What Are Different Types Of Leadership Styles

Leadership is one of the most widely studied topics in management. The effectiveness of a leader's style has been shown to have a significant impact on their team's productivity and engagement levels. While many successful leaders have honed their own unique styles over time, others may need guidance on how to develop theirs further.

Democratic leaders are inclusive and collaborative. They value the opinions of others, even when they don't agree with them. Democratic leaders listen to their team and consider their opinions, even if they choose to go in a different direction.

Democratic leaders are open to new ideas, especially from employees who have no experience in leadership roles or managerial positions.

These types of leaders tend to be flexible in their decision making process and will take into account the input from all stakeholders before making decisions.

Bureaucratic leaders focus on processes and rules, not people. They're concerned with efficiency and procedure, which can sometimes lead them to ignore the needs of employees.

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Bureaucratic leaders are more interested in how things are done than in the effects those actions have on people. If a task requires five steps to complete, but can be simplified into two steps (and no one will be hurt by this change), a bureaucratic leader may insist that only five steps should be used so as not to confuse anyone or break from tradition.

Laissez-faire leadership is a style of management in which a leader delegates responsibility to employees, allowing them to make their own decisions and work independently.

This style of leadership is often seen as having a low level of control over an organization, but it can also be effective if you have hired people who are able to make good decisions on their own.

Laissez-faire leaders prefer to hire people who can work independently and make their own decisions (like the CEOs with this personality type). If your company has a laissez-faire leader at its helm, then you probably won't be required to ask permission for every little thing that comes up during the day—you'll be trusted with making decisions on your own.

Transactional leaders are focused on getting results, and they don't care how employees feel. You'll find transactional leadership in a variety of settings from factories to hospitals.

Transactional leaders focus on the bottom line and are more concerned with the short term than the long term. They are less concerned with employees' feelings, which means that if you're a transactional leader, you might not be too interested in asking your team how they're doing or if there's anything you can do to help them get their work done.

They also tend to have a very structured approach to organization rather than one that embraces innovation and change—again because they're more worried about following protocol instead of adapting quickly based on changing circumstances.

An autocratic leader is decisive and makes all the decisions. This can be a good thing if you're looking for someone who can make quick decisions, get things done, and delegate tasks to others efficiently. Autocratic leaders are less suited to building a team or motivating others.

Charismatic leaders. Probably the first type of leader that comes to mind when you think of leadership styles, charismatic leaders are good at communicating their vision and inspiring others to follow them—or at least follow along until they find something better. Charismatic leaders can be very charismatic, but not all charismatic leaders are charismatic; it's the ability to lead by example and exhibit strong moral values that makes someone a true charismatics.

Transformational leaders are charismatic, inspirational and visionary. They motivate their followers to achieve more than they thought they could, inspiring them to want to follow the leader. They are good at inspiring people to work together.

Transformational leaders are able to inspire others through their vision and charisma, creating a sense of excitement around an idea or goal that motivates people to act in alignment with it. Transformational leaders often use noble goals which excite people's emotions as well as their intellects; these include things like achieving justice or equality for all members of society, for example.

Various studies have shown that no single style is necessarily better than the others, but it's important to find the right one for your organization, the people around you and where your industry is headed.

The right style depends on the situation, the people around you and where your industry is headed. The right style also depends on the company culture, and even if you are in a startup or a large corporation. A small startup with little structure may need someone who is more hands-on, while an established company with employees who are used to following detailed instructions might benefit from a more laidback leader who lets his staff do their jobs without micromanaging them.

We've gone over a lot of information today, so let's wrap it up with a quick recap. There are many different styles of leadership, and no single one is necessarily better than the others - it all depends on what kind of organization you're leading and what kind of people work there. Be sure to consider which style will work best for your organization when making hiring decisions!