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The different leadership styles

 included in Leadership
   607 words   3 minutes 
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In the book Primal Leadership are reported that there are different leadership styles. Some styles are preferable over others. Some styles are useful in some situations, others in others situations. As almost always it is important to find a balance between the various options. Therefore it is important to know all the different styles in order to be able to use them in function of the context. Other popular styles are:

  • the servant leadership style defined by Greenleaf
  • the transformational leadership style defined by Burns and Bass

The leadership styles reported are:

Style How it works When it works When it does not work
Visionary the leader shows the goal, but leave the collaborators to choose the path to reach the goal. It is one of the best styles. if there are collaborators more expert than the leader
Coaching the leader helps others to find their strength and weakness and helps them grow. when there are collaborators motivated to grow. if there are collaborators with low autonomy.
Affiliative the leader shares emotions and create harmony in the group. when used in combination with other styles. when used alone, because it could seem that mediocre performances would be considered acceptable in order to avoid disharmony in the group.
Democratic the leader allows the group to participate to the decisions. It is one of the best styles. It should not be used when there is urgency to make a decision and there are conflicting points of view.
Pacesetting the leader intervenes in first person when there are mediocre performances and push to increase the performances of the group. when there are collaborators that are competent, motivated and the main goal is the grow of the company or the group. when used too often, because it would seem that the leader is indifferent to the emotions of the group and it is oriented only to performances.
Authoritative the leader says, We do it this way because I say so. The focus is often on others’ errors. It could be useful to get out of a crisis. It is the less effective style in particular in the long term.
Servant leader the needs of others are put first than the leader’s own needs. It helps to create an harmony within the group. when there are conflicting needs within the group. Put apart the leader’s own needs, it is not good for the leader and may leads to his burnout.
Transformational the leader:
- is a model to follow for the collaborators
- motivate people and share a vision
- demonstrate concern for the people’s needs.
- stimulate people to change
 It is one of the more effective styles. when the leader is excessively idealised and the collaborators are dependent on the leader.

My current conclusions

  • There are others styles proposed by the literature. They slightly differ from the others reported in the table above.
  • There is no a style that fits in all the situations. Different contexts and situations require different styles. It is important to be able to use them all and balance help and demand.
  • Authoritative style as described above is never useful. A reason because one decision is made, it is always necessary. Then it may be ok in some situation, such a crisis or when an urgent decision is necessary, that the leader decides on their own without searching for agreement.

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Updated on 2024-11-25
 Leadership
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