Know Different Leadership Styles And How it Impacts Employees

The output of an employee always depends on what style of leadership is being followed and what kind of work he or she does. A leadership style is nothing more than basic methods providing directions by a leader to handle certain issues in specific styles, implementing plans and strategies, and motivating employees in achieving goals. 

Leadership styles are not just executed at a 9 am-5 pm work bizz, but also in many fields such as defense, politics, business, and more. Many scholars believe that leadership styles cultivate discipline among employees to complete a given task successfully. 

Leadership styles help leaders understand their employees in a more profound manner. It tells them if the employees (their team members) are comfortable with the styles and how they feel about them, thus bridging the gap between the leaders and their employees.

Mentioned below are a few styles of leadership that has been mapped for our purpose:

Authoritarian Leadership Style

As the name suggests, authoritarian leadership is focused solely on the leaders. In this style of leadership, the leader (the boss) dictates policies, irrespective of what his/her team thinks. This style demands compliance; You follow what the leader says or you may not end up having a job. 

“It’s my way or the highway”

However, many scholars believe that this style would be an ideal way to progress in the business. The leaders believe that offering services that are free from errors through their expertise improves efficiency. This particular set of styles may not win hearts among the employees but sure delivers a consistent outcome.

  Example: The top industries that we know today such as Walmart, McDonald’s, Facebook follow this style of leadership. 

Transformational Leadership Style

Unlike autocratic leadership, this theory applies to companies where leaders work with their teams to bring the necessary changes to the system in terms of progress. Leaders offer motivation and bring changes through inspiration. 

The four elements that drive this theory of leadership style:

Idealized Influence: Influencing the team by incorporating strong work ethics and making them understand the consequences of their decisions. 

Individualized Consideration: Leaders will focus on understanding what the employees require and guide them by listening to their needs and wants. 

Intellectual Stimulation: Involves creative problem-solving techniques and encouraging innovation. Leaders who follow this style believe in more transparent work culture. 

Inspirational Motivation: Involves an emotional bond between the leaders and the employees. Leaders teach their team how important honesty and integrity are with exceptional communication skills. 

“Sometimes, I think my most important job as a CEO is to listen for the bad news. If you don’t act on it, your people will eventually stop bringing bad news to your attention and that is the beginning of the end.” – Bill Gates

Example: Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple)  believed in this theory of leadership as he was creative, passionate, and visionary. 

Participative Leadership Style

Also called the “Democratic Leadership Style”, this very style of leadership enhances the performance of employees by including them in the decision-making process. A leader who wants to follow this style of leadership will encourage his/her teams to participate and the leader becomes approachable. 

“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them” – John C.Maxwell

A company can have enormous problems, starting with employee morals, politics between the co-workers, or unable to crack a sales deal. In such cases, a good leader will table these issues with his/her team to solve the problem. That is when we realize that, the problems can have multi-solutions and can be dealt with differently. It is considered a good opportunity for a leader to understand the problem-solving skills of his/her employees.

Example: Jack Stahl, the president of Coca-Cola follows this theory of leadership. 

Managerial Grid Leadership Style

The leader who follows this particular style of leadership considers the personal preferences of the employees as well as productivity. Scholars believe that when the concern for people and results are high and on par, the outcome will be excellent. 

The Blake Mouton managerial grid theory is based on two behavioral dimensions:

Concern for people: Leaders take into account the demand of their team workers, their personal interests, and areas of development.

Concern for results: Leaders set desired goals for the organization and invest their time in ensuring greater efficiency and high productivity.

All the above-mentioned leadership styles should be chosen based on the characteristics of the audience (who follows these styles) and the demands of the organization. For example, participative leadership can be followed by leaders and employees who look for greater motivation and who desire to further increase their commitment towards their jobs. 

To enhance motivation, transformational leadership can be preferred. Likewise, it depends on the leader on what style of leadership he or she chooses for their teams.