Seven Key Leadership Styles Every Manager Should Know

By Aaryan Variya

Blogger and Graphic Designer at Compel Consultants

Leadership style influences everything from team motivation and conflict resolution to project success and workplace culture. Understanding different leadership styles helps managers adapt, connect with diverse teams, and lead more effectively.

Whether you’re managing a startup team or overseeing a department in a large corporation, knowing which leadership style to use - and when - is critical for long term success.

Let's consider some leadership styles and their impact on business success. Maybe you can relate? Maybe one or more of these is your home base? Maybe you have had a successful leader emulate many of them?

1. Autocratic Leadership

Success is within reach! A Leader can direct a team so everyone achieves together. - WIX Graphics

Autocratic managers make prompt and solo decisions. They don't wait around

and they rarely ask for input or consensus.

This style is useful in crisis or in a scenario where decisions need to be made without bringing it to a group.

When the building is on fire, you need leadership to say "out that door, now!". Sometimes, you don't want a committee meeting.

Maybe it's not an emergency, maybe your leader just has a lot of experience and is a subject matter expert. In this case, why deliberate? It's important to note that overuse can really plummet team morale.

Style: Prompt decisions with clear direction

When to use: When time is of the essence but ensure teams' involvement not to disengage.

2. Democratic Leadership

  All aboard! Democratic leaders help innovative collaborative teams brainstorm ideas. - WIX Graphics

Democratic leaders seek feedback and suggestions before making a decision. It fosters collaboration and ownership, especially in design or strategy planning groups.

This is a great option when you need to think outside the box or you want to get a high level of buy in from everyone on the team. Diversity makes us stronger and different experiences and considerations can help us come up with better, healthier options that in the end most can be proud of.

Still, it can slow things down and if managed poorly, you may end up with polarizing sides, so be careful!

For some, democratic leaders can come off as in-decisive and your goals may lack direction with so many voices. Also, it can start to feel like talk, talk, talk and more meetings after meeting about meetings with nothing actually getting done.

Style: You'll notice those who like to encourage participation may be democratic leaders

When to use: When innovation and agreement are necessary.

3. Transformational Leadership

  It takes courage, energy & time to successfully transform an organization, but it's worth it! - WIX Graphics

Transformational leaders motivate their teams with vision and high energy levels. They focus on change, innovation, and long-term goals.

Have you ever met someone who thinks of the people around them as the assets of the company? Who feels strongly that everyone has something great to offer?

Have you ever had a mentor or been a mentor to others? This takes a lot of time and energy and there are always setbacks, but few things are as rewarding as helping people grow.

Style: Those who want to invest in others by initiating change and those who are focused on continual development.

When to use: Use this style to create passion and lead teams through large-scale change.

4. Transactional Leadership

  The Carrot or the Stick? What motivates you might not motivate others. - WIX Graphics

Transactional leaders rely on explicit rules, formal jobs, and rewards or punishment. It's effective in systems requiring consistency and productivity.

We all need structure and for many of us, if we can't understand how to be successful at a goal, we lose interest. Having a SMART goal is much more rewarding than something full of potential but lacking in execution.

This is very much a "less talk, more walk" action mindset.

Style: This is for those who work best with routine, who depend on known structures and who are performance-driven; who are accountable and want to be rewarded for their efforts.

When to use: It's a great fit for sales teams or production groups who depend on set quotas or metrics such as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

5. Laissez-Faire Leadership

  The laid-back style of "Laissez-faire" leaders might sound cool until deadlines are missed. - WIX Graphics

Laissez-faire leaders give their team members autonomy and minimal supervision. This kind of leader is well-suited to highly skilled, self-motivated experts.

There are times when having a very causal leadership style is helpful, especially if your culture might resist micromanagement. This requires a great deal of trust, so it can work in a situation when a team is given card blanche to get the job done.

You'll have a higher chance of success If the individuals come with bona-fides and a history of "proof in the pudding" results. Unfortunately, the extra dose of confidence that comes with Laissez-faire style leadership may result in an unbalanced workloads if accountability is lacking.

Style: Those who exhibit a very "hands-off" leadership style. The downside is you might not find out that this style is not working until it's too late.

When to use: Best for specialists, solo-artists, technology, research or design teams that work best to innovate with a certain degree of freedom.

6. Servant Leadership

  Servant Leaders support the entire team by doing what is best for the collective good. - WIX Graphics

Servant leaders prioritize the needs of their team. They listen, build trust, and enable others to grow.

This is a more modern way of leading and it's becoming prominent as groups and workplaces are becoming more inclusive and diverse. In the best cases, team members become highly self-functioning, but in some cases, some members may become overly co-dependent on the leader if the leader doesn't step back from time to time.

Tip: Sometimes it's OK to let people fall. Of course you should catch them! But mistakes can be powerful moments that build trust and develop character.

Style: You may recognize this when leaders seem to place the team needs ahead of their own; in a sense, they wish to serve the end-result while they lead by example.

When to use: Excellent for building robust team culture and long-term employee engagement.

7. Coaching Leadership

Discussing the performance of your business as a group helps set expectations. - WIX Graphics

Coaching leaders guide employees through direction and feedback to help them establish personal and professional goals

After on-boarding new employees a leader may need to train them to get them up to speed in a new role When someone has a basic level of experience at a task, but the situation requires refinement, coaching may be helpful.

When a performance gap is found, leaders may try to determine "is this problem of will or a problem of skill?" If it's skill, we can usually coach to it. If it's a problem of will, it may be that the person has been trained and no amount of coaching will produce significant improvement.

Often, finding the right mix of motivation - intrinsic and extrinsic, reward or punishment, individual or in group form can really help. A skilled coach can help most through open and honest feedback and showing they care.

Style: Leaders who are focused on development and helping each participant achieve their best.

When to use: Ideal for growing talent and maximizing individual potential

In Summary

These seven styles allow managers to transition effectively between teams, challenges, and goals. Effective leaders tend to blend styles depending on the situation - honing emotional intelligence, communication, and strategic thinking in the process.

Strong leadership equals strong business. Being able to know when and how to apply these styles is the secret to building strong teams, increasing productivity, and building sustainable success.

By Aaryan Variya

Blogger and Graphic Designer at Compel Consultants

Get your hands up! During the day I'm helping you reach your goals, but at night I'm making you dance! Soon I'll be in Italy to showcase my skills as a DJ and Music Producer. Drop me a link. I love to work with artists around the globe.

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