Types of Leadership Styles

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. - George S. Patton

In the corporate world, leadership is undoubtedly the most important action that has to be considered if you want to get the work done collectively. A right man commanding the right position at the right time can do wonders. If you are working in a business environment, you would certainly be knowing about the behavior of the leaders, who are generally your managers. Every leadership style has its own way of behavior and methods for getting the work done. Some styles may be preferred by subordinates, whereas other might be considered inappropriate by the others. It is believed that generally there are three primary forms of leadership; namely participative, laissez-faire, and autocratic. However, there are many other types of business leadership styles which have come up today due to a change in managerial methods at the workplace.

Three Main Types of Leadership Styles

Participative Leadership
This is probably the best leadership style followed in the business world. In participative leadership, though the leader is responsible for taking the final decision, he is open for suggestions from team members, which can influence the decision.

Autocratic Leadership
In this leadership, the leader solely carries out the decision-making process. The autocratic leadership style is a very suitable method for managing team members who require close supervision to get the work done.

Laissez Faire Leadership
In the laissez-faire leadership, the leader leaves it on the team members to do the work which they are supposed to. This is a good style to be implemented if the members are skilled enough and understand their responsibilities properly.

Other Types of Leadership Styles

Charismatic Leadership
In charismatic leadership, the leader puts in energy and enthusiasm into the project of the team. He does motivate and helps employees; though he may, at times, tend to boast much about his leadership skills and capabilities.

Bureaucratic Leadership
A bureaucratic leader is one who makes sure that the standard procedures of the process is followed by the team members. This style rules out the scope for trying out new problem solving methods and enhancing the project performance.

Relation-oriented Leadership
This style is also referred to as people-oriented style. In this corporate leadership style, the leader tries his best to support and mentor the team members, which in turn turns out to be beneficial for the project.

Servant Leadership
In servant leadership, the leader is not officially intended to act as a leader. He is just an informal leader who takes one step forward on behalf of his team members. He takes decisions collectively by consulting with his colleagues.

Transformational Leadership
This is a good leadership style that is suitable for any work environment. In transformational leadership, the leader provides motivation to his team, to perform tasks for the on-time deliverable of the project.

Task-oriented Leadership
A task-oriented leader is usually known for only focusing on what his team has to achieve. Though, unlike in autocratic leadership, he might understand the needs and welfare of the team members.

Transactional Leadership
This is a somewhat direct kind of effective leadership. It includes a direct authority given to the leader with regards to punishing and rewarding team members, owing to the results of the project.

Situational Leadership
As the name suggests, situational leadership is not associated with any kind of style. It is adopted when a leader changes types of leadership styles in order to get the work done considering the situation.

Remember that a leader might have to use a particular team leadership style in a specific work setting, where other styles may not be effective.