There are many different leadership styles. Finding what works best for you is important because you can focus on which style is the most effective style for you and your team.
Commander
This style of leadership is, essentially, a one-way interaction between leader and employees. They tell their employees what they want and expect for them to follow instructions. This is a leadership style that’s best utilized when employees aren’t as productive as they should be. It should be used sparingly, however, as it can create an entirely negative work environment if it’s used for too long.
Affiliative
A leader who adopts this style of leadership focuses on the human aspects of the workplace. They recognize that the key to productivity is communication and effective relationships. This type of leader would look to form bonds with each employee to generate the highest quality work.
Pace-Setting
This could also be known as “monkey see, monkey do” in terms of leadership. This type of leader would set the tone for their employees and expect the employees to follow suit. The best base of employees for this leadership style are those that are extremely competent in their roles but are simply looking for a leader to follow. While this leader would recognize the skills of their team, they tend to provide their team with strong direction focused on unity and reaching a common goal.
Visionary
These leaders empower their employees in completing their tasks and putting forth a vision for the company’s direction. While they create a map, of sorts, they allow their employees to follow that path on their own. Utilizing this leadership style empowers employees but it can lead to employees not being able to motivate themselves to reach the common goal.
Democratic
A democratic leader looks for input from their employees in all manners. They do control the work environment but ensure that employees feel their input is desired and necessary to make the team strong.
Coaching
The last of the leadership styles looks to hone employees skills and focus on long-term growth. These leaders discern strengths and weaknesses of each employee in order to adapt their team to become the most productive they can be.
Finding your leadership style is actually quite easy once you’ve figured out what your employee base is looking for in a leader. You can assess these qualities and skills early on in your leadership role to find which style best fits your team and their overall goals.