Which of the following types of leaders respect the power of teamwork and are primarily motivated by the mission of the group or organization?

Every person is unique, so it follows that every manager's approach to leading a team is unique. Typically, how an individual approaches management stems from their personality. Some leaders are strict, while others are lenient, some are mellow while others are high-strung. According to IMD.org, leadership styles in business can be categorized according to the leaders’ personality traits.

Leadership styles in business can be organized into five categories:

  • Autocratic
  • Democratic
  • Laissez-Faire
  • Transactional
  • Transformational 

Each of these leadership styles has its benefits and its drawbacks, and each is more effective in certain workplace types than others. Sometimes, the most effective leadership style for a workplace depends on the mix of employee personalities present or the mix of experience levels in the workplace.

Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian leadership, is a leadership style where the boss has absolute control over decisions in the workplace. Team members are not asked for input; they are expected to comply with all decisions and orders made by their leader.

Autocratic leadership, like all the other leadership styles in management, has its benefits as well as its drawbacks. Benefits of autocratic leadership include saving time on the decision-making process, every member of the team knowing exactly what is expected of them and how they are to perform, and fewer strategy implementation errors because there are fewer people involved in the strategic planning process. Drawbacks include employees feeling like they are not personally valued, reduced motivation among team members and an increased risk of employee rebellion.

In certain workplaces, an autocratic leader is the ideal type of leader, according to St. Thomas University. These workplaces include high-stakes environments where human error can mean a safety or security risk, like the military. In other environments, like education and creative services, an autocratic leader can hinder their team and ultimately, undermine their organization’s success.

In many ways, democratic leadership is the opposite of autocratic leadership. Democratic leadership, also sometimes known as participative leadership, is a leadership style characterized by the leader’s choice to involve team members in the decision-making process. In all decisions, the leader has the final say, but they make decisions according to the input they receive from his team.

Benefits of democratic leadership include:

  • Employees feel motivated to participate in decision-making
  • Employees feel like their input is valued
  • Leaders have a diverse set of perspectives to consider

Democratic leadership is not the perfect leadership style, though. Drawbacks include a time-consuming decision-making process, as well as the potential for poor choices if the employees do not have the experience necessary to provide well-informed input. A democratic leadership style can be a great choice for a smaller team or a team composed of similarly skilled members.

Perhaps the easiest way to understand laissez-faire leadership is this: If democratic leadership is the moderate opposite of autocratic leadership, laissez-faire leadership is the extreme opposite of autocratic leadership. Laissez-faire leadership is, essentially, the lack of a clear leader role. While one individual may be the leader in title, the reality in this type of workplace dynamic is that everybody is an equal decision-maker and every piece of input from the team is considered equally.

Rather than gathering team members’ input and then considering it when making a decision, a laissez-faire leader leaves the decision-making up to their team members. This can lead to feelings of importance among every member of the team, but it can also lead to confusion and bottlenecks in strategic processes.

A laissez-faire leadership style can be a very effective way to lead a team composed of highly skilled, highly specialized individuals. In this kind of environment, each team member can take the lead in situations that require their expertise and trust their colleagues to make effective choices when they are in the “driver’s seat.”

According to St. Thomas University, a transactional leader’s primary goals are order and structure in the workplace. Under a transactional leader, self-motivated employees tend to be most successful because the leader has created a structured, rigid environment where they use clear rewards and punishments to drive employee performance. For example, a transactional leader might require each member of the sales team to speak with five prospective customers each day, offering catered lunch on Friday for every team member who met this goal Monday through Thursday.

Benefits of transactional leadership include:

  • Clearly defined short- and long-term goals 
  • Clearly defined rewards and consequences for meeting or not meeting those goals
  • A streamlined, efficient chain of command
  • Employee security in knowing there are no surprises regarding expectations and outcomes

Transactional leadership can also have drawbacks. These include:

  • Little room for flexibility or adaptability
  • Employees feel like followers, rather than innovators or leaders
  • Personal initiative is not rewarded or valued
  • Employees can feel stifled by their work environment

Among all the recognized leadership styles in business, transformational leadership is perhaps the most focused on the leader’s personality. With this type of leader, employees are guided by a clearly defined vision for success, which may be the leader’s personal vision or the company’s mission statement. According to Northeastern University, this kind of leadership inspires innovation and generally creates a positive workplace culture.

Transformational leadership is characterized by:

  • The leader acting as a role model to employees
  • Close, consistent focus on the company vision 
  • A high value on interpersonal relationships
  • Inspiration as a tool to motivate employees

Like the other leadership styles, there are benefits and drawbacks to transformational leadership. A transformational leader can inspire employees to try to be their best selves, create a workplace where mutual respect is highly valued and encourage employees to think critically about the values they hold. But this type of workplace can also become a cult of personality or create an environment where gaining the leader’s approval becomes a priority for employees, diverting their focus from performing their jobs well or supporting each other.

No two leaders approach management exactly the same way. Although managers can have similar styles, and individuals often emulate their mentors, there are as many leadership styles in management as there are people in management.

As an employee – or supervisor of somebody tasked with managing a team – recognizing a team leader’s management style can help you understand their mindset, the reasons behind their decisions and how best to communicate with them. It is not uncommon for an individual to exhibit characteristics from two or more management styles, like a leader who embraces transformational ideas and puts them into action through democratic methods. In fact, very few leaders can be classified into any one leadership category 100 percent.

It is also not uncommon for a leader’s management style to evolve as their career progresses (or as their team members progress). For example, a leader managing a fairly young, inexperienced team might need to take a blended autocratic and transformational approach to leading them because they are not ready to take more active roles in leadership.

But as time goes on and the individual team members become more experienced in their roles and their industry, their manager might switch to a more democratic approach to heading their projects.

Which of the following types of leaders respect the power of teamwork and are primarily motivated by the mission of the group or organization?

Your natural leadership style may be a result of your personality, your values and your strengths and experiences. But effective business leaders avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. They know they need to adapt to the needs of their teams in order to effectively lead.

The leadership style you’re naturally inclined to may not be appropriate for every situation. When used inappropriately, it can fail to motivate those you’re leading.

For example, if your preferred approach is serious, dry and aggressive, you may have trouble connecting with a team craving empathy and sensitivity from a leader. If you tend to be more soft-spoken and hands-off, you could fail your team in a situation that demands take-charge leadership.

Effective leadership is important for the workplace because managers account for at least 70 percent of variance in employee engagement at work, Gallup reports. That’s why it’s best to take a situational approach to leadership, and adapt based on what you’re facing.

It can help to take a leadership self-assessment so that you recognize your prevalent style. You should also learn other types of leadership styles and situations where they can be effective, so you can lead appropriately and be there for your team.

Here are six types of leaderships styles and what types of situations they work best in.

1. Authoritative Leadership

The authoritative leader knows the mission, is confident in working toward it, and empowers team members to take charge just as she is. The authoritative leader uses vision to drive strategy and encourages team members to use their strengths and emerge as leaders themselves.

The authoritative leader provides high-level direction, but she lets those she leads figure out the best way to get there. Authoritative leaders are always striving for progress. They inspire others to adopt a similar attitude.

When This Type of Leadership Style Works Best

An authoritative team leadership is not restrictive. It propels advancements when:

  • A leader is truly competent to take charge.
  • Detailed instructions are not required.
  • Employees already have the tools they need to do their most effective work.

Those who adopt an authoritative leadership style when they don’t have the appropriate experience, or when they try to wield authority over others in an aggressive way, will fail. An authoritative leader must be confident and have the experience to back it up in order to be successful.

Which of the following types of leaders respect the power of teamwork and are primarily motivated by the mission of the group or organization?

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2. Transactional Leadership

A transactional leader may be in a position of leadership, such as in a managing role, but this leader is not necessarily one to embrace going above and beyond what is expected. The transactional leader dangles a carrot in front of each workhorse. If the employee does something positive, they are rewarded. If they don’t meet the exact expectation, they may be punished.

This type of task-oriented leadership focuses on meeting basic expectations. The transactional leader may decide roles and ways to monitor performance so that results are delivered. But encouraging innovation isn’t as prevalent with this type of leadership style.

When This Type of Leadership Style Works Best

Transactional leadership may be appropriate when:

  • You are working with team members who are new to a certain type of project or need detailed guidance.
  • Clear goals and a plan to get there will increase productivity.
  • The team will benefit from celebrating victories together or holding each other accountable when someone doesn’t do the work they’re supposed to.

The downside to transactional leadership is that this type of style focuses on the work, not the people. Employees want to feel like their work has a broader purpose and want to meaningfully connect with work. Transactional leadership doesn’t foster the human-work connection.

3. Servant Leadership

Servant leaders get in the trenches with their team. Their goal is to achieve the best outcome. To do that, these types of leaders make themselves available to help with issues, work alongside those they manage, and develop those they manage into better employees.

Servant leaders coach. They’re willing to stay late and get in early when it’s called for, just like everyone else. Servant leaders are focused on constantly transforming their teams into stronger, more efficient, more productive and happier entities. Servant leaders are empathetic and use emotional intelligence to guide their leadership decisions.

When This Type of Leadership Style Works Best

You might want to employ a servant leader mindset when:

  • A team is in desperate need of a great example to look up to and learn from.
  • A team has conflict and needs mending.
  • Big projects require all hands on deck.

Servant leadership can have many positive outcomes, but it’s also time-consuming. Servant leaders must also be aware that they need to avoid doing all the work. When they give too much of themselves, they don’t give team members as much of a chance to learn. That can create inefficiencies and missed opportunities to lead in other areas.

4. Democratic Leadership

Just like a political democracy, where people with diverse opinions work together to come up with a consensus for decisions, a democratic leader gets everyone involved. The whole team is a part of creating a vision and the ideal way to get there. Democratic leaders embrace group meetings and surveys. They value transparency in decision-making. They want their team to feel as involved in work processes as they are.

Employees who work for a democratic leader are aware that they’re part of a larger team. They learn the value of collaboration and know they play a role in the evolution of their work environment. Democratic leaders foster discussion, but they also are able to step in when needed and make a decision that’s guided by overall input.

When This Type of Leadership Style Works Best

A democratic leadership style could help teams when:

  • A new project that will benefit from brainstorming is introduced.
  • There is a problem to tackle and fresh ideas are needed.
  • Tight-knit, highly collaborative teams are in the formation stage, like those at startups or new small businesses.

Using this type of democratic, team leadership theory on a constant basis can have drawbacks, though. A leader who never really takes charge and instead lets everyone else debate every decision can lose respect as an authority. Team members may not understand why they’re even reporting to someone who only leads in a democratic style in the workplace.

5. Empathetic Leadership

The empathetic leader recognizes that great work starts with engaged workers. This type of leader strives to create strong emotional bonds on a team so that those working on it feel a sense of belonging. The empathetic leader makes it a priority to make teammates satisfied with them as a manager and with their team. The empathetic leader focuses on people first, then work.

Empathetic leaders aren’t micromanagers. They empower team members to do their work, and offer themselves up as a resource whenever their team members need them. They’re quick to dole out praise and offer support when needed.

When This Type of Leadership Style Works Best

Empathetic leadership can be effective when:

  • A competent team knows the job they need to do and how to effectively execute that.
  • Little direction is needed from the leader.
  • The team will benefit more from space and independence to complete tasks than micromanaging.

An empathetic leader who only focuses on the people and not the work, though, can leave employees confused and unmotivated. With no clear direction, a hands-off approach to work-related leadership can lead to mistakes, inefficiencies and poor results.

6. Narcissistic Leadership: The Style to Avoid

One type of leadership that is best avoided in most work situations is the narcissistic leader, also known as a coercive leader. Instead of empowering team members to work toward the best possible outcome, the narcissistic leader has an agenda and aims to coerce those they’re leading to carry it out.

Narcissistic Traits

Narcissistic leadership is self-centered. It’s not often results-focused, and it is disrespectful to the team. This type of leader doesn’t lead – he dictates.

Leadership should foster collaboration and intrinsic motivation. A narcissistic leader who lacks empathy will instead breed disinterest or resentment.

There is one exception to when a narcissistic leadership style may be appropriate – when quick action is needed to avert a crisis, like a battlefield situation. But in the workplace, be aware when narcissistic leadership traits are emerging. Try to avoid those actions.

Find the Most Effective Leadership Style for You

If you recognize that there is one type of leadership style that dominates your work style, look for opportunities to put other leadership styles into practice when they’re appropriate.

If you haven’t connected with your team members on a personal level, put on your empathetic leader hat and have some one-on-ones where you get to know each team member’s perceived strengths and career goals. If you’ve taken a more hands-off approach to leadership, think about future projects where being more vocal can enhance the results.

Shifting your leadership style based on the situation or team member you’re dealing with doesn’t make you inconsistent. It can make you more successful, because you can connect more effectively and guide your team toward better results.

For more leadership insights, download our free ebook, The Executive’s Guide to Leading Millennials, Gen Xers and Baby Boomers.