difference to the lives of those who work with and for them. There are two keys to authentic leadership. First, authentic leaders are self-aware and genuine. They are aware of their strengths, their limitations and their emotions. They also show their real selves to their followers. Also, the leaders are hopeful. They have a positive and optimistic view of the future. When we reflect on the sheer number of decisions and practices that leaders engage in a typical day, it becomes apparent as to why there is such a wide variety of leadership theories and approaches. Some writers have argued that the styles of leadership are influenced by the organizational context. For example, the rapidly changing and increasingly competitive environment when rapid decisions have to be made have required less delegation of authority and greater task orientation from leaders. As a result, some leaders are now starting to adopt a more autocratic style of working in certain situations at work. On the other hand, it is clear that contextual factors such as national culture, life cycles, and financial status will also have a strong influence on how an organization operates.

1.2. Understanding Your Leadership Style

Understanding your leadership style is essential to growing as a leader because self-awareness is key. Self-awareness is the first step in developing your leadership style and also in learning to adapt to the needs of your team members. By understanding and identifying your own leadership style, you’re able to gain a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Research has identified a number of different styles, so the next question for any leader would be, what is your leadership style? All the leadership styles take good use of the tools made available to get jobs done. Your personal approach will in turn come from a combination of these styles, as well as from your own values, preferences, and personality. It may also depend on the type of person you are leading and the task at hand. To know what kind of a leader one may be, the commonest and most leaders would adopt a participative style of leadership. This is a style of leadership that is open to the ideas of subordinates and allows them to be part of the decision-making process. This is a leadership style that utilizes the collective knowledge of the group. Last but not least, we know that we don’t live in a perfect world. Competing expectations, tough projects, and an overburdened work environment can all make effective leadership seem out of reach. However, if the organization has a clear direction and if members feel important, then autocratic leadership can be suitable. Autocratic leaders provide clear expectations for what needs to be done and how it should be done, which is ideal for new and untrained employees who need to be told what to do. More so, whereas competitive situations can be difficult, including project teams, the leader is expected to stay focused on results and despite the disruption that can happen. Democratic leadership is where the leaders would offer guidance to the candidates, but they will also participate in the group and allow input from the rest of the members. This type of leadership is the exact opposite of the autocratic leadership style. This leadership style will put all the final decision at the hands of the non-managerial employees to ensure that all of them will feel that their voices are being heard. With this style of leadership, the entire organizational workforce can feel important and appreciated and willing to work more efficiently and wholeheartedly. On the other hand, laissez-faire leadership is a kind of leadership that provides complete freedom to the employees and lets them set their own rules. Usually, this type of leadership will work in a highly creative environment and for companies that there is not much competition, like for instance in a volunteer’s organizational group. Because of this, such style of leadership is also referred to as a hands-off style of leadership. Ergonomically, the authority of laissez-faire manager will give them the entire freedom to accomplish the jobs that they are expected to do. However, the leaders tend to avoid these duties as he or she may not offer any kind of guidance and direction to the employees because of the overwhelming freedom. It is a leadership that will develop and the employees capable of handling the tasks. Adapted from: the quiz results from October 2019Create Infographics

2. Different Leadership Styles

Not all leaders are the same; they have different leadership styles. Since a leadership style is a reflection of both the leader’s working pattern and his or her effective attentiveness to followers, it is understandable that the choice of leadership style may be personal for a leader. In all leadership scenarios we should consider listening as an effective point in management. According to various investigations, it is found that managers are effective only when the followers are ready to listen. A good leader as well who finds today and tomorrow issues regarding work and analysis to find hot and cold implications of a situation. This essay reviews autocratic, democratic and consultative leadership styles and discusses the evidence that there is no doubt that different situations in reality demand different leadership styles. Games and sport that we love or play are very good examples of democratic style. Most modern games and sport are characterized by cooperation between the team mates and a joint effort to achieve a common goal. It won’t matter that such goals may be scored by a single individual performer. There are different types of leaderships depending on what happens and what can and should be done. I don’t think that yet there can be a single best leadership style since it depends, as I mentioned, on the current situation and somewhere in a flow and make ours changed to it. An autocratic leader wants employees to be dependent on them. Such a leader works in his or her ego and as far as I understand, it is ‘to be or not to be’ situation for an autocratic leader. On the other hand, we require a democratic leader to overcome power and conflict by the revolution of the matters. And some experiences are also been seen in my life when my employees find a chain of successes in their various attempts under such leadership where leadership worked to have a better coordination and network building theoretical. It is a need of time which undertakes how presiding persons work under different situations. There are many situations arises in which ‘A’ individual ‘B’ group leadership and ‘C’ organization management are as important as both. Governance with venture strategy reliant on competent creativity. All the same, what ‘the other people’ ideas mean in pressure orientation versus outcome orientation. Also it is clear that an individual in the chair of leadership must have a proactive vision and flexibility in the implementation of economy, quickness in R&D progress and investment priority and it is the matter of use and implementation of total innovation management. There is also so much dependency upon ICT tools. It is believed that compared to other forms of ‘the other people’ ideas, the workers’ ideas as lead to real preference satisfaction. This validates that people are really concerned about their production and what they are producing and which result in minimum input and maximum output. This drives best job performance among the workers.

2.1. Autocratic Leadership

On the other hand, autocratic leadership can be a boon in countries or states with oppressive governing bodies, “low-trust” cultures; or national cultures that place a high value on power distance (that is, the acceptance of an unequal distribution of power) as defined by the theory of cultural dimensions. Consequently, autocratic leadership is not just a style for corporate office-holders. It can also have profound effects in entirely different dimensions of life, from workers in tiny brick-and-mortar shops all the way to the operation of world governments and everything in between.

Job duties under an autocratic leadership style are likely to seem much more structured than in other settings. Employees are normally told explicitly what their place is in a company and are given very precise operational guidelines for accomplishing work. If employees have suggestions, they may find it virtually impossible to be capable of sharing them, let alone having them implemented. This can lead to a general sense of dissatisfaction—or, worse yet, open hostility—among workers. And ultimately, because there is so little autonomy allowed for employees, an autocratic style can result in high levels of absenteeism and employee turnover. After all, why should someone who’s forced to work under such a rigid supervisory environment come to work if they could take a personal day without any trouble instead? Even in an environment where absenteeism is not an issue because of the nature of the business itself—such as a law office, where attorneys are not likely to miss work simply because they can—employee turnover is undoubtedly higher. Ergo, with the exception of perhaps only a few, highly specific industries, an autocratic work setting—because it creates low workplace morale and employee satisfaction—simply cannot generate the most productive workforce possible.

There are a lot of different reasons someone might choose to be an autocratic leader. For starters, it’s an efficient way to execute decisions, particularly when compared to more collaborative styles; a single person can arrive at a conclusion much faster than a whole group can. This can be a significant advantage when swift and decisive action is required. Also, in situations in which workers present varying levels of experience or knowledge, whether new hires or simply different levels of expertise, an autocratic strategy can decrease the possibility of errors caused by disagreements among team members.

Autocratic leadership is a management style in which one person controls all the decisions in an authoritative, top-down manner. The “autocratic” comes from the Greek word “autos,” meaning “self.” This generally implies that someone knows what’s best when work needs to be done. Managers who use this kind of leadership have absolute superiority over their workers, seeking to turn their vision of the company into reality. To ensure that work is completed as efficiently and quickly as possible, they employ an unyielding approach, insisting that they—and they alone—know the correct course of action.

2.2. Democratic Leadership

Democratic leadership, also known as participative leadership, is a type of leadership style in which members of the group take a more participative role in the decision-making process. It is marked by leaders who encourage group members to share their thoughts and opinions, and contribute to the decision-making process. This can promote flexibility and creative collaboration, and it can also help engage team members and motivate continued productivity and contribution. However, it is important to note that the leader maintains the right to make the final decision. This type of leadership can often succeed because it taps into the knowledge, experience, and perspectives of all employees and it fosters a sense of shared ownership of the business and team. It encourages open communication and brings new ideas to the table. From a team perspective, the role that the leader is to be less of providing instant direction and more to be a valuable contributor and overseer of the decision-making process. From a leadership perspective, the most successful democratic leaders will provide structure and guidance for their team, and will be effective at coaching and facilitating the empowerment of their team members. This type of leadership is effective in highly regulated industries and departments, such as financial services or manufacturing, because it is frequently necessary to have clear command and control, and a predominantly democratic style would not work due to the associated risks. However, this style is not very effective in highly complex or high-risk situations, such as emergency situations, because it takes valuable time that can lead to negative results. Also, in some cases, leaders may struggle to utilize the knowledge and experience of all employees and it can lead to decision-making delays. Overall, this style is shown to foster increased motivation, because all team members are able to contribute, and creativity, because different perspectives are taken into account. However, achieving this type of leadership is challenging, because it requires an overall leader who is both confident and capable, but also humble enough to allow the opinions and contributions of a team to have a significant impact.

2.3. Laissez-Faire Leadership

Laissez-faire leadership, also known as delegative leadership, is a type of leadership style in which leaders are hands-off and allow group members to make the decisions. Researchers have found that this is generally the leadership style that leads to the lowest productivity among group members. This type of leadership can be effective in some situations – that is, when the leader is an expert and the group members are trustworthy and knowledgeable, and when a well-organized, motivated and skilled team exists. However, many leaders who start out using this style find that they have to switch to a more hands-on style because their groups do not work as effectively as they need to. In some cases, using laissez-faire leadership can be a sign that the leader has lost interest in the group’s success – the leader just sits back and lets group members make all the decisions. In psychology, the “laissez-faire syndrome” refers to non-directive, laid-back or absent parents who fail to provide any clear guidelines or discipline for their children. In the workplace, this is synonymous with a lack of direction and supervision within the business environment and can lead to poor relations among staff. Staff fail to see the mandate of their supervisors and the reasons behind their instructions; there can be a lack of communication and cohesiveness within leadership ranks; and workers are freely allowed to conflict with one another and generally create their own “little kingdoms”. Laissez-faire leaders can also be subject to poor productivity levels and a general dim view of themselves and their decision-making processes. It’s also worth noting that, quite often, without the real supervision of a particular person, different members of staff will try and assume control of the workplace, leading to power skirmishes and factionalism which is divisive by nature. This type of leadership is most likely to be when team members are skilled, capable and proactive. It is important to draw a distinction between this type of leadership and simple negligence, which is characterized by a benign apathy for the affairs of others.

3. Assessing Your Team’s Needs

Another important aspect of being an effective leader is assessing the needs of the team that you are seeking to lead. Just as a good leader adapts their overall style to suit the needs of the team, they must also show a willingness to adapt their style at an individual level as they gain greater understanding of the specific needs of each team member. This approach is often referred to as “Situation Leadership” in that the leader is willing to adopt whichever style is most appropriate for the current situation, depending on the level of experience or proficiency that the individual team member has in relation to the particular task being undertaken. One effective way to assess the needs of the team is to be able to evaluate the dynamics of the team overall. This involves both understanding the social relationships and interactions that occur within the team and being able to identify where there are strengths and weaknesses in the functionality of the team as a whole. There are many methods of doing this and in practice most leaders will adopt a combination of different strategies, including formal team evaluations, individual discussions with team members and on-the-job observation of team dynamics. By understanding the social and working relationships that exist within the team, a leader can then begin to identify areas where their leadership can help to improve team morale and productivity.

3.1. Identifying Team Dynamics

A team that works well together today may not work well together tomorrow. Team dynamics are always evolving as new members join, old members leave, and external factors that affect the team change. Understanding and appreciating team dynamics can help you work together more effectively with your team. Professor of leadership and management Sheri Anderson, PhD, has deep appreciation and understanding of the complexities of teams and has taught team leadership skills to a wide range of groups and individuals. In her experience, there are three key things you need to know to develop the understanding necessary to effectively analyze and improve your team’s dynamics: the task needing to be done, the people on your team, and the processes used to accomplish the task. Dr. Anderson suggests a full team session to identify and explain current team dynamics. She uses a range of fun and interesting activities to help team members understand each other’s roles and responsibilities and explain the importance of communication and working together. From the session, not only can team members have a greater understanding of their colleagues and the way they work as a collective, but also some common agreed principles to improving the team can be and methods to do this.

3.2. Analyzing Individual Strengths and Weaknesses

Leaders can use self-assessment methods, often called a “leadership inventory,” to analyze their strengths and weaknesses, as well as to develop a clearer understanding of their skills and abilities. There are many different self-assessment tools that are specifically designed to help individuals identify their particular leadership styles. For example, one common strategy is to ask the individual to take a standardized test that will then evaluate what his or her primary leadership style may be. Alternatively, some self-assessment methods require the individual to solicit feedback from peers, subordinates, and supervisors and then to reflect on and analyze that feedback. Some experts caution that self-assessment is not always accurate because individuals may have a less objective, more biased view of their own abilities. It is important for the self-assessment process to be paired with an ongoing, open-minded approach. In other words, someone who is given feedback that indicates a need for improved communication skills should strive to develop these skills over time. While gaining insight into one’s strengths is helpful, it is crucial for an effective leader to be committed to self-improvement based on feedback from both self-assessment and feedback from subordinates and colleagues. Well-rounded and adaptable leaders often develop the right blend of utilizing their own natural tendencies and adding to their skills by challenging themselves to address areas in need of improvement. In this way, self-assessment, in conjunction with a commitment to ongoing improvement, can bring lasting results in leadership development.

3.3. Considering Team Goals and Objectives

It is important to bear in mind that different styles of leadership will be needed depending on the goals and objectives that the team is seeking to achieve. Goal-oriented teams are focused on achieving specific objectives within a distinct time period, and therefore may benefit from a more directive leadership style, where the team’s leader provides clear instruction and reassurance in order to meet these aims. On the other hand, objective-oriented teams are more concerned with the process of reaching a particular goal, and a participative and inclusive leadership style may be more appropriate, where the leader’s responsibility is to ensure team consensus on direction and to draw on the skills and ideas of team members. When choosing a leadership style with due consideration to team goals and objectives, teams may benefit from as much of a focus on professionalism, participation, cooperation, and communication as there is on the achievement of goals themselves. Therefore, leaders should consider the extent to which their team goals are focused on both the results of their work and the development of a positive and supportive work environment. By reflecting on the wider, long-term aims, the team’s leader may come to more fully appreciate the leadership style best placed to help their team fulfill its potential.

4. Adapting Your Leadership Style

If every leader and every team is different, it stands to reason that no one leadership style should be employed all of the time. Followers and situations will always differ. Effective leaders adapt their leadership style to the performance readiness – the ability and willingness – of the group they are leading. As the group’s performance readiness increases, the leader should become less involved in planning and making decisions and should delegate more responsibility for these processes to the group. Emphasis should be put on the development of a suitable leadership style and developing the leader-member relationship. The ideal is for a leader to be able to move through the styles as appropriate, ensuring that the leader is able to meet the changing needs of the group and the organisation but this is a difficult skill to achieve and if a leader becomes too stuck in one style then this can become a leadership weakness. The four leadership styles, directing, coaching, supporting and delegating, appear in this cycle. This familiarisation is important for the development of a leader. Eisenhower’s approach of defining the group’s objectives, determining the human element and then combining the two would be suited to a productive group in a professional setting. Conversely, in an academic context, Lewin’s collaborative approach may be more effective given its focus on team work and working together. By testing both transactional and transformative leadership behaviours, it can be seen how different styles are appropriate for different situations as is a recurring theme in the adaptation of leadership style as a means of optimising performance. However, it is suggested by Farago (2002) that the testing of leadership behaviours in a simulated environment may not be able to fully predict the complexities of leadership in real life. Maguire and Pitcheathly’s notion that leadership is a negotiated process is recognised where both the leader and the follower have their own interpretations of the leader-follower relationship and both parties have their own wishes and desires for leadership. Rost (2011) echoes this, stating that ‘effective leadership results in subordinates becoming co-participants in the leadership of the organisation’ which corresponds with the views of Clausewitz and his assertion.

4.1. Flexibility in Leadership

Leadership can actually be learned by practicing certain skills. Becoming a good leader is a process. That’s where leadership revolves around being adaptable. It’s tough to be a task-oriented person and then to be lenient and easy-going in terms of relationships. The best type of leader is the person who can have the ability to change his style if it is needed. Also, leaders need to be able to be flexible and also be held in high regard; leaders need to be able to trust and also communicate the vision. When it is a leader’s vision, leaders are surrounded by other people. So it’s very important for leaders to communicate to those people the way that they are going to get to that vision. There are leaders now who are indulging in a different type of style. This is now often described as transformational style. These are the leaders who raise people to higher levels, concerned about their well-being, and treating the staff or the employees with respect. Transformational leadership is an important quality and it involves a commitment towards something new. Leaders do many different tasks and you must have a style that best suits the different situations. No matter what leadership style you rely on, you should employ the following skills to succeed and prosper either as an and for your own career or the careers of the people who work for you: effective communication skills, interpersonal communication skills, motivation skills, creative problem-solving skills, and also the group or team leadership skills. Keep in mind that all of the leadership styles require these similar skills to become a successful leader.

4.2. Tailoring Your Approach to Different Situations

Tailoring your approach to different situations: Strategies for adapting your leadership style to different situations. In addition to adapting your general leadership style to suit the needs of your team, you will also need to tailor your approach to the specific requirements of different situations. This means being able to understand what is needed in a given context and being able to shift your approach accordingly. Often, a good leader will need to adapt their leadership style to follow which allows the most effective response to specific circumstances. In some cases, a consensus-building approach will work best, while at other times a strong direction is needed. For example, if there is a crisis situation, it may be necessary to work to a task-focused, autocratic leadership style to ensure that the team can respond quickly and effectively. If, on the other hand, a project or activity has got to a critical stage, maybe as deadlines are nearing or there are important decisions to be made, a more directive and focused approach may be required. By contrast, there will be times when a more democratic and participative style will be appropriate, such as when a leader is looking to generate ideas from the team, build team identity or develop team leadership capacity. Situational leadership theory – developed by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard in the late 1960s – suggests that the most effective leaders are those that are able to adapt their style to the readiness and willingness of those they are leading. This theory proposes a number of leadership styles and suggests that a good leader is one that is able to diagnose the development level of their followers and then adapt their style to their competence and commitment. Hersey and Blanchard suggest that the four different leadership styles (telling, selling, participating and delegating) are all a productive response to the right developmental level of the follower. However, the real skill is being able to change between these styles as the situation changes. The key to effective situational leadership, therefore, is to be able to diagnose the developmental level of the follower and choose the right leadership style for that specific level – this is known as ‘prescriptive decision making’. This patient, diagnostic approach is often considered to be harder to adopt than a ‘one size fits all’ approach but, when properly executed, is considered to be much more successful. So the key to situational leadership is recognizing that each member of your team is at a different level in their own development. This means that what may work for one person may not work for another, which presents a real challenge to the leader. Often, the skill in being a good leader is to be able to first identify the needs of individuals within your team so that you can then tailor your leadership style to suit each person. Indeed, many leadership courses now focus on helping leaders to develop skills which allow them to critically assess the individual characteristics of team members and to recognize the situations where one approach is more appropriate than another. Such courses, therefore, aim to foster leadership adaptability, typically moving forward a blend of theories which focus on adaptability and situational leadership theories. By being able to move between different styles according to situational need and by being able to tailor the approach to the requirements of different team members, the leader is much more likely to meet the needs of the team and to provide effective direction and support.

4.3. Balancing Task and Relationship Orientations

One way to assess and adapt task and relationship behaviors is through the use of a specific leadership assessment, which measures tendencies toward concern for tasks and concern for people. The Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid is a popular tool that plots task versus relationship behaviors. The model identifies five different leadership approaches, including impoverished (low task, low relationships), task management (high task, low relationships), middle-of-the-road (medium task, medium relationships), country club (low task, high relationships), and team leadership (high task, high relationships). The model is often used to provide a basis for facilitated discussions regarding a person’s natural tendencies and their potential impact on effective team functioning. Such assessments can help identify over-emphasis or lack of behavior in one of the two areas. For example, leaders who exhibit a high level of concern for tasks often are less focused on spending time building interpersonal bonds between members of their team. On the other hand, leaders who enjoy a high amount of relationship emphasis may be more likely to avoid and seek consensus on tough problems, which often fall under the urgent and important category in completing a task. The thinking and feeling CLUES self-assessment measures an individual’s inclination toward logical and reflective thinking and valuing a wide array of feelings in making a decision. This model can be particularly useful when trying to identify the source of a leadership bias towards task or relationships because it distinguishes between satisfaction and effectiveness in leading. A balanced use of both thinking and feeling styles is traditionally linked to higher performance, but the CLUES model can help individuals recognize their own and others’ comfort levels with involving the feelings of those they lead. By using these and other leadership assessments as a basis for self-discovery, leaders can identify specific areas for future personal and professional growth related to balancing task and relationships. Also, these exercises can help focus training and development initiatives by specifying what competencies can be targeted through such programs. Such a strength-based approach to change enables adaptation of individual and team behavior for increased effectiveness. Specifically, it helps leaders understand their own tendencies with respect to balancing focus on task completion with creating relationships in teamwork. By sharing the general concepts of task and relationship-oriented behavior and the idea that these behaviors are to be adapted based on the situation and person, leaders can help set up an exploration of adapting task versus relationship orientation based on the needs of the situation and the readiness of the followers. Seven general ideas are to be highlighted in these encounters; they include the idea of an overall leadership style continuum, recognizing the need for a mix of task and relationship behaviors, and helping define different leadership styles described by the Blake-Mouton model. Also, the notion of a situational approach to leadership can be discussed, as well as key factors affecting the choice of the most effective leadership style.