Types Of Leadership: The 7 Most Common Management Styles
Do you think you are a good leader? Do you know what types of leadership are the best to achieve all of your team’s objectives? Discover management styles and which ones will lead you to success.
A leadership style refers to the characteristic behaviors of a leader when leading, motivating, guiding and managing groups of people. Great leaders can inspire political movements and social change. They can also motivate others to perform, create and innovate.
When you start to consider the different types of leadership or leadership styles, on many occasions they refer to great figures who clearly correspond to completely different leadership models. In this way, researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that allow us to better identify and understand these different examples of leadership.
Despite the leadership It implies that there is teamwork, when we refer to the different types of leaders we are pointing out something that goes far beyond a group. The person who exercises or has the responsibility of leading the team must have the ability to make decisions that will determine the work capacity.
The leaders They must be able to direct the rest, take responsibility for each of the decisions in addition to knowing what the qualities of all the team members are in order to know how to take advantage of them. All of this, always with the determining factor that it must be accepted by others.
Characteristics of leaders
Although there are different types of leadership, leaders and leadership They share a number of characteristics despite having completely different management styles. When someone has the following skills, it means that we are dealing with a person qualified for leadership.
Responsibility
One of the main characteristics of a business leader or in society, is the ability to use power efficiently and responsibly. This refers to knowing how to direct power, not abuse it and use it responsibly; It is known that many leaders do not know how to channel power and end up acting in an authoritarian manner with their collaborators.
Comprehension
All the types of bosses, have the ability to understand that all human beings have different motivational forces, depending on occasions and situations. Well-executed leadership understands the employee’s ways of acting, understands the differences in terms of a circumstance. Therefore, plan different types of motivation that adapt to the situations, achieving stability in your group.
Inspiration
A leader must have the ability to inspire each of the members of the group in charge. Inspire, does not refer to the confidence of the members with the leader in question but to the example that this shows as a reference for others.
Motivation
Another of the capabilities shared by the different types of leadership is the ability to act in a way that develops a climate conducive to responding to and eliciting motivations. The climate, that is, the work environment of the employees, is very important, therefore a leader must always keep it in balance and as a source of motivation for each collaborator. The development of these characteristics is fundamental and effective for the group to be treated.
As we have already said, there are many different types of boss or leaders Despite this, the vast majority of people who have the capacity for leadership share these characteristics that are decisive in leading a team to achieve its objectives.
Types of leadership
There are different leadership models with which to identify leaders and their way of leading. Among the most common are the following.
1. Business Leadership
This leadership has closely to do with the organizations, collaborators and the company’s objectives. Business leadership falls mostly on the director or manager of the organization he or she directs. This business leader must seek the acceptance of the collaborators, ensuring that the different wills of the employees are agreed upon until they become the same will that goes towards the objective set by the company.
He business leadership It is one of the management styles that is vital for a corporation, since the success of the company in terms of productivity and profitability depends on it. Likewise, the team must be sufficiently integrated to be able to accept the directions, suggestions, advice, among other ideas that the leader asks to follow. Without a doubt, it is important that the human group that is led in an organization has the possibility of identifying the capacity for command, organization and direction that the leader exercises over them.
Characteristics of the business leader
Find a way to keep each collaborator happy with the work he develops expressing their opinions and ideals, but combining them with the main interest of the company.
Look for there to be productivity in each of the workers
It’s a Referrer for anyone who works in the company
The business leader is a good strategist
charismatic person with great command capacity.
2. Transactional Leadership
He transactional leadership refers to business leadership focused on exchange. The law of transactional leadership is very simple, the concept prevails in that the worker performs his services obtaining a salary for it, along with other benefits; while the leader recognizes the employee for his services, ‘rewarding him’ with the salary and benefits of law.
He transactional leader understands that to achieve business objectives, it is necessary to recognize the work of collaborators by providing them with interests and rewards.
Characteristics of a transactional leader
Assertiveness, these types of leadership are characterized by knowing communicate very good with your team
They know reward or point out efforts and mistakes firmly
They never lose sight of their goals
Quickly view the weaknesses and virtues of your employees
They trust in each of the members of your team.
3. Transformational Leadership
He transformational leadership It is widely used within the business field, in this article we will tell everything about transformational leadership.
But to start correctly we will go back to the beginnings of the concept as such. These types of business leadership It is a concept that was introduced by an authority in leadership studies James MacGregor Burns, who said that transformational leadership is carried out when “Leaders and followers do with each other to advance to a higher level of morale and motivation”.
This is how MacGregor develops a theory where leader It plays not only a role of power, but also an example of morality and motivation, working hand in hand with collaborators. This theory is based on the change that one’s own example is capable of projecting. This theory, some time later, is enriched thanks to Bernard M. Bass, who is another leadership expert. Burns develops MacGregor’s first concept, adding ideas, achieving what is known today as Bass. “Transformational Leadership Theory”.
So he transformational leadership is the process in which a leader seeks to deeply penetrate his collaborators, so that they work together through a higher level of morale and motivation, achieving the company’s objectives.
They value all their collaborators, the worker is much more than a tool to earn money; Before that, he is a person and deserves well-being.
To this style of leadership takes into account thoughts of their workers or team, what the collaborator thinks or opines is of importance.
Offers congratulations, motivation and inspiration in the functions performed by the collaborator in the organization.
Has team values Everything that is done is done together, it knows how to give recognition for the success of the company.
Capacity of take a risk so it is considered good.
A transformational leader It makes your workers feel comfortable in your organization, linking them to the project, so that they feel it as theirs. They consider that the worker is important to their company, which is why they give them enough trust, giving them their example, to form a good organization on a human and business level.
4. Situational Leadership
Hesituational leadership It is another leadership style that not only applies to the business environment, but also applies to every aspect of our lives.
When we refer to situational leadership, we are pointing to a leadership model that can be assumed according to the situation in which the leaders find themselves. The success of this style depends on the level of development of the employees, as well as the leadership capacity of who is in charge of the human group.
It is possible to assume different types of leadership styles Depending on the circumstance, this is quite good because it allows the best of each style to be highlighted, for different positions.
Knowing how to choose which leadership style or management styles is appropriate for each moment, it will be a virtue that the leader will know how to develop; This leadership must adapt to the needs of the group, so that it is effective.
Characteristics of the situational leader
Directive behavior: It is aimed at the development of the task as such, according to the functions that the leader defines. It tells how to do the task, when to do it and controls each result.
Supportive behavior: It is aimed at the development of the group as a whole. This is where the team leader manages to foster group participation and cohesion; since this will guarantee the improvement of the organization, in addition to motivating the members of the company.
He situational leadership It not only applies to the business environment, but to any aspect of our lives, from the family or personal sphere.
5. Democratic leadership
He democratic leadership refers to those leaders who are capable of making decisions based on each of the opinions of the team members. In this way, although the leader has the last word, anyone in the group can provide the direction and strategy that will be carried out.
This type of leadership It is one of the most effective since it allows everyone in the group to take relevance in each of the actions that become effective. Therefore, people end up feeling more important and take a more active role thanks to these command styles.
Characteristics of the democratic leader
Practice the active listening making any of your team’s contributions relevant.
These leadership models stimulate sense of belonging in a group.
Knows delegate tasks and trust fully in the capabilities of all members of your team.
Does not create a competition within the group and knows how to promote joint results.
6. Autocratic leadership
A autocratic leadership It is mainly characterized by individual decision making by leaders. In this way, the rest of the group is not considered or consulted and only receives instructions from these types of bosses.
In these management styles we can only find negative things. So much so that it makes people feel undervalued and can even have consequences on the psychological health of each of its members.
Characteristics of the autocratic leader
The authority focuses only on leaders
It’s a unidirectional type of leadership where employees can only obey the orders of leaders
Has a very rigid structure and little open
They usually follow some very strict rules that leave no room for creativity
7. Laissez-faize leadership
He laissez faire leadership It is one of the least intrusive management styles. In this way, leaders adapt completely to what their employees say and follow their instructions almost to the letter.
The employees in this types of leadership They take a very important role in the company and end up having almost absolute power in the organization.
Characteristics of the laissez-faire leader
Leaders with a passive role within the company, they do not decide and let the employees take control
There are some clear rules that must be followed
Employees have case absolute power of the company
These are some of the types of leadership that exist in any group or team. In many cases these management styles take on a very relevant role for professional and personal development within an organization. It is for this reason that it is very important to develop good work both at leadership level as well as with employees. To do this, you can always count on the help of a professional psychologist with whom you can develop the best team strategy for your company. Unity is always strength.
