Why is it important to know which leadership style suits us?
Understanding leadership styles is crucial for assessing the impact on those being led, identifying strengths, and determining areas for skill development.
So, what are these leadership styles?
Transformational Leadership:
This leadership style focuses on change and transformation. Leaders with this approach can inspire their followers to achieve more than they imagined by harnessing their potential. This type of leadership can be highly effective in organizations that aim for significant work changes or transformations.
Delegative Leadership:
Delegative leadership focuses on delegating initiative to team members and allowing them to work freely. Therefore, it's considered a very hands-off and relaxed leadership style. However, this strategy can succeed if team members are competent and responsible for their work.
Authoritative Leadership:
Leaders who adopt this leadership style are often visionaries and see themselves as mentors to their followers. This style is carried out with a persuasive style that is firm with its members, enabling leaders to map out a direction and encourage those around them to follow. Authoritative leadership also heavily relies on recognizing each team member, allowing a leader to provide guidance and feedback on a more personal level.
Transactional Leadership:
Transactional or managerial leadership relies on rewards and punishments. This type emphasizes structure, assuming individuals may lack the motivation needed to complete their tasks. This "give and take" leadership style prioritizes compliance with established routines and procedures efficiently rather than making transformational organizational changes.
Participative Leadership:
Participative leadership encourages leaders to listen to their employees and involve them in the decision-making process. This leadership style requires leaders to be inclusive, utilize good communication skills, and most importantly, be able to share power/responsibility. Spontaneous, open, and honest communication is also associated with participative leadership.
Servant Leadership:
Servant leadership prioritizes the needs of others, emphasizing the creation of strong relationships with those around and focusing on helping them reach their full potential. As a leader, it requires a focus on understanding the people you work with and developing their abilities, while also setting a good example and understanding their personal goals.
So how do you know which type suits you?
- Clarify your goals and what you want to achieve. This is important because it will make it easier for you to communicate your ideas to team members.
- Experiment. Since there are many leadership styles, it's okay to dare to trial and error to find out which type suits you.
- Understand that leadership is not about seeking perfection but about leading. When you lead with passion and clear goals, others will automatically follow you, and you should also be open to any criticism and advice from your team members!
Becoming a leader is not easy. Therefore, it requires a lot of experience, patience, and willingness to learn from mistakes. There's no need to be afraid to lead, as long as you know how to lead well and correctly.