Leadership styles refer to the different ways in which a leader directs, motivates, and supports their teams to achieve specific goals. Different leaders may adopt different styles, depending on their personality, values, and the nature of the organization or group they lead.
Each style has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, and the most effective leaders are often those who can adapt their style to suit the specific needs of their followers and the situation.
I made a list of the most common leadership styles with the purpose of comparing them.
I researched various sources, such as books and articles, to gather information on each style, including definitions, skills, benefits, and downsides.
Then I organized the information in a clear and concise manner in order to make it easy to compare the styles side-by-side. After that, I wrote articles about each style, going into more depth on the key characteristics and best practices for each style.
I did this in order to provide further information and context on the complexities of each style. Overall, my goal was to create a comprehensive resource that would be useful for anyone interested in learning more about leadership styles.
A summary of the leadership styles
1. Autocratic leadership
Definition: A leadership style in which the leader makes all decisions and gives orders without seeking input from others.
- Skills: Decision-making, assertiveness, and confidence.
- Benefits: Quick decision-making and clear lines of authority.
- Downsides: Lack of employee engagement and poor communication
- Read more: Autocratic Leadership In Crisis: Pros And Cons
2. Visionary leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader sets a clear, inspiring vision for the future and motivates others to work towards achieving it.
- Skills: Strategic thinking, creativity, and communication.
- Benefits: Inspiration, motivation and creativity.
- Downsides: May neglect day-to-day operations and lack attention to detail.
- Read more: Navigating Change: Visionary Leadership In Action
3. Transformational leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader inspires and motivates his team to achieve a higher level of performance and personal growth.
- Skills: Emotional intelligence, communication, and empathy.
- Benefits: High employee engagement, motivation, and commitment.
- Downsides: May neglect the implementation of day-to-day tasks.
- Read More: Transformational Leadership: Creating A Culture Of Excellence
4. Servant leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader focuses on serving the needs of their followers, rather than on their own power or status.
- Skills: Empathy, humility, and selflessness.
- Benefits: High employee engagement, motivation, and commitment.
- Downsides: May neglect the implementation of day-to-day tasks.
- Read More: The Powerful Impact Of Servant Leadership
5. Democratic leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader makes decisions in consultation with their followers, and encourages participation and input.
- Skills: Communication, collaboration, and delegation.
- Benefits: High employee engagement, motivation, and commitment.
- Downsides: Decision-making may be slow and lack of clear lines of authority.
- Read More: Democratic Leadership: The Power of Collective Decision Making
6. Laissez-Fair
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader gives minimal direction and allows their team members to make their own decisions.
- Skills: Trust, delegation, and communication.
- Benefits: High employee engagement, motivation, and commitment.
- Downsides: Lack of clear direction and oversight.
- Read more: Laissez-Faire Leadership for innovative and creative environments
7. Transactional leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader focuses on achieving specific goals through rewards and punishments.
- Skills: Goal-setting, planning, and monitoring.
- Benefits: Clear expectations and accountability.
- Downsides: Lack of employee engagement and motivation.
- Read more: Transactional Leadership: Leading With Rewards And Consequences
8. Charismatic leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader inspires and motivates team members through their personal charm and charisma.
- Skills: Communication, confidence, and charm.
- Benefits: High employee engagement, motivation, and commitment.
- Downsides: May neglect the implementation of day-to-day tasks.
- Read more: Charismatic Leadership: The Key To Success In Today’s World
9. Situational leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader adapts their approach to the specific situation and the needs of their followers.
- Skills: Flexibility, adaptability, and observation.
- Benefits: Effective leadership in a variety of situations.
- Downsides: May lack consistency and clear direction.
- Read More: 5 Benefits Of Situational Leadership
10. Strategic leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader focuses on long-term goals and plans, and aligns the organization’s resources and capabilities to achieve them.
- Skills: Strategic thinking, planning, and resource management.
- Benefits: Effective long-term planning and goal achievement.
- Downsides: May neglect day-to-day operations and lack attention to detail.
- Read more: Strategic Leadership: The best for Uncertainty and Change
11. Authentic leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader is transparent and genuine in their actions and decisions, and builds trust with their followers.
- Skills: Honesty, integrity, and self-awareness.
- Benefits: High employee engagement, motivation, and commitment.
- Downsides: May lack assertiveness and decisiveness.
- Read more: Authentic Leadership: How to Lead with Integrity and Purpose
12. Coaching leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader focuses on developing and mentoring their followers, helping them to improve their skills and reach their potential.
- Skills: Mentoring, teaching, and coaching.
- Benefits: High employee engagement, motivation, and commitment.
- Downsides: May neglect the implementation of day-to-day tasks.
- Read More: The Power Of Coaching Leadership: How To Empower Your Team
13. Bureaucratic leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader follows established rules, procedures, and regulations strictly.
- Skills: Attention to detail, organization, and adherence to rules.
- Benefits: Clear expectations and accountability.
- Downsides: Lack of employee engagement and motivation.
- Read More: Bureaucratic Leadership: When Rules And Procedures Matter
14. Positive leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader focuses on creating a positive and supportive environment for their followers, by promoting well-being, happiness, and a sense of purpose.
- Skills: Empathy, communication, emotional intelligence, and resilience.
- Benefits: High employee engagement, motivation, and commitment, low turnover rate, and positive work culture.
- Downsides: May lack assertiveness and decisiveness.
- Read more: Positive leadership in times of staff shortages and crisis management
15. Adaptive Leadership
- Definition: A leadership style in which the leader adapts to changing circumstances and challenges, and develops new skills and perspectives to remain effective in a rapidly changing environment.
- Skills: Flexibility, adaptability, change management, and lifelong learning.
- Benefits: Effective adaptation to change and challenges, renewed perspectives, and improved performance.
- Downsides: Possible lack of consistency and clear direction.
- Read more: The Power Of Adaptive Leadership: Leading In Uncertain Times
Identifying your main leadership style
Identifying your main leadership style is important because it allows you to understand your strengths and weaknesses as a leader, and to adapt your approach to better suit the needs of your team.
When you understand your own leadership style, you can make a conscious effort to play to your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses, making you more effective in leading your team or organization.
Additionally, identifying your leadership style can help you to understand how you are perceived by others, and to be more aware of how your behavior may be affecting the people around you.
This self-awareness can lead to better communication and relationship-building with your team and other stakeholders. Furthermore, it can also help you to understand how you might best work with and complement other leaders in a team setting, which can lead to greater overall effectiveness.
Which styles are easily combined in one person?
- Coaching and visionary leadership styles can be easily combined, as they share some similarities.
Both styles involve setting clear goals and working to develop the skills and potential of the followers.
A coaching leader focuses on developing and mentoring their followers, while a visionary leader sets a clear, inspiring vision for the future and motivates others to work towards achieving it.
These two styles can be complementary in that a leader who sets a clear vision for the future can also help the team to develop the skills to achieve it. - Authentic and servant leadership styles can also be easily combined.
Both styles involve being genuine and transparent in their actions and decisions and building trust with their followers.
An authentic leader is honest, integrity, and self-aware, while a servant leader focuses on serving the needs of their followers.
These two styles can be complementary, as a leader who is transparent and genuine in their actions and decisions can also have the best interest of their followers in mind. - Situational and strategic leadership styles can also be easily combined.
A situational leader adapts their approach to the specific situation and the needs of their followers, while a strategic leader focuses on long-term goals and plans, and aligns the organization’s resources and capabilities to achieve them.
These two styles can be complementary, as a leader who can adapt to the situation can also have a long-term plan in mind.
Please note that these are not the only combinations. A leader can and should use different styles depending on the situation and the follower’s needs.
Leadership styles that are difficult to combine in one person
It can be difficult for an individual leader to effectively combine certain leadership styles, particularly those that have contrasting or conflicting approaches. For example:
- Autocratic and democratic leadership styles are often difficult to combine, as they involve very different approaches to decision-making and employee participation.
An autocratic leader makes decisions independently and gives orders without seeking input from others, while a democratic leader encourages participation and input from their followers in decision-making. - Laissez-Faire and transactional leadership styles can also be difficult to combine as well.
Laissez-faire leaders give minimal direction and allow their followers to make their own decisions, while transactional leaders focuses on achieving specific goals through rewards and punishments. These two styles are fundamentally different in terms of how they approach direction, supervision, and accountability of the team. - Transformational and bureaucratic leadership styles can also be hard to combine. Transformational leadership style focuses on inspiring and motivating followers to achieve a higher level of performance and personal growth, while bureaucratic leadership style follows established rules, procedures, and regulations strictly. These two styles have different priorities and ways of approaching the management of their team and organization.
Mix and match
It can be tempting for organizations to adopt a single leadership style, as it can simplify decision-making and create a sense of consistency and predictability.
However, having a mix of leadership styles within an organization can be more effective in the long run.
Each leadership style has its own strengths and weaknesses, and different situations may call for different approaches.
A mix of leadership styles can help to create a more well-rounded and dynamic organization, with different leaders bringing their own unique skills and perspectives to the table.
Having different styles can lead to more effective decision-making, creativity, and problem-solving.
Furthermore, it can also help to foster a culture of learning and development within the organization, as different leaders can share their knowledge and experience with one another.
Recommended books
- Leadership and Self-Deception” by The Arbinger Institute – This book provides a unique perspective on leadership by exploring the ways in which self-deception can prevent leaders from being effective. It provides practical insights and tools for overcoming self-deception and becoming a more effective leader.
- “Leadership Challenge” by James Kouzes and Barry Posner – This book is a classic work on leadership styles, and it’s based on a five-year study of over 75,000 leaders. It provides practical insights and tools for leaders to improve their leadership abilities.
- “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander – This book provides a unique perspective on leadership by exploring the ways in which leaders can use creativity, innovation and possibility thinking to improve their leadership abilities.
- “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey – This book is a classic work on leadership styles, it provides a comprehensive framework for effective leadership based on seven habits that leaders can develop to improve their leadership abilities.
- “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” by Daniel H. Pink – This book provides insights into what motivates people and how leaders can use this understanding to improve their leadership abilities. It covers the concept of autonomy, mastery and purpose as the key drivers of motivation.
