What Are The 7 Leadership Styles?

Leaders are priceless when it comes to developing and communicating new strategic guidelines, as well as talking with and encouraging employees to be more committed to organizational goals. Therefore, continuous leadership skills training and mentorship are essential to ensuring that leaders are always on the right track.

It is only through leadership, that everything in your organization will work seamlessly. Without proper leadership, all other resources in your organization will be ineffective. But what is good leadership? The truth is that there are different styles of leadership that managers can use to make their teams more productive and take their organizations to the next level.

While some of these leadership styles can be acquired through training, others are acquired through mentorship and experience. Therefore, if you want to become the best leader in your business, you have to work with the best and famous business mentors. The best way to know if you have the best mentor is to familiarize yourself with the 3 A’s of mentorship. There are so many examples of great leaders who had mentors. Here are the 7 leadership styles that you can embrace.

Autocratic

An autocratic leader believes they are the smartest person at the table, so they want to make all the decisions with little or no input from other team members. These leaders use the demand-and-control approach, which is a traditional style of leadership. The most common phrase associated with this style of leadership is “do as I say.”Although some managers are still using the autocratic style of leadership, it doesn’t seem to hold much water with today’s workforce.

But that doesn’t mean that this style can’t be suitable in certain situations. It becomes relevant when you want certain important decisions made and tasks concluded immediately. You can also apply this style of leadership if you are the most knowledgeable person about a specific subject or when you have a team of inexperienced members and time is of the essence.

Authoritative

The authoritative style of leadership is normally associated with confident leaders who show the way things should be done and set expectations. But they don’t stop at that; they also engage and motivate their team members along the way. The most common phrase associated with this style of leadership is “follow me.” During uncertainty, an authoritative leader doesn’t shy away from making things clear for their team members.

As an authoritative leader, you have to help your team members understand where your organization is going and what they should expect when you get there. You also have to find time to explain everything about your organization to your team so that you can all be on the same page.

Pacesetter

The most common phrase made by a pacesetting leader is “keep up!” This style of leadership involves setting the pace for your team so that they can always aim higher. You have to set the bar high for your team members and push them to work hard until they achieve your organization’s objectives.

Although this style of leadership can easily put your team members off, it helps to get things done and drive for results. So, if you are an enthusiastic manager working with a team of like-minded members, this style of leadership is the most appropriate. However, this style shouldn’t be kept up for a long time.

Democratic

A democratic leader always shares information with their team members that affects their work-related responsibilities. They also tend to seek opinions from their employees before they make a major decision. One of the most common phrases made by democratic leaders is “how do you see it?”

This style of leadership helps to build trust and enhance team spirit as well as cooperation from employees. It also allows team members to be creative, giving them an opportunity to grow. In other words, this style of leadership gets your employees to do what you want them to do, but in a way they feel comfortable doing it.

Coaching

The coaching style of leadership seeks to unlock employees’ potential. When you are using this style, you will look at your team as a pool of talent to be enhanced. You will also open your heart to your team members, showing them that you believe in their potential. As a coaching leader, you will give your team members directions in order to help them tap into their potential to accomplish great things.

Affiliative

The best phrase to describe leaders who use an affiliative approach is “people always come first.” This style of leadership is the most up close and personal. As an affiliative leader, you will always pay attention to and support your team members’ emotional needs. You will also open an avenue that will connect you to your team.

An affiliative style of leadership focuses on cultivating harmony and collaborative relationships among employees. It is particularly useful when you are dealing with conflicts among your team members or reassuring your employees during a crisis.

Laissez-Faire

The laissez-faire style of leadership is the opposite of autocratic leadership. It is considered to offer the least amount of oversight. While an autocratic leader stands firm on issues, a laissez-faire leader allows their team members to flow with the current. Although this style of leadership shows that you believe your employees know what they are doing, it can easily make you look like you are aloof.

Finally, as a wise leader, you should know how to flex from one style of leadership to another as the circumstances demand. With a good mentor, you can understand how to embrace different styles of leadership to get things done and keep your team members motivated. If you’re looking to find a mentor to help your business grow, be sure to ask them about their leadership style as one of your interview questions.