What Is Leadership Style?

Leadership style is about how a person interacts with a team, and that shapes their actions and attitudes. A leader who encourages the team builds a progressive team, while one who dismisses ideas works in silence.

Let’s take the example of Elon Musk and Satya Nadella. Musk is known for his bold leadership style. He can make decisions in the snap of a second and challenges the team to achieve the impossible.

Nadella works as an empath and collaborator. He is more of a transformational leader. A listener who empowers his employees to build a culture of shared accountability.

Both the leaders are running high-stakes tech companies. But the decision-making and the way their teams behave are like two ends of a pole.

So no two leadership styles can be the same. They’re shaped by the leader's experience, personality, and values they hold.

Six Key Leadership Styles

Let’s take a look at the top leadership styles and their distinct characteristics, strengths, and limitations.

The Autocratic Leadership Style

Autocratic leaders make decisions on their own. They do not consult their team members and, in fact, exert a high level of control and expect strict adherence to their instructions.

Leaders following this leadership style are quick decision-makers but very directive and authoritative.

The Democratic Leadership Style

Democratic leaders involve their team lead members in the decision-making. This way, the team has a sense of ownership. They feel valued and know their input is valued.

In this type of leadership, there is open communication and collaboration. People are more likely to show initiative and contribute to a positive team culture. A democratic leadership style is more inclusive and supportive for the team.

The Laissez-Faire Leadership Style

Laissez-faire leaders give their team members a very high level of independence and autonomy. They fully trust their employees' expertise and their abilities to make decisions.

Working under such a leadership style makes the employees take ownership, responsibility, and become more creative.

However, this type of leadership style works for the self-motivated and highly skilled individuals only. Without proper support and guidance, this style may lead to a lack of accountability and direction among the employees.

But if the employees are highly skilled, it can be very empowering and trusting.

Transformational Leadership Style

Transformational leaders motivate their team members to help them achieve the extraordinary. They are focused on helping the employees grow personally by setting high expectations for them and sharing a vision for their growth.

They empower their team members to reach their full potential and give them a strong sense of purpose in the organization.

These leaders are enthusiastic and committed and strive for continuous improvement. All of their traits trickle down the organizational hierarchy, and the team follows the footsteps of these inspirational people.

The Servant Leadership Style

Servant leaders are very much concerned about the well-being and development of the team. They are highly empathetic, value humility, and lead by example. They are dedicated to serving others and encourage a culture of trust and open communication.

How does this leadership style affect one’s actions and behaviours? People working under a servant leadership style show the traits of compassion and collaboration, and are often motivated to go beyond what is necessary for their team members and leaders.

Situational Leadership

Situational leaders adapt their leadership style to the specific needs or requirements of a situation or individual. They assess the situation or the team member and adjust their approach.

So it’s a flexible leadership style that allows the leaders to tweak the level of guidance and support as needed. The leaders are adaptive and flexible, and also quite responsive.

How Does Leadership Style Affect One’s Actions and Behaviors

The leader's style has an impact not just on themselves, but also spreads throughout the entire organization. How does leadership style affect one’s actions and behaviors?

Autocratic Leaders: Decision-making is centralized, so the motivation and engagement are quite low. These leaders just issue commands and instructions, so the communication is mostly just centered around maintaining order.
Democratic Leaders: There is a culture of collaboration and inclusion. Motivation and engagement levels are high. In democratic leadership, different viewpoints and perspectives are welcomed. People are supported, recognized, and rewarded.
Laissez-Faire Leadership: The team members are highly independent. They can confidently make key decisions and also own them. They are also empowered and very creative.
Transformational Leaders: Transformational leaders inspire and challenge their team to achieve certain goals. They work on personal development and growth. They exhibit high energy and passion, which are also mirrored by the team. They celebrate wins and support the team when they fail.
Servant Leaders: Servant leaders are high on listening, empathy, and supporting growth. They build a culture of trust and loyalty. People working under such individuals are highly motivated because they feel extremely valued. However, high-pressure situations are tough to deal with when working under the ‘soft’ leadership style.
Situational Leaders: Situational leaders are very adaptive. They can be directive when needed and supportive when the situation demands them to be. This flexible nature ensures that both performance and morale remain high in the organization, as the leadership style keeps shifting per the changing circumstances.

Conclusion

The leadership approach you take in your organization can affect the entire organization’s performance. Remember that no leadership style is perfect. Each has its strengths but also a set of risks.

So the best approach is to make sure to match your leadership style with the future goals.

Be flexible enough to change your approach and stance per the situation. Ideally, having a mix of different leadership styles can get you a big win.