Leaders of a team or a company have a responsibility to guide and inspire its members. Regardless of the industry in which it operates, a business needs someone to take on this responsibility. And this person should know the leadership styles that exist and which ones to adopt.
It is important to make this distinction, because for some people leadership means authoritarianism, while others may prefer a more democratic profile. The important thing is for each leader to understand his / her / their strong characteristics and use them to lead the way.
The most basic leadership styles
There are many theories and models of leadership you can find just with a quick internet search. But only a few of them have been subject to proper scientific validation. The most thoroughly researched model identifies two broad dimensions of effective leadership:
- Transformational Leadership – to change and develop organizations and people
- Transactional Leadership – to monitor and reward performance and ensure delivery
Transformational Leadership
The transformational leadership:
- Communicates the vision
- Inspires the team
- Considers individuals
- Communicate the vision
In this leadership style, the leader has a very clear vision of the future and the direction the company needs to take. The leader is the ona that develops and “paints” a clear picture of how the future will be. In order to achieve that goal, he/she/they motivates and enthusiasts’ people through identifying and encouraging innovation, while is open to new ways of thinking about work.
- Inspire the team
In this case, the leader builds confidence and enthusiasm for what can be achieved. He/she/they uses personal credibility and confidence to inspire people. This helps employees to be enthusiastic and energetic in pursuing challenging goals, while at the same time empowering them to achieve more than they thought possible.
- Consider individuals
The “captain” essentially identifies every personality. Shows consideration for people’s different needs and makes everyone feel valued. Demonstrates respect for others through recognizing individual needs and treating each person as an individual, identifying how each can best contribute to achieving the goals of the organization.
Transactional Leadership
In this leadership style, there is
- Performance monitoring
- Feedback & reward
- Monitor performance
Keep on top of people’s performance – intervene early if needed. The leader actively monitors people’s work at an appropriate level so that they can intervene early to avoid potential mistakes or problems.
- Give feedback & reward
Here the leader provides feedback regularly and rewards appropriately. Provides regular feedback to people about their performance. Desirable actions and outcomes are picked out for reward, while undesirable ones are identified and discouraged.
Passive Leadership
Leadership researchers have identified a third dimension. This style essentially represents non-leadership, that is, not engaging in the transformational and transactional behaviors identified above. This is termed passive leadership and can take either or both of two forms as listed and described below:
- Reactive monitoring
- Non-Interventionist
- Reactive monitoring
In passive leadership, the leader only intervenes when others’ actions result in problems or mistakes that come to his/her/their attention.
- Non-Interventionist
The extent to which the leader allows others to work unguided and unmonitored. Perhaps relying on the professionalism and integrity of others to ensure that the job gets done.
Every leader has their own style of leadership, often based on the relative balance between transformational, transactional, and passive styles.
There is no perfect combination of leadership styles. Each style must be used according to circumstances and needs. Though it is essential that each team leader recognizes, accepts, and understands which leadership style is a good fit according to his/her/their professional personality and profile.
The most successful leaders in the world don’t try to do everything themselves but share roles and responsibilities with their team.
Contact us at www.jenniekamaradou.com and take the Quintax Professional Personality and Leadership Style Test so that you can identify your preferences in the workplace and create an action plan based on your professional development needs as a leader.