What Is Autocratic Leadership? – 5 Examples, Books to Read

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking.

Henry Ford

What is Autocratic Leadership?

Generally, Defining autocratic Leadership is a type of Leadership in which the leader takes control over the entire plan, and there is very little engagement of the employees or team members.

Who is an Autocratic Leader?

An authoritarian leader is one who makes all the decisions and hence takes very little input from the rest of the group members. In addition, He makes decisions or choices solely based on his convictions and does not seek guidance or suggestions from others.

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What is an Autocratic leadership style?

Also, autocratic leadership is a self-leadership style in which one person is definitely a leader or a member of the organization and makes decisions on the company’s behalf.This form of Leadership is particularly common in small organizations with a limited number of employees.

Leader’s Tip
Make the transition to a more participative leadership style by incorporating team members in decision-making and cultivating a collaborative environment.

What is Autocratic leadership theory?

Autocratic leadership theory is also known as authoritarian leadership theory; autocratic leadership theory entails seizing command of a group in the same way that a tyrant commands a country.

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5 Examples of autocratic leaders

So, Here are examples of some inspirational leaders who followed autocratic leadership style-

1. Bill Gates-Overall, His management style is a blend of authoritarian and participative. He’s a skilled delegator of responsibilities, but he also recognizes the need to fully utilize his team members’ abilities. Microsoft’s remarkable success was due to this blend of styles.
2. Abraham Lincoln– As a result of President Lincoln’s authoritarian leadership style was the abolition of slavery, which had a tremendous and long-lasting impact on America.
3. Napoleon Bonaparte– Generally, The French Revolution’s military leader was notorious for his autocratic leadership style. Also, He commanded a huge army without sharing his ideas with anyone.
4. Kim Jong-un– Perhaps he is one of the most well-known examples of an autocratic leader because of the government of North Korea, where all three branches of government are under his control.
5. Elon Musk– Obviously, One of the most powerful CEO and entrepreneur of today’s era, he is undoubtedly a dogmatic and contentious leader. Also, He has consistently supervised prosperity and success at almost all of his different firms, including Tesla and SpaceX, where he used an autocratic leadership style.

 What are 5 Ways to Become an Autocratic Leader?

Here are the characteristics that you need to adopt to be a good autocratic leader, such as:

1. Allows little or no involvement from group members
2. Takes almost all of the decisions solo.
3. Create a highly organized and rigid environment.
4. Establishes norms and tends to be specified and conveyed
5. Discourages creativity

What are 5 Autocratic Leader Qualities?

Thus,Here are leadership traits-

1. The leader is a sole decision-maker
2. Have clear expectations for employees
3. Have Strong rules
4. Have A structured work schedule
5. Takes all the responsibility for the work

Leader’s Tip
To sustain employee engagement and morale, leaders should balance autocratic tendencies with effective communication and active listening.

5 Differences b/w autocratic and transformational leadership

Transformational and autocratic Leadership are opposite of each other

1. However, Vision and inspiration are the foundations of transformational Leadership; commands are the foundations of authoritarian Leadership.
2. High staff involvement is a hallmark of transformational Leadership, whereas poor employee engagement is a hallmark of authoritarian Leadership.
3. It is based on power, but transformational Leadership is based on trust and motivation.
4. It allows for quick decisions, whereas transformational Leadership takes longer.
5. Transformational Leadership is best suited to change; autocratic Leadership is equally suited to maintaining the status quo and implementing change.

5 Advantages & Disadvantages of Autocratic Leadership

Here are 5 Advantages:

1. Provides structure
2. It relieves stress.
3. Provides guidance
4. Facilitates decision-making
5. Effective crisis management

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Here are five disadvantages:

1.    There isn’t much space for innovation

2.    Aversion to change.

3.    High rate of turnover

4.    Low morale

5.    Creates a dependence system

Autocratic Leadership Books

Here are books-

1. Autocratic Leadership: A Basic Introduction by Louis Bevoc
2. Parallels in Autocratic Leadership by Wolfgang Mack

FAQs

Key Takeaways

• It emphasises strong control, top-down decision-making, and little employee empowerment.
• Similarly, It can be useful in crisis situations or when quick decisions are necessary, but it can stifle creativity and employee motivation.
• A more interactive leadership style promotes employee empowerment, fosters creativity, and boosts team morale and productivity.