Every great leader has a set of principles that guides their actions and decisions. While they may not explicitly write down their leadership style, their subconscious beliefs about leadership, integrity, productivity, and more inform their approach. Over time, patterns emerge that can help categorize different leadership frameworks, each with its own merits and drawbacks that are useful in different situations.
For those looking to better understand leadership styles and hone their own, there is a wealth of frameworks and approaches to explore. However, it's important to remember that there's no need to follow any of them rigidly - instead, pick and choose what feels right for your personality, your business, or your team.
If you lead other leaders, observe the different leadership styles in action. You might be surprised to find that even the most maverick leader has a dash of method in their choices. Before diving in, take a moment to consider what kind of leader you want to be. Three key elements contribute to your leadership style: context, control, and personality.
Context refers to the industry and organization you work in, including culture and policies, which create boundaries for your leadership framework to operate within. Additionally, your team's size, function, and individual personalities also create a context that needs to be considered.
Control, similar to context, involves determining how much oversight you need to have. Depending on the situation, you may need complete control or the ability to give your team more autonomy.
Finally, your personality is a crucial factor in determining your leadership style. Consider your decision-making process, communication style, flexibility, priorities, and weaknesses.
After answering these questions, examine the leadership frameworks below to see if any parallel your own style. Each framework will be examined in terms of tell-tale behaviors, pros and cons, and the situations in which it works best. While some styles feature many of the same behaviors, there will be subtle differences, and not all styles are mutually exclusive.
Leadership styles can be categorized in many ways. Some argue that leaders are either transactional, exchanging money and praise for work well done, or transformational, aligning people with the mission so that progress is its own reward. Autocratic leadership is a type of transactional framework. However, other approaches may use both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Here are some examples of leadership styles and their pros and cons.
Democratic Leadership
In the world of leadership styles, there's a biggie called democratic leadership. Essentially, it means you involve your team in the decision-making process. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? But to do it well, you need to make sure that your team feels safe to speak up and communicate effectively.
Pros: it's empowering, which is always a good thing, and it helps prevent your own biases from clouding your judgment. Plus, it fosters collaboration and accountability, which is a win-win for everyone.
Cons. Sometimes it can be long-winded, and not everyone on your team will contribute, or some may over-contribute. And in some cases, people might not even be honest with their contributions out of fear of backlash.
This style works best for small, agile teams who communicate frequently enough to understand the impact of each decision on their colleagues. A great way to keep this level of engagement going is to have regular retrospectives and one-on-one meetings.
Autocratic Leadership
The autocratic leadership style is pretty much the opposite of democratic leadership. Autocratic leaders don't bother asking their team for input when making decisions - they just go ahead and do what they want.
Pros: you get complete control, so you always know where things stand and what to do when problems crop up. Plus, there's no endless back-and-forth with your team to reach a decision.
Cons: you're missing out on a lot of valuable insights from your team members, who are often more familiar with the nitty-gritty of the work. Plus, your team might start feeling like they're just cogs in a machine, which is never great for morale or productivity.
If you're an expert in your field and need to make quick decisions without a lot of input, then autocratic leadership might work for you. But, if you want to keep your team engaged and happy, you might want to consider a more collaborative approach.
Laissez-Faire Leadership
This type of leadership is pretty chill. Laissez-faire leaders put trust in their team, allowing them to set their own schedules, deadlines and work how they want.
Pros: It's super motivating and encourages creativity and innovation. Plus, it lets people work in the way that best suits them.
Cons: It requires a team with high levels of psychological safety and solid communication. And, of course, you need reliable team members. If someone wants to slack off, it's easier to do it under this leadership framework.
This is a great approach when you have control over who you hire, so you can be sure your team has the skills and confidence needed to get things done. It's also highly beneficial for creative teams, as it encourages thinking outside the box.
Strategic Leadership
Strategic leaders are the ones who come up with a vision for their company and then bring everyone else along for the ride. If you get your team fully on board, they'll be just as committed to the goal as you are. That means they'll make decisions and act in line with what you want to achieve.
Pros: It can inspire people to work harder and think creatively, and can foster a positive work environment.
Cons: It requires a deep understanding of your organization and its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the ability to inspire and lead others effectively.
This type of leadership is most effective at the senior level, where leaders have a broad understanding of the company's goals and operations. It might not be as useful for leaders managing operational teams at lower levels of the hierarchy.
Visionary Leadership
Visionary Leadership is all about having a strong and radical vision for the future of your organization and being determined to make it a reality, no matter how challenging it may seem.
Pros: This approach encourages innovation and creativity, and can be extremely rewarding for those who thrive on taking risks and pushing boundaries.
Cons: It can be risky, with high levels of uncertainty and potential for burnout among team members who are constantly exploring new ideas without ever fully completing projects.
This leadership style is often seen in high-tech startups, especially those run by wealthy individuals who have the resources to invest in and test multiple ideas. The tech industry lends itself well to this approach because of its rapid pace of change and constant need for innovation. However, it can also work in other industries, as long as the leader has a strong and compelling vision and is willing to take bold risks to make it a reality.
Transformational Leadership
Transformational Leadership is a leadership style that focuses on people, the future, and change. A Transformational Leader motivates people to be bold and take risks to achieve their goals.
Pros: This approach is great for organizations undergoing major changes, supports innovation, and leads to great interpersonal relationships between you and your team.
Cons: It requires great people skills and the bravery to accept risk and support your team to do the same. It's not for the faint-hearted!
This leadership approach is perfect for businesses that need to switch things up to maintain their competitive edge. It’s also great for teams that work in fast-paced or challenging environments, where adaptability is more important than predictable outcomes.
Coaching Leadership
A Coaching Leader is all about helping their team grow and achieve their best. They prioritize personal development and provide support and guidance along the way.
Pros: Boosts morale, engagement, motivation and job satisfaction. It also encourages great communication and fosters high levels of psychological safety.
Cons: Requires a lot of individual attention and effort from both the leader and team members.
This leadership style works best with smaller teams and when the leader can dedicate time to coaching and supporting each team member. It's especially effective when team members are passionate about their work and personal growth. However, if this isn't the case, it's important to find out why, regardless of the leadership style being used.
Bureaucratic Leadership
The Bureaucratic leadership style is all about keeping things organized, with a rigid hierarchy, clear roles and responsibilities, and efficient processes.
Pros: Highly effective in process-driven environments, provides clarity and can be combined with other leadership styles.
Cons: Can become authoritarian if interpersonal relationships are not maintained, requiring everyone to fulfill their responsibilities with full commitment.
This leadership approach works best when units of output are a key performance indicator or when applied to aspects of your team’s responsibilities that are numbers driven. It is also essential in dangerous work environments where safety and efficiency are critical.
Pacesetting Leadership
Leaders who adopt the Pacesetting Leadership style have a keen focus on achieving exceptional results. They have a clear understanding of what the best possible outcome is and what actions are needed to accomplish it, and they expect their team to follow their lead in making it happen. They set high expectations for every team member.
Pros: When led by an effective leader, this approach can be motivational and result in high levels of productivity.
Cons: It requires a realistic strategy that pushes the limits but doesn't break them, otherwise team members may be left behind and feel like failures, which can negatively affect morale.
This style works well for teams that work on small, well-defined projects with few external dependencies. It is also well-suited for the early growth stages of a startup.
Servant Leadership
Servant Leadership is a leadership framework that places the focus on the team rather than the manager. The leader dedicates a lot of time and energy to supporting and communicating with their team to ensure each person achieves their full potential. This approach is often likened to a more intense version of Coaching leadership.
Pros: Creates an environment that fosters learning and growth, builds trust between the team and the manager, and encourages teamwork.
Cons: May not work well if the manager also has heavy operational responsibilities, and may risk undermining the manager's authority.
Servant Leadership can be effective in teams that prioritize development, collaboration, and innovation.
Situational Leadership
The Situational Leadership framework is a highly adaptable approach that allows leaders to apply different leadership styles based on different people and situations. Although it is the last leadership framework on the list, it is highly desirable, sitting up there next to transformational leadership.
Pros: This approach helps support diverse teams and encourages psychological safety. It is highly adaptable to different situations, making it ideal for any organization.
Cons: There is a risk of appearing inconsistent and showing favoritism, which can lead to negative morale among team members.
This leadership framework can be applied anywhere, as it can pull from each of the other approaches depending on the specific requirements of the situation.
While there are a variety of leadership styles that can be effective, successful teams often share these fundamental characteristics:
Accountability on the part of the leader
Accountability on the part of employees
Psychological safety
Regardless of which leadership style you choose to adopt, focusing on developing these foundational aspects within your team can lead to success.