Leadership Styles

What is a Leader?

A Leader is someone in authority to lead others to accomplish a goal(s).  A leader needs to be able to motivate others to accomplish a goal(s) while at the same time encourage others to work toward their own professional goals.

3 Styles of Leadership

Autocratic

·         Authoritarian    

·         Tells employees/students what they want done and how to do it (without getting the advice from others).

·         Works well if you don’t have much time to accomplish goals or if employees are well motivated.

·         Generally, this style is not a good way to get the best performance from a team.

Democratic

·         Participative style

·         The leader involves one or more employees/students in the decision making process (to determine what to do and how to do it).

·         Leader maintains the final decision making authority.

Influencer roles throughout the decision process (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

·         Allows everyone to be part of a team—everyone feels that they have participated and contributed.

·         Encourages participation, delegates wisely, values group discussion.

·         Motivates by empowering members to direct themselves and guides w/a loose reign.

·         Negative—everything is a matter of group discussion and decision—doesn’t really lead.

Delegative

·         Free Reign (lais ser faire)

·         Leader allows employees/students to make the decisions. 

·         Leader is still responsible for the decisions.

·         Employees/students analyze the situation and determine what needs to be done and how to do it.  Leader sets priorities and delegates.

,., decision making (Photo credit: nerovivo)

·         Leader has little control.  Team has little direction or motivation.

Managers vs. Leaders

“Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing.”-Warren Bennis

Leadership Goals

Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people.

Leaders vary their styles.  A leader is not strictly one or another style.  Most leaders use all three styles; one style, however, becomes the dominate one.

Positive Leaders use rewards (independence, education) to motivate employees.

Negative Leaders use penalties with employees.  These leaders act domineering and superior
w/people.  Negative penalties include:  days off without pay, reprimanding in front of others, assigning unpleasant job tasks. 

Leader’s goals are to motivate others to accomplish work/class tasks and to feel that they are contributing to their own professionalism.