Types of leadership styles

You’ve probably worked with several managers or leaders in your career and if you reflect back – each of them was different in their style, approach to problems and people and you can’t really pinpoint what made them all successful.

One thing for sure is that they made you feel like you mattered, belonged and were valued. You also learnt loads of technical and ‘soft’ skills and a few life lessons along the way (hopefully!).

If there were a clear-cut answer to what makes a great leader, we would be mass-producing them for sure. But in fact, it is the variety of styles, team dynamics and situations they face at work that matter. Very few business and people contexts are the same; therefore, leadership styles differ as well.

Think about the leaders you worked with and one you want to be and have a read through the below types of leadership styles:

1. Autocratic Leadership

An autocratic leader makes decisions unilaterally, often without much input or feedback from their team. Before you say, ‘This doesn’t work for me,’ - this can be efficient and effective in situations that require quick decisions or when the leader has significantly more expertise than the rest of the team.

Think about crisis situations or military and defence, think about massive business problems and high-stakes decision-making, chaos and a clock ticking to find a way out of the situation.

Pros: Quick decision-making, clear direction.

Cons: Can be demotivating, stifles innovation.

2. Democratic Leadership

Also known as participative leadership, democratic leaders actively seek input and feedback from their team members before making decisions. This style encourages collaboration and fosters a sense of ownership among team members.

You feel included and engaged in the common good, and your sense of belonging is strong here. If autocratic leadership is for crisis, then democratic leadership is for ‘peace’ times – could work well in creative, education or service-based industries, or non-profit organisations.

Pros: Boosts team morale, encourages creativity.

Cons: Decision-making can be slow.

3. Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders inspire and motivate their teams by setting a vision and encouraging their team members to go above and beyond for the leaders, the teams and for themselves.

They are passionate, enthusiastic and work to foster a culture of innovation and excellence – and so they often thrive in start-ups, creative industries, R&D teams, environmentally-friendly or non-profit organisations. You feel their presence and significance, although sometimes you can’t explain it in words.

Pros: Highly motivational, promotes innovation.

Cons: Can be demanding and sometimes overlook operational details.

4. Transactional Leadership

This style is more about processes, rules, and rewards – things that transformative leader may overlook. Leaders using this style offer rewards (bonuses, promotions) for good performance and will sanction or fire team members who don’t meet expectations. Context doesn’t matter much as rules are everything. It is often seen in manufacturing, retail, sales, military, etc.

Pros: Clear structure, easy to implement.

Cons: Can be limiting, lacks inspiration.

5. Laissez-Faire Leadership

It’s French for “let it be” or Free Rein. Leaders using this style offer a lot of autonomy to their team members. They trust their team to make decisions and only intervene when necessary. Very often they polarise people; some love this and thrive in such environments, while others will call them lazy or ‘wallpaper’; they are just there not doing anything, questioning the need for them.

This style is dependent on the dynamics of the team, for sure; often found in highly-skilled professions, higher education, freelance workers environments, or creative industries.

Pros: Empowers team members, promotes creativity.

Cons: Can lead to a lack of direction, which is not ideal for less experienced teams.

6. Servant Leadership

Servant leaders put the needs of their team members first. They focus on personal growth, well-being, and success of their team, believing that if their team thrives, success will follow. This style works well in team sports, start-ups, religious organisations, customer service environments, etc.

Pros: Fosters trust and collaboration, promotes long-term growth.

Cons: Might lack authority, slower decision-making.

7. Charismatic Leadership

Charismatic leaders use their charm, personality, energy and communication skills to inspire and motivate. They can easily rally people behind a cause – think about leaders from American films who lead successful ‘rags to riches’ stories or teams, but also politics, media, fashion, PR, start-ups, sales and marketing teams.

Pros: Highly motivational, can create a passionate team.

Cons: Runs the risk of being too personality-centric; if the leader leaves, the team may suffer.

8. Situational Leadership

Situational leaders adapt their style based on the current situation and the competency levels of their team members. This could usually be adopted with mature, well-established teams. They might be more directive with a new team member but adopt a laissez-faire approach with an experienced one.

Because of being highly adaptive, leaders using this style may come across as playing games, unclear, unstable, given if they get results. Some team members may question this approach, especially if workplace rules and policies in place are strict. Leaders adopting this style can be found in project-based or consulting companies, retail, hospitality or education, as an example.

Pros: Highly adaptive, meets individual needs.

Cons: Requires deep understanding and evaluation of each situation.

9. Bureaucratic Leadership

Leaders follow established procedures and ensure that team members also strictly follow procedures. This style would work well in particular environments and cultures and with complete acceptance from the team that this is needed, e.g., government or public administration, military, banking and finance.

Any attempt at leading this way without the team's approval would be short-lived and branded as micromanaging and old-fashioned.

Pros: Works well in structured environments where safety or quality are paramount.

Cons: Can be rigid and stifle creativity.

10. Coaching Leadership

Leaders as coaches focus on the development of their team members – a very similar style to servant leadership in the sense of focus on personal growth and confidence that lead to the success of individuals and team success. It is often seen in professional sports, HR departments, consulting or education.

Pros: Emphasizes feedback, one-on-one sessions, long-term professional growth.

Cons: Can lead to a highly skilled and motivated team but requires time and patience.

11. Visionary Leadership

Leaders articulate a vivid vision for the future and inspire the team. It’s so particular that it works in specific environments with a bigger mission, purpose, and uncharted territory. Likely to work in technology start-ups, creative environments, R&D teams. A visionary leader would undoubtedly need support from others to continue to thrive.

Pros: Encourages innovation and a long-term perspective.

Cons: Requires a clear and compelling vision to be effective.

12. Affiliative Leadership

Leaders using this style emphasise building good relationships among team members. It would need to have clearly defined objectives and an environment that requires this style to be effective; most likely this style could be observed in non-profit organisations, healthcare or education.

Pros: Focuses on harmony, resolving conflicts, building emotional bonds.

Cons: Can lead to a strong, cohesive team but risks avoiding tough decisions or feedback.

The reality is that a true leader uses their common sense, analytical skills and emotional intelligence in a situation in front of them to apply a blend of skills and approaches that would work best. In many ways, an effective style comes from the team dynamics and what it takes to make a collective of individual personalities, skills and experiences into a functioning, effective team.

If leaders stay rigid in their ways of being and treat every situation the same way, they are not effective, successful, or a leader.

---

Sign up for my Saturday newsletter Leading Self & Others, for my thoughts and practical tips on creating leadership impact and high-performance.