1. PopularLeadership theoriesandstyles
The leadershiptheoriesandstylesdiscussedsofarfitwithinformal theoretical frameworks.However,
manymore termsare usedto describe leadershipstyles,evenif these don'tfitwithinaparticular
system.It's worthunderstandingthese!
1. Autocratic leadership
Autocraticleadershipisanextremeformof transactional leadership,where leadershave absolute
powerovertheirworkersorteam.Staff and teammembershave little opportunitytomake suggestions,
evenif these wouldbe inthe team'sorthe organization'sbestinterest.
Most people tendtoresentbeingtreatedlike this.Therefore,autocraticleadershipoftenleadstohigh
levelsof absenteeismandstaff turnover.However,forsome routine andunskilledjobs,the stylecan
remaineffective becausethe advantagesof control mayoutweighthe disadvantages.
2. Bureaucratic leadership
Bureaucraticleaderswork"bythe book."Theyfollow rulesrigorously,andensure thattheirstaff follows
proceduresprecisely.Thisisaveryappropriate style forworkinvolvingserioussafetyrisks(suchas
workingwithmachinery,withtoxicsubstances,orat dangerousheights)orwhere large sumsof money
are involved(suchashandlingcash).
3. Charismatic leadership
A charismaticleadershipstylecanseemsimilartotransformational leadership,because these leaders
inspire lotsof enthusiasmintheirteamsandare veryenergeticindrivingothersforward.However,
charismaticleaderscantendto believe more inthemselvesthanintheirteams,andthiscreatesarisk
that a project,or evenanentire organization,mightcollapseif the leaderleaves.Inthe eyesof the
followers,successisdirectlyconnectedtothe presence of the charismaticleader.Assuch,charismatic
leadershipcarriesgreatresponsibility,anditneedsalong-termcommitmentfromthe leader.
4. Democratic leadershipor participative leadership
Althoughdemocraticleadersmake the final decisions,theyinviteothermembersof the teamto
contribute to the decision-makingprocess.Thisnotonlyincreasesjobsatisfactionbyinvolvingteam
members,butitalsohelpstodeveloppeople'sskills.Teammembersfeel incontrol of theirowndestiny,
so they're motivatedtoworkhardby more than justa financial reward.
Because participationtakestime,thisapproachcantake longer,butoftenthe endresultisbetter.The
approach can be most suitable whenworkingasateam isessential,andwhenqualityismore important
than speedtomarket,or productivity.
5. Laissez-faire leadership

2. ThisFrenchphrase means"leave itbe,"andit's usedto describe leaderswholeavetheirteammembers
to workon theirown.It can be effective if the leadermonitorswhat'sbeingachievedandcommunicates
thisback to the teamregularly.Mostoften,laissez-faire leadershipiseffectivewhenindividual team
membersare veryexperiencedandskilledself-starters.Unfortunately,thistype of leadershipcanalso
occur whenmanagersdon'tapplysufficientcontrol.
6. People-orientedleadershiporrelations-orientedleadership
Thisis the opposite of task-orientedleadership.Withpeople-orientedleadership,leadersare totally
focusedonorganizing,supporting,anddevelopingthe people intheirteams.It'sa participative style,
and ittendsto encourage goodteamworkandcreative collaboration.
In practice,mostleadersuse bothtask-orientedandpeople-orientedstylesof leadership.
7. Servant leadership
Thisterm,createdby RobertGreenleaf inthe 1970s, describesaleaderwho isoftennotformally
recognizedassuch.Whensomeone,atanylevel withinanorganization,leadssimplybymeetingthe
needsof the team,he or she is describedasa "servantleader."
In manyways,servantleadershipisaform of democraticleadership,becausethe whole teamtendsto
be involvedindecisionmaking.
Supportersof the servantleadershipmodelsuggestthatit'san importantwayto move aheadina world
where valuesare increasinglyimportant,andwhere servantleadersachieve poweronthe basisof their
valuesandideals.Othersbelievethatincompetitiveleadershipsituations,people whopractice servant
leadershipcanfindthemselvesleftbehindbyleadersusingotherleadershipstyles.
8. Task-Orientedleadership
Highlytask-orientedleadersfocusonlyongettingthe jobdone,andtheycan be quite autocratic.They
activelydefine the workandthe rolesrequired,putstructuresinplace,plan,organize,andmonitor.
However,because task-orientedleadersdon'ttendtothinkmuchabout the well-beingof theirteams,
thisapproach can suffermanyof the flawsof autocratic leadership,withdifficultiesinmotivatingand
retainingstaff.
9. Transactional leadership
Thisstyle of leadershipstartswiththe ideathatteammembersagree toobeytheirleadertotallywhen
theyaccept a job.The "transaction"isusuallythe organizationpayingthe teammembersinreturnfor
theireffortandcompliance.The leaderhasa rightto "punish"teammembersif theirworkdoesn'tmeet
the pre-determinedstandard.
Team memberscandolittle toimprove theirjobsatisfactionundertransactionalleadership.The leader
couldgive teammemberssome control of theirincome/rewardbyusingincentivesthatencourage even
higherstandardsor greaterproductivity.Alternatively,atransactional leadercouldpractice

3. "managementbyexception" –ratherthan rewardingbetterwork,the leadercouldtake corrective
actionif the requiredstandardsare notmet.
Transactional leadershipisreallyatype of management,notatrue leadershipstyle,because the focusis
on short-termtasks.Ithas seriouslimitationsforknowledge-basedorcreative work,howeveritcanbe
effectiveinothersituations.
10. Transformational leadership
As we discussedearlier,peoplewiththisleadershipstyle are true leaderswhoinspire theirteams
constantlywithasharedvisionof the future.While thisleader'senthusiasmisoftenpassedontothe
team,he or she can needtobe supportedby"detail people."That'swhy,inmanyorganizations,both
transactional andtransformational leadershipare needed.The transactional leaders(ormanagers)
ensure thatroutine workisdone reliably,whilethe transformationalleaderslookafterinitiativesthat
add newvalue.