This is part 2 of the Leadership Series which discusses the major styles of leadership. It will help you to classify yourself and know the way forward for you as a leader in any area of your life. You may share your comments with us after reading this article.
Styles of leadership
Good leaders exhibit a specific style along with certain attitudes. What is your leadership style? Several leadership styles exist. Below are some of the important leadership styles that exist.
The Authoritarian Leadership (Autocrat):
Advantages:
This style is useful in situations where fast, expeditious and tightly controlled decisions are required.
Disadvantages:
1.If you are an autocratic leader, you are very controlling. You feel that you know it all and that your colleagues know little. You never ask their advice.
2.You make all the decisions and provide no explanations since you are the leader. You are the leader. You are sure of yourself. You hand out tasks. You oversee other board members and accept or reject their contributions and even their way of thinking and acting.
3.Under this type of management, other directors often become quite dependent and unable to function effectively on their own.
4.When the leader is not present, the activity of all others generally slows down.
5.Members are passive. You give them all they need and think for them. They depend on you. Your attitude can be summed up in one sentence: Do what I tell you.
Democratic leadership:
You consult the members and employees and encourage them to participate in decision making and in seeking solutions to problems.
Advantages:
1.This style of leadership is often the most advantageous since it encourages team spirit. It helps motivate and satisfy other members in the group.
2.You take the point of view of other members in the group into account. You synthesize, reformulate and summarize ideas by others to reach a consensus or the central idea. You facilitate group discussion.
3.You feel that others have useful knowledge and experience just as you do. You encourage the group to share and discuss.
4.You support the group. You help organize its approach. You are attentive to everything that is said. You respect everyone involved.
5.You have a positive attitude. You encourage participation by all. You maintain order during discussions and moderate the right to speak.
6.Your attitude can be summed up as follow: Let’s work together.
Disadvantages:
1.Consulting members can slow down decision making.
Lazy leadership
Advantage:
1.The other members of the board of directors and the staff enjoy a large amount of freedom for decision making. They are empowered to make decisions.
Disadvantages:
1.You provide no leadership. You allow complete freedom for members and staff. You avoid problems. Your task as manager does not interest you much.
2.Since the staff has great freedom, they do what they like. Acting on their own, they often forget the main goals of the cooperative.
3.This often results in a lack of structure and loss of control.
4.Your attitude can be summarized as: Do whatever you want.
Note: None of these styles is ideal. A good leader must strive to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each style and know that the best leadership is found somewhere in between rigid authority and unbridled freedom.
References:
Comment déveloper votre enterprise, Banque fédérale de développment, Canada, 1986
Gestion efficace pour votre entreprise. Banque fédérale de développment, Canada, 1983
Animation et travail en équipe, Pierre Choquette, Economie rurale, Com 16277, September 1990
Construire ensemble, Notre leadership dans une économie en changement, Agropur.
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