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Originally Posted On: http://2020exchange.com.au/2020/12/29/these-6-leadership-styles-spell-success-in-the-21st-century/

 

Leadership stands out as a crucial component of an organisation’s existence and success. With the current situation, the need for effective leaders becomes even more apparent.

A shift within the workforce is occurring globally with 10,000 baby boomers retiring each day. About 48% of the workforce now comprises of millennials, including leadership roles.

Now, more than ever, it is critical to engage in effective leadership development. This is the best opportunity for you to step up and lead your organisation.

Your starting point is in discovering your leadership style. The following leadership styles can act as a model for you to use. Take note of them while looking for something that suits you and your organisation.

1. AUTHORITATIVE LEADERSHIP

To start, we will look at a leadership style that stands out with the words “follow me”. The authoritative leadership style inspires, bringing others to follow leaders promptings and decisions.

This method also puts a degree of certainty in crucial situations. This is important training for when team members are in moments where they would be in a fog of indecisiveness.

This leadership style works great for confident people. It prompts them to take initiative. Leaders that use this style have the charisma and skill to lead.

In action, such leaders know more than most of the members. They would use that knowledge to guide their employees. Such leaders also have inspiring air around them.

There is a similar leadership style that comes with the phrase “do as I say”. This is the autocratic leadership style. This is a rather forceful approach to leadership as it seems too coercive.

For an authoritative leadership style, they put the reason behind the decision. It is not about simply issuing orders. It also puts the reason behind the order or decision, providing a transparent view to the team members.

2. DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP

Another leadership style that you can try and model stands by the words “what do you think?”. This is a democratic leadership style. In it, team members act together with the leader.

How it works is that employees share information together. They also provide feedback due to how the leader provides a means for it. After which, the leader takes on a final decision.

With this method, you see the emphasis on member or employee input. It works great as a leadership style as it also helps in building trust. It also emphasises employee recognition of value and opinion.

This is a good leadership style when opting for a synergistic approach. It also promotes team spirit and an easier flow of creativity for your team. If you want an easy way to bring the team in a united front, go for this leadership style.

3. LAISSEZ-FAIRE LEADERSHIP

When comparing this leadership type with the autocratic or authoritative style, you would immediately notice how loose this style is with oversight and supervision. An autocratic leader goes for a hard stance. Meanwhile, a laissez-faire leader lets his members take action by their intuition.

This leadership style lends well to leaders who have highly-skilled team members that can take the initiative and are self-starters. This allows them to trust and rely on their judgment and skill to accomplish their tasks. With this style, your employees can spread their wings.

If taken towards the extreme, it would end up with the leader appearing too aloof and distant. The other risk is in the lack of direction caused by this style. Up to the point that would end up with team members steering in the wrong direction.

To remedy this, make sure to offer regular feedback and monitor the team’s performance. This can help address the direction and empathy points of the leadership style.

Before we continue, know that leadership styles also depend on the leader’s personality. You can read about the connection between personality and leadership styles here.

4. COACHING-STYLE LEADERSHIP

This particular leadership style has a premise where it suggests and guides the employee or member towards improvement. It takes on the words “consider this” when leading and providing input. This is a more nurturing approach to leadership, where it aims to build up the members serving in the team.

It is a style perfect for empathic leaders. It opens up trust and communication while aiming for development. Another good thing about this approach is that it takes on a mentoring spin to leading people.

5. PACESETTING LEADERSHIP

This leadership style takes on the words “do as I do” when leading the team. It is a good fit for energetic leaders, more so when working with like-minded members. It allows you to bring the team to push towards the goal with ample motivation, bringing in results as they go.

It has a downside, however, as it can exert a lot of stress on its members in the long run. This would be a great style to use when pushing towards deadlines and goals. For this method to remain effective, you also need to put in some lull times to avoid burnout.

6. SERVANT LEADERSHIP

This leadership style fits with the words “leading by example”. A servant leader prioritizes the team, meeting their needs, and incorporating a positive work culture. Servant leaders have high integrity and they lead by generosity.

This is an approach that ensures high amounts of morale among members. This setup also in organisations and groups where integrity and values are in high demand. Servant leadership is also an influential approach when you look at how it can impact members that they also follow due to integrity.

This style might not be a good fit in a competitive environment when results are on the top priority. In such situations, leaders will have to make difficult decisions to push their team to perform well.

DISCOVER YOUR LEADERSHIP STYLES

These leadership styles are a model to start with. These can guide you towards a leadership style that suits your personality and work ethics. From there, you can lead your team towards success.

Did you find this helpful? We can help you develop your leadership style and let you bring your team towards success. Contact us today and we can help you get started.