A leadership style refers to the abilities of a leader of directing, motivating, guiding and managing groups of people or team. Effective leaders can inspire political movements and social changes. Throughout history, great leaders have emerged with particular leadership styles in providing directions and implementing plans.
Leadership styles depends on the abilities of the leaders to influence the behaviour of their followers i.e the way he gives direction to his subordinates and motivates them to accomplish the given objectives. Furthermore, Here we have mentioned the 5 leadership styles and the most outdated leadership style among them. So, let’s get stated.
Most common 5 leadership styles are as follows:
Leadership styles are classifications of how a person acts while leading a group. So,The 5 leadership styles are as follows:
1. Autocratic leadership style
An autocratic leader makes decisions without input from the rest of the team. Generally, It’s the highly authoritarian leadership style that can demoralise employees. However, autocratic leaders make decisions very quickly and confidently, which makes them an excellent asset in a crisis.
2. Laissez-Faire leadership style
Leaders who possess the laissez-faire leadership style often work best with team members who can manage and direct themselves. However, some employees need more direction than others and might struggle to keep up with the team under a Laissez-Faire leadership style.
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3. Democratic leadership style
Leaders with a democratic leadership style value their member’s and colleagues’ opinions. In addition to this, They open up most decisions for debate which help team members to feel valued and appreciated.
Leader’s Tip
Take a more collaborative approach by promoting teamwork through shared goals, tasks, and decision-making.
4. Transactional leadership style
Leaders with transactional leadership styles value orders and systems. They set targets for employees and outline the rewards and penalties associated with that. As long as the give and take nature of this relationship is understood by team employees or team members, performance and productivity can thrive under a transactional leader.
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5. Transformational leadership Style
Transformational leaders exist to motivate teams and sell a company’s vision. Therefore, Under a transformational leader, employees feel empowered and loyal.
Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others — John Maxwell
Why is the autocratic leadership style is out of the ark?
Out of these 5 leadership styles, the Autocratic leadership style is outdated and seems to be outdated because, it does not welcome group solutions. These leaders give feedback that is often discouraging and alienates highly skilled employees. Meanwhile, these interactions create an environment of poor morale and discourage employees who fear for their job. They hardly raise concerts or share ideas due to fear that they may face humiliation and criticism.That’s why, Employees do not feel safe and rarely believe their leader. An autocratic approach may create secrecy and dishonesty between leaders and employees.
Leader’s Tip
Create an environment where honesty and openness are valued. Maintain an open line of communication, take criticism seriously, and get everyone’s input before making any major decisions.
When autocratic leadership is used too much in the organisation, employees learn to stay in their lane, keep their heads down and work hard. They do not need to think for themselves because they will be told how to think. Employees survive but generally, they don’t win. With the autocratic leadership style, employees often create allies and build a false sense of fellowship with each other through unproductive conversations involving complaints about leadership and discouragement that comes with feeling unheard.
Like all other leadership styles, the Autocratic leadership style also has some drawbacks.
Drawbacks of Autocratic leadership
1. Pressure on the leader
When the leader is the only one to decide in the organisation and determines the company’s strategy, they can easily feel overwhelmed. When an autocratic leader becomes burned out and cannot fulfil the duties. The rest of the team is ill-equipped to step in and take a lead as they have never been in that position. For employees where decision making is solely the manager’s job can mean a relatively low-stress environment. The employees don’t have to worry about anything beyond performing their job duties properly.
2. No flexibility
A significant drawback to working with an autocratic leader is the lack of flexibility in the workplace because the leader’s opinions are the only opinion that matters in terms of strategic planning and decision making. Employees can feel frustrated that they cannot work in ways that complement them. The lack of flexibility in the work environment can drive creativity and motivate employees away. This can mean the only people who remain working with the company are unmotivated and lazy individuals.
3. Worker resentment
This leadership style can cause employees to resent their leaders and even their organisations. An autocratic work environment is typically not friendly to innovations and outside the box thinking and this can lead workers to feel intellectually stifled.
FAQs
How do I know what my leadership style is?
The only way you can understand the type of leader you are is to assess your personality and examine the ruling characteristics of your personality. Pay attention to how your personality emerges in work, friendship and family environment.
What leadership style is not good?
Autocratic leadership style is outdated and seems to be outdated as it does not welcome group solutions. These leaders give feedback that is often discouraging and alienates highly skilled employees. Over time, these interactions create an environment of poor morale and discourage employees who fear for their job.
Key Takeaways
- authoritarian leadership is no longer advocated because of the negative effects it has on creativity, employee engagement, and teamwork.
- Today’s dynamic and diverse workplaces require leadership styles that foster teamwork by putting employees in positions of authority and responsibility.
- Effective leadership in the present period requires establishing credibility, encouraging open dialogue, and welcoming group input into decisions.