Many people wonder, “what is a good leadership style?” There is no singular leadership style that is better than the rest. There are many different leadership styles, each with their unique strengths and weaknesses. Good leaders generally apply one style because it best fits their personality. Great leaders also have a general style; however, these leaders draw on the strengths of different leadership styles different situations. Although applying the strengths of the multiple leadership styles has the most significant positive impact, few leaders know how to leverage these strengths.
Throughout this article, we are going to look into the main different leadership styles you will find in the workplace, along with their strengths and weaknesses. You will also discover how you can leverage the advantages of these styles to enhance happiness at work.
Why People Have Different Leadership Styles
Leadership comes in many flavors, all with their unique strengths. You have probably seen several different types of leadership styles throughout your professional career, liking some and not others. Why are there so many leadership styles? The answer lies in a bit of nature versus nurture. A person’s personality and experience both come together to develop a leadership style.
Everyone has had different experiences in their lives, which have all affected how they viewed the concept of leadership. These differing experiences have conditioned them to believe that there is a particular style of leadership that is better than others, or at least one they feel the most comfortable using. The most successful leaders adopt traits and principles from a few different leadership styles. They will use one style a majority of the time while adapting it depending on the situation.
What Are the Different Styles of Leadership
There are many different styles of leadership. However, we are going to focus on the strengths and weaknesses of different leadership styles that are the most common in the workplace. When reading through these, consider which ones embody leadership for happiness at work to be higher.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is continuously improving strategies and applying new ways of making products. Larry Page, Founder of Google, is a good example. Employees working under transformational leadership are given tasks and goals to complete and attain, but these individuals will be pushed outside of their comfort zone. The philosophy here is that growth requires discomfort, so people are pushed to change and evolve continually. To make sure this type of leadership style sticks, it’s essential to manage change properly. With rapid change, simple goals can turn into complex ones. Reasonable due dates can become nail-biter deadlines. Creating challenging situations is a big part of this type of leadership.
Strengths:
- Greater opportunities for innovation
- Identify what is and is not working
- Maximize peoples strengths
Weaknesses:
- There are high levels of risk involved.
- There will be conflicts with employees who resist change
Charismatic Leadership
The most charming of the different leadership styles, charismatic leaders are incredibly charming and persuasive. Steve Jobs is one of the most iconic examples of this leadership style. This makes it easy for them to connect with people and mobilize them so that that specific goals can be attained. There is a certain appeal to this leadership style, which helps in the development of long-lasting and strategic business relationships. Charismatic leaders find it easy to inspire people with their words, creating loyalty to them and their vision.
Strengths:
- Easy to inspire and mobilize people to act on their vision and goals
- More approachable and make you feel comfortable around them
- Easier to develop durable and long-lasting business relationships
- Can mend poor relationships
Weaknesses:
- Dream big without understanding how to actualize their vision in the real world
- Focusing on the “big picture” and fostering relationships can lead to bypassing important technical and practical aspects of a plan
Laissez-Faire Leadership
People using this leadership style prefer to take a “hands off” approach when it comes to leading employees. It’s the Richard Branson approach to leadership. They implement this by delegating responsibilities for accomplishing tasks to the employees themselves. Besides some general guidelines for what the goals are, employees have plenty of creative direction that they can take. There is a trust placed into the hands of employees, while laissez-faire leaders focus on macro-level issues in the company. This is the best leadership style for fostering autonomy at work.
Strengths:
- Allows employees to take creative direction rather than be micromanaged
- Primes future leaders and make them readily identifiable
- Frees up a charismatic leader’s time to focus on macro-level goals and issues
Weaknesses:
- Tendency to hinder employee development
- Leads to overlooking opportunities for the growth of a company
Autocratic Leadership
The worst of the different leadership styles, a leader following an authoritarian style of leadership is the sole decision-maker in any situation. Jack Welch, CEO of GE, is an excellent example of an authoritarian leader. This is a coercive form of leadership, stemming from a narcissistic self-image, that demands absolute submission of their employees to them. They require everyone to do whatever the manager tells them to execute. They will not consider, or listen to, advice that anyone else may have who is a subordinate. Employees are given tasks and are expected to perform them. There is no room for negotiation with someone using autocratic leadership.
Strengths:
- Gets results because of the pressure put onto employees
- Performs well during times of crisis
Weaknesses:
- Thwarts creativity in employees
- No grooming of future leaders for the company
- Instills fear into employees, which can hinder useful and helpful input
- Conflicts may arise with strong-willed employees who challenge an autocratic leader
Democratic Leadership
Democratic leadership is the polar opposite of an autocratic leadership style. President Jimmy Carter is an example of democratic and participatory leadership. A leader using the democratic leadership style wants to get input and advice from their employees and generally leads by example. They will still make the final decision, but it is usually based on what others have shared with them. Democratic leadership gives everyone a voice over what the future direction of various aspects of a company vision is. It takes the board meeting approach to decision-making.
Strengths:
- Allows for the free expression of ideas and input, fostering collaboration
- Decisions are not hierarchical
- Engagement levels are high since employees have a say in decisions
Weaknesses:
- Appears as being indecisive, especially in crises
- Becomes time-consuming
Coaching Leadership
The coaching leadership style “coaches” employees in a way where they have their strengths come into the forefront. The Williams sisters, of Tennis fame, are two examples of leaders using this style. Strategic thinking is used to discover how best employees can work together. People with this leadership style have a growth mindset. A coaching leader wishes for their employees to become better people overall, achieving success in every area of their life. These leaders are focused on developing strong teams that know how to effectively communicate and apply everyone’s best skills to accomplish something.
Strengths:
- Fosters a sense of empowerment within an employee
- Motivates employees to work together, highlighting the strengths of each team member
- Becomes easy to identify future leaders within the company
Weaknesses:
- Less independence among employees, while simultaneously increasing the dependence on the leader
- Breaks down when teams and organization are too large
Leveraging Strengths in the Workplace for Happiness
Now that you see the strengths (and weaknesses) of each leadership style, you can identify how they can be applied to the workplace for higher productivity and happiness. The best styles of leadership for happiness have similar traits. A common quality of being a great leader is helping people lead themselves. Steve Jobs once said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” Jobs routinely focused on hiring smart people and maximized their strengths to create one of the greatest organizations in the world.
Wrapping Up
Throughout this article, we discussed the various leadership styles, along with their strengths and weaknesses. It’s essential to understand the multiple styles in being able to pick your own. While every leader has a default style, leaders can also apply other styles at different times to maximize their strengths. When leaders maximize their strengths, they can leverage those strengths to maximize the strengths of their workers, which is proven to lead to greater happiness overall.
TLDR: Find your unique leadership style and maximize its strengths to maximize the strengths of your employees, which enhances happiness at work.
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