Leadership Styles

The other day, I was asked about leadership styles. Which one is most effective? Which one do you think you fit into? Leading a team to accomplish or exceeding goals can take on many different shapes. There really is no one size fits all. There is a basic understanding of the various styles. Within each style there are many different names for them as well. Almost as many as the number of leaders that are out there.

From a high level I believe that there are 5 different styles:

1. Transactional Leadership:  Probably the most common of leadership styles. It is basically the belief that the team or individuals obey the “leader” for financial gain. Doing their job to get paid. Leaders reward those that do well. Leaders “punish” those that do not. This probably sounds harsh. We all have seen it in action! There are benefits. Everyone understands the various roles from the onset. The big downfall is that the team and individuals really don’t have much job satisfaction with no real room for job growth. Better suited for short-term projects with real hard deadlines.
2. Charismatic Leadership:  Charismatic leaders are those with the ability to inspire, energize and motivate their team members. Having the ability to create excitement and enthusiasm within team members is obviously an enormous benefit for any leader. This one sounds great, but for most charismatic leaders they tend to believe in themselves more than the team. Those leaders really seem to think they can do no wrong.
3. Participative Leadership:  With this style you most take a more balanced approach. You need to include your team in the decision-making process and encourage creativity and problem solving. Benefits with this one is that the team members usually have the highest job satisfaction because their opinions are valued. When speed and efficiency are key (especially in crisis) – this style will not work.
4. Hands-off Leadership:  It is the leader that gives total control to their team. They get to set their own milestones and goals – then accomplish the work. Sometimes the leader may lend some advice, but for the most part, hands-off. This one may seem a bit free flowing and scary, it can work if the leader has a mature team and is active in the monitoring and follow-up with the team. The bad is if the team is not good at managing their own time or lack the skills to accomplish the tasks.
5. People/Results Oriented Leadership:  People-oriented leaders are focused on the people: organizing, supporting and developing team members. This style breeds good teamwork and collaboration among the team. The one issue that comes to my mind with this style is that there could be a cost of putting too much emphasis on the development of the team and individuals over the overall success of the project or goals.

From the above list of styles, there really is no “perfect” style. It all comes down to what is it you working on. Do you have a very short term, crisis like project? Are you, as the leader, capable of letting go when necessary? Is your team new, developing or mature? To me, great leaders know when to use the right style for the right situation. Like a golfer knows which club to use for what yardage they need! Chose wisely!

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