Leadership has a very broad scope when we talk about leadership styles examples. They are all very different in the sense that there is a wide variety of these fellows ever since leadership was incepted.
There are over ten different leadership styles, and one style just doesn’t suit a specific organization. Leadership in that sense is complex. Sometimes “leaders” don’t know that they are leading within the capacity of any responsible role.
In other situations, a few leadership style examples point to folks who lead by transactions. They reward you only after you have met a certain deadline.
So, let’s say, you are in an office and someone has a vacation or an important personal commitment coming up, the transactional style of the leader will make sure that the concerned person reaches the milestone before he gets that vacation thing.
At some point in your professional life, you will either experience these leadership responsibilities or witness such leaders. It is a matter of time and perspective.
Having a good leader is a blessing. Having a bad leader is a curse. It’s just that you have to make do with both of them to meet the desired goals vs. expectations bracket.
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Leadership Styles Examples:
Most of the leaders in today’s industry adapt leadership roles as they see fit. In that order, there is no specific formula that predefines a certain leadership style, or type of a leader for that matter.
However, it doesn’t hurt anyone to know a thing or two about leadership before actually performing that role within any capacity.
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We Will Cover The Following 17 Leadership Styles With Examples:
- Visionary Leadership
- Bureaucratic Leadership
- Directing Leadership
- Paternal & Maternal Leaders
- Situational Leadership
- Participative Leadership
- Transformational Leader
- Transactional Leader
- Servant Leadership
- Autocratic Leadership
- Hands Off Leadership
- Democratic Leadership
- Coaching Leadership
- Strategic Leadership
- Laissez-Faire Leadership
- Charismatic Leadership
- Pacesetter Leadership
The following are the common leadership styles examples that you will eventually bear witness to. Keep in mind that if you ever find yourself in the shoes of a leader, don’t forget to improvise. People like a person who is a servant, assertive, and caring.
17. Visionary Leadership
So far in leadership style examples, we haven’t touched base with visionary leaders. They may not be positioned at the top of the food chain, but visionary leadership is essential to growth.
As the name suggests, these leaders are motivated by the end result. They imagine a thriving business, lots of workforces, and anything that has to do with the success of the highest echelon. Don’t we all think like that when we start something new in the industry? Of course, we do.
However, visionary leaders have the tenacity to push through when times are rough. They do focus on the big picture, but they are also blessed with consistency. That’s exactly where most of the “regular visionaries” fail.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that millennials these days make up for people with robust ideas but for a very short amount of time. Millennials want to achieve fast. They have a short attention span; any YouTube video from a make-believe next-gen millionaire is enough to swing these folks off their feet.
That’s why many people fail at being visionary leaders.
There’s no harm in focusing on the big picture. While you are at it, make sure you are aware of the setbacks, unforeseen circumstances, and adversity. Most importantly, you need to know the industry where you are about to introduce yourself.
A visionary leadership style can harbour CEOs, successful managers, and the whole lot that has to deal with long-term success.
These leaders originate from humble beginnings. Take the example of Sara Blakely. She is a leading name in the personal well-being market. Sara Blakely is the founder and CEO of Spanx. The company is responsible for releasing products for weight loss, personal grooming, well-being, etc.
Before founding ‘Spanx’, Sara used to sell fax machines and photocopiers. The door-to-door sales experience taught her the art of consistency and marketing. She knew her customers long before she cut her first pantyhose. That’s what visionary leadership is all about.
16. The Bureaucratic Leadership Style
Bureaucratic leadership is an amazing leadership style that runs on the condition that everyone plays “by the book”.
The focus of the leaders using this leadership style is on the roles within the ranks of the company and making sure that each employee of the company has fixed roles and responsibilities.
And these rules and roles might’ve been laid down decades ago, but as a true bureaucratic leader, you are bound to follow the examples of your predecessors, as they were successful using these rules.
This leadership style can be used in areas where there is little room for flexibility and there’s a lot at stake when anything goes bad.
So, by using this leadership you can contain the situation from the first day and lead your team without any obstacles blocking progress. You can use this leadership style in departments like healthcare, government, and finance.
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15. Directing Leadership
The Directing leadership style is just like the Waterfall project management methodology which makes you stay on track when everything has been decided and there’s no room for flexibility.
The leaders using this leadership style guide their team daily with a large amount of confidence and certainty because they have perfected their vision for the project, and everything related to the construction of the project has been unanimously agreed upon by all of the stakeholders connected to the project.
This leadership style is mostly used in a situation where the development team is not that experienced and they need someone to constantly supervise them and make all of the decisions while showing them the way to success.
The leader does that by defining the roles and responsibilities of the team members and constantly monitoring their activities so that they don’t get confused and lose their way.
14. Paternal & Maternal Leaders
The term: Paternal refers to a male figure in a leadership position. Maternal denotes female leaders. The authority comes with their ability to play both paternal and/or maternal roles. Often, subordinates envision their leader as a leading ‘fatherly’ or ‘motherly’ figure in a company.
This concept mostly applies to family businesses that further transition to public IPOs over time. Regardless, this style of leadership focuses more on practical and ground-based work.
It also enables leaders to pay devoted attention to people in a company; whatever their recommendations and feedback are.
Paternalistic and maternalistic leadership is very progressive and successful in countries where we have a joint family system.
As this style of leadership can take advantage and survives under varying conditions against odd forms of adversity, you can expect such leaders to “lead” and last for a long time.
13. Situational Leadership:
Situational leaders have a very strong intuition. Some call it a gut feeling. But once it meddles with years of experience, situational leaders can easily adapt and improvise according to changing circumstances in a tough competitive market.
Choosing the right style, making the right decision at the right time, and just being able to seize the moment is what make situation leadership last long.
On the same note, this style of leadership is very rare. As a student, if you can work under the tutelage of one such leader, go for it. Learn from him/ her and hone your skills to help you become a better version of yourself in the market.
Overall, it is a very dynamic leadership style because you must change your behaviour, address situations differently, and make decisions at the right time.
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12. Participative Leadership:
This kind of leadership style is also known as “Facilitative leadership”. Leaders in this category not only lead but also offer equal participation opportunities to delegates and subordinates.
Many MNCs follow participative leadership methods to get a taste of diversified ideas once any problem is underway.
Privatization and decentralization is the biggest example of this kind of leadership. This form of leadership distributes more power to people by offering them a platform for voicing their opinions.
11. Transformational Leader:
Transformational leaders normally step up the ladder once they are employed in a small position. You may have seen one or two people in the company who get promoted and acquire the responsibilities of a division head, manager, or any other senior-level post.
These people are transformational leaders.
However, there’s also an element of “brown-nosing”. We also call it favouritism where a certain employee tends to stick around whenever senior management walks in. Don’t be that guy. No one likes this kind of person.
Your fellow employees will talk behind your back, and eventually, you’ll be out-casted. If you go up the rungs this way, you’re only going to be a self-proclaimed transformational leader. No one else will regard you in that capacity.
10. Transactional Leaders:
Transactional leadership was already mentioned earlier in this write-up. This is the kind of leader who sets an effort vs. rewards criterion in an organization. Normally, transactional leaders are good, but they can also get on your nerves if they start punishing people for underperforming.
The worst kind of transactional leader is a person who holds employees against their will to turn in a submission or meet a deadline for upper management’s benefit.
The good thing about this style of leadership is their tenacity to get work done. They set incentives and employees feel motivated to do their best.
9. Servant Leadership:
Servant leaders are humble. They lead by example and tend to put their company and employees’ need ahead of personal agendas. These types of leaders are rare because they practice power-sharing modes of authority.
A servant leader will push you to new levels of skill, and responsibilities and vice versa – i.e. if he/she sees the potential in you.
In extreme cases, servant leaders are often seen as lacking authority. We think that this style of leadership is best because you are connected to your colleagues and employees. In return, your fellows reciprocate by demonstrating loyalty.
However, there is a thin line where servant leaders are often undermined by employees due to conflict of interests.
If you want to avoid employees “stepping over” you, make sure that you assert and exhibit authority. They have to know that you are still a senior manager who adheres to a protocol.
In a Supermanager’s episode powered by Fellow.app, David Cancel, the CEO of Drift, defined Servant Leadership as the idea that as a manager or a leader, your job is to serve those above you… and those people above you are the individual contributors, the managers, basically the people closest to the customer.
“Great leaders understand the path to effective leadership is paved with humility, not pride.”
Servant Leadership is the style of leadership required to be effective in the workplace today. The reason is simple, a leader is someone who inspires, empowers, and serves in order to elevate others.
Serving specifically is all about putting others’ needs ahead of your own. While that isn’t always easy, there are times when people need tough love and other times when they need an encouraging coach.
Quote By: John Eades, CEO of LearnLoft and Author of Building the Best.
In a Supermanager’s episode powered by Fellow.app, David Cancel, the CEO of Drift, defined Servant Leadership as the idea that as a manager or a leader, your job is to serve those above you… and those people above you are the individual contributors, the managers, basically the people closest to the customer.
8. Autocratic Leadership:
This leadership is an integral part of leadership style examples. Autocratic leaders are focused on a results-oriented approach. They mostly make decisions alone.
They don’t trust everyone easily, and they also expect others to be just as much passionate about work as they are. Autocratic leaders are exceptional military commanders.
However, in the business sector, this type of leader is rarely seen. The reason is attributed to different environment setups and organization structures where old-school autocratic leadership methods cannot be directly applied.
Since all the employees are working as civilians, they are under no obligation to follow “orders” as seen in a military setup.
An autocratic leader is best suited to an organization where policies are strict. In such companies, creativity and initiative are at an all-time low.
Everyone works in a system like a robot. If you are part of such a company, we advise you to move on – unless and until you are an autocratic leader yourself!
7. Hands-Off Leadership:
Often called Laissez-Faire, hands-off leaders are an important part of leadership styles examples. Have you ever heard of the expression: “I leave that to you in your capable hands?” Laissez-Faire leaders simply delegate tasks and expect their subordinates to complete those tasks to the best of their abilities.
Hence the expression “hands-off leader” came into existence. These leaders are good in the sense that they are not very strict on policies. Workers define their work hours for as long as they are completing their activities and meeting the desired quota.
Laissez-Faire leaders also recognize those employees who over-deliver – and reward them accordingly. Those employees, who can work under minimum supervision, are best suited under the wings of a laissez-faire leader.
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6. Democratic Leadership:
Another important element of the leadership style examples is the democratic leader. You all know what democracy means; what it stands for at the government level. Apply the same concept in a business environment, and you are looking at a mix of autocratic leaders and hands-off leaders.
We are aware that an autocratic leader makes you cringe. But at least he’s better than a narcissistic leader because he lines up everything with clarity. A narcissistic leader will stab you in the back when you are least expecting it.
Anyhow, democratic leaders foster discussion, participation, and different creative tactics. Since they are not entirely autocratic, they encourage their fellow team members to take initiative and outperform wherever that’s possible.
5. Coaching leadership
Coach-Style leadership is an effective method of taking your team forward. This is because a coach-style leader focuses in-depth on identifying and nurturing the strengths of each and every member of their team, instead of giving the same orders to everyone.
This strategy will enable the team to work together through their own individual strengths rather than trying to do something that they are not comfortable with.
Coach-Style leadership is very similar to strategic and democratic leadership, but the core focus of this strategy is to increase the growth and success of every individual employee.
When the employees are groomed using this strategy and not forced to focus on similar skills and goals, an effective team is formed where every employee has unique expertise or skillset, that can easily be used in different projects, as the leader sees fit.
A manager like this will benefit the company and also help the employees improve their individual strengths by giving them new tasks, offering them guidance, or meeting them to discuss issues and offer valuable constructive criticism.
To sum it all up, the coaching leadership style is about certain key traits. Some of them are appended below:
- You can train subordinates effectively.
- You can resolve performance-related problems.
- If you can’t do it by yourself, you know someone who can lend support.
- Great at improving performance.
- Exceptional at motivating people.
- Harness creativity in newbies.
Coaching leadership style is part of the ‘types of leadership styles’ hierarchy. These leaders are patient because they know that results are not achieved overnight.
Coaching leaders are realists, as they are aware of uncertainty and adversity. But more importantly, they are prepared to overcome those setbacks to help others during the project workflow.
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4. Strategic leadership
According to Wikipedia, “Strategic leadership is the ability to influence others to voluntarily make decisions that enhance the prospects for the organization’s long-term success.”
In Laymen’s terms, Strategic leadership is a manager or a team member’s ability to charter a vision for the team and the company. When they envision the strategy, they would easily persuade the other team members to follow the same strategy with the help of the right strategies and tools.
This leadership technique easily enables the managers to create a team that is full of skill diversity, and exceptionally trained and well-equipped individuals, that help the company in any normal or emergency situation.
3. Laissez-Faire Leadership
Laissez-Faire is a French word that means ‘let them do’ and if you want to translate it into English, it’s ‘let it be’. From these meanings, you can conclude that in this leadership style, the managers or team leads delegate the responsibilities to the actual people working or the team members.
This helps the team to get the work done on their own terms as quickly as possible without any interference.
Laissez-faire leadership is the only style where the team gets the maximum amount of flexibility and scope for innovation. This style of leadership is perfect for teams that include team members who don’t have team leads lording over them.
2. Charismatic leadership
This leadership style solely depends on the leader. The amount of charisma he/she has will inspire the people more, and they’ll more work effectively to please their leader and benefit the company.
Leaders like these inspire, energize and motivate the people working under them, and this technique is so successful that the Center for Association Leadership confesses that this style actually increases the team morale and pushes them towards success.
Not everyone is naturally charismatic, but you can learn to be more motivational and inspiring, which will help people not just in your work life but also in your personal life.
1. Pace-Setter Leadership
Pace-Setter leadership is one where the work is speed-oriented.
The leader will push the team to get results fast. We see this leadership style in Agile work environments where the work and time deadlines are not defined, and a lot of different elements are needed to be altered in real-time.
We know that this is one of the leadership styles in which seems like the people are being grilled to do more and more work without any recognition. Not true. Pacesetters push their employees, but they do that in a way that the employees are inspired to do more work.
This actually enhances performance and individual energy levels rather than decreasing them.
Pacesetter’s leadership style works quite well in stock markets and sales-related organizations where numbers matter a lot and rapid action is required to diffuse the situation.
Deciding on the Right Leadership Style
After going over each leadership style, you now need to decide which style is appropriate for you.
This is an important decision to make. The style you choose to adopt can influence not only how your group maintains itself, but also how it performs to reach its goals.
You need to keep in mind that when making the decision, it is not what you believe your style to be, but how your team perceives it that is important.
Multiple factors will affect your decision in the style that you choose to adopt. Some of these factors include:
- Your personality as a leader: It is human nature to gravitate towards what is comfortable to us. Many leaders adopt a style and use it in all situations. This is because it is easier to lead a team as ourselves rather than if we were putting up a front.
- The power you hold over your team: The amount of power you hold over your group often dictates the choice of which style is best for you. This power is largely dictated by the circumstances of your group.
- Group maturity: This is the measurement of group growth and development. Depending on the level of dependency, growth, and development of a group your leadership style should be different.
- Time allocated for decision-making: If time is critical, it is probably wise to adopt more of an authoritative style of leadership since decision-making through group involvement will be more time-consuming.
- Member satisfaction: Having satisfied team members is important to the health of your overall team. The style of leadership you choose to adopt can have a great impact on this.
Robert House, a psychologist, developed a leadership theory called Path-Goal Theory. The theory focuses on encouraging leaders to adapt leadership styles to each team member’s unique needs.
According to House, you should be flexible in your approach rather than adopting a single style of leadership. By doing so you can adjust your style according to the person’s needs and thus experience progress.
Choosing between various leadership styles
Finding the leadership style that works best for you and your workplace is crucial because there is no one “perfect” leadership style.
How to Recognize Your True Leadership Style?
Good instincts are a need for leaders, and many people concentrate on their own habits and experiences as they establish their leadership style. You might wish to take notes as you begin your route to leadership. Note down the precise difficulties or scenarios you would manage.
By doing this, you can develop your leadership skills and confidence. However, if you realize that things aren’t going as planned, you might want to change course.
Your leadership style will always be influenced by your habits and instincts. However, you might want to consider other leadership styles if you frequently find yourself in ambiguous leadership circumstances.
For instance, you would want to practice active listening if one of your team members is timid and you are an extrovert. You might need to acquire new techniques to encourage, support, and motivate your team if you’re an introvert managing an outgoing group of people.
Can you alter your Leadership Approach?
You may always alter your leadership style and enhance your procedures, however, it could take some time and work.
Recognizing the need for change is the first step in implementing it. Finding this is the first step, whether it comes from direct employee input, observing that goals aren’t being fulfilled, or noticing that individuals appear to be experiencing burnout.
The next step is to get ready for changes. For instance, your leadership approach might work well for your team, but communicating with stakeholders may be more difficult for you.
In this situation, identifying what is and isn’t working is more important than abandoning your current style. Then, start to be curious and start making changes to the way you lead.
How to Choose the Right Leadership Style for You?
Finding a leadership style that works for you can be a challenge. To start, it is essential to understand yourself and recognize your values and challenges.
1. Get to know yourself
Investigate the depths of your being, from taking risks and trying new things to carving out alone time for writing exercises and self-assessment. Alternatively, engage in physical activity or spend time with others – any activity that will help you understand yourself better is a great start.
2. Outline your values and challenges
Once you have a better understanding of who you are, map out your values and pinpoint the areas where you struggle.
Being aware of these will help you make decisions quickly and effectively, so take the time to look back at pivotal moments in your life, recognizing trends and common themes to create an outline of what matters most to you.
3. Glean from the Greats
Gleaning wisdom from leaders you respect can help you find your own unique leadership style. Study them closely in meetings, conversations, and presentations to take note of what resonates with you.
You can also try examining their actions through different leadership styles to figure out which one best fits your preferences.
4. Experiment with Different Approaches
If you want a more hands-on approach, why not experiment with different leadership styles? Create an outline of what sounds intriguing and review it before your next meeting to see how you can incorporate it into your interactions.
5. Seek Out Advice from a Mentor or Business Coach
Having a mentor or business coach in your corner can be incredibly helpful when it comes to perfecting your leadership style.
Look for somebody in the workplace who has earned your respect and would provide valuable feedback, such as another leader or a trusted colleague. If that doesn’t feel like an option
6. Seek out the insights of colleagues and leaders
Your colleagues, leaders, and team members can be invaluable resources in helping you find the best style for your needs. Before you reach out, be sure to map out what you want to ask and why to get the most useful feedback.
Additionally, establish clear parameters and expectations so everyone is on the same page. Once you receive their feedback, take the time to really listen; it will provide invaluable information about your strengths and weaknesses that can help you determine where you need to make improvements and what style will help facilitate said improvements.
7. Unlock your potential with a leadership style assessment
Leadership assessments are great tools for both self-reflection and understanding how teams work together as a whole. A leadership quiz can uncover habits or qualities that may have gone unnoticed while giving you a clearer idea of where to focus your growth effort.
Importance of knowing your leadership style
It is essential for those in positions of leadership to understand the importance of knowing their own leadership style.
Knowing your leadership style can have a profound impact on your success as a leader, and it is important to recognize the different styles, so you can identify which one best suits your own needs and abilities.
Leadership styles come in many forms, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Some leaders are more authoritative, while others prefer to be collaborative.
Some prefer to provide guidance and support while others are more hands-off. Understanding the various styles of leadership can help you determine which approach will be most successful for you and your team.
Being aware of your own strengths and weaknesses in terms of leadership style is key to being able to manage yourself effectively.
You may find that certain styles work better in certain situations, or that different approaches are needed depending on the situation at hand. This knowledge can help you create an effective plan for leading your team through any challenges they may face.
What are the most important skills for a good leader?
Here are the most crucial skills if you want to be a good leader;
- Communication: Effective communication is the cornerstone of good leadership. A good leader should be able to clearly and concisely communicate their vision, goals, expectations, and feedback to their team.
- Strategic thinking: A good leader should be able to think and plan strategically, keeping in mind the organization’s goals and objectives in deciding their approach.
- Problem-solving: Good leaders should be able to identify problems and obstacles, and come up with effective solutions quickly and efficiently.
- Empathy and emotional intelligence: Good leaders should have empathy and emotional intelligence to build trust and manage relationships with their team members.
- Ability to delegate: A good leader knows how to delegate tasks efficiently while considering the individual strengths and expertise of their team members.
- Time-management: Excellent time-management skills allow a leader to prioritize tasks that have the most significant impact on their goals and objectives.
- Adaptability: A good leader should be able to adapt quickly to changes with ease, whether it is a change in policy, staff members, or other circumstances.
What Kind of a Leader Are You?
In the end, the important question is what kind of leader are you? Have you ever performed as a leader in your company? If yes, we would love to hear your thoughts on this. Share your experiences through the comments section below.
By the way, this article about leadership styles examples is not yet concluded. There are many other types of leadership styles that we haven’t mentioned yet. Therefore, bookmark this post and check back in later. We will be updating it with some very interesting examples of leadership styles very soon.
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