What Are The 4 Basic Leadership Styles

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In my work as an executive coach, I've found that there are four main leadership styles. Each one of them has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's important to think about which style you'll use in different circumstances.

You may have heard of the four basic leadership styles: authoritative, affiliative, coaching and democratic. Each can be effective in certain situations but has its own strengths and weaknesses. Authoritative is best suited for emergency situations, when you need to take control quickly and get things done quickly; however it can also be too harsh or inconsistent when used on a regular basis.

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Affiliative is great for building team morale and bringing people together; however it’s not as efficient at getting tasks completed. Coaching communicates clear expectations but doesn't always motivate employees to work harder or better perform their job duties. Finally democratic leadership involves soliciting feedback from everyone involved in a decision making process, which makes it great for promoting buy-in from everyone involved but often comes at the expense of efficiency since more people need input before making decisions on key issues.

The leader is the boss. The leader sets the rules and makes sure the team is on track. The leader is in charge of the budget, which means they’re responsible for paying salaries and benefits to those who work under them.

The leader is responsible for doing their best while leading other people, so that everyone succeeds together as a group (even if some members might not agree with all decisions).

A leader is a person who has the ability to get things done. They are able to motivate others and set them on a course for success. A leader has strong communication skills and knows how to delegate tasks effectively so that everyone can contribute their best efforts towards a common goal.

The affiliative leadership style is based on the idea that people are motivated by relationships. Affiliative leaders focus on group harmony and cooperation, and they work to ensure that team members feel included and valued. They also tend to give credit where it is due, rather than taking credit themselves.

The best way to build rapport with employees in this type of leadership is by listening carefully to what they have to say, acknowledging their concerns and encouraging them to speak up when there are problems or issues in the workplace. In some cases this may involve giving people special treatment so they feel important—for example, providing a private office space for someone who has been with the company for many years but doesn’t want anyone else knowing how long he has been there!

Coaching is a leadership style that involves providing feedback and guidance to help others improve. This type of style generally involves:

Providing constructive, actionable feedback to employees in order to help them improve their performance.
Using the right communication channels in order to get your message across (face-to-face meetings, emails, etc.).
Asking questions like “What do you think?” or “What did you learn today?” in order to encourage employees' thoughts and opinions on the topic at hand. It's important that you listen carefully when someone is speaking with you so that they feel heard and valued by you as their boss/manager/supervisor/etc..

The democratic leadership style is one in which a leader shares power with his or her team. This means that the leader will often delegate responsibility and allow their employees to make decisions on their own. In this model, employees are given the opportunity to challenge others' ideas and share feedback in order to improve the overall quality of work.

Examples of famous democratic leaders include Mark Zuckerberg, who shared power with his employees at Facebook by giving them ownership over certain features in exchange for equity; Oprah Winfrey, who created a culture where everyone was encouraged to voice their opinions; and Steve Jobs, who allowed his employees free rein when it came time for product development (until he decided they were wrong).

Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the most common leadership styles. Remember that every leader is unique and no one style will work for everyone. It’s important to understand your own strengths as well as your employees’ strengths before making any decisions about which style is best for you and your team. When it comes down to it, though, remember that effective leadership requires both hard work and flexibility—and that can take some time!