Leadership Style

Autocratic or authoritarian

Under the autocratic leadership style, all decision-making powers are centralized in the leader, as with dictators. Leaders do not listen to any suggestions or initiatives from subordinates. The autocratic management has proved advantageous as it provides strong motivation to the manager. It allows quick decision-making, as only one person decides for the whole group and keeps each decision to him/herself until he/she feels it needs to be shared with the rest of the group.

Participative or democratic

The democratic leadership style consists of the leader sharing the decision-making abilities with group members by endorsing the interests of the group members and by practicing social equality. This has also been called shared leadership.

Laissez-faire or free-rein

A person may be in a leadership position without providing leadership, leaving the group to deal situations by themselves. Subordinates are given a free hand in deciding their own policies and methods. The subordinates are motivated to be creative and innovative.

Narcissistic

Narcissistic leadership is a leadership style in which the leader is only interested in him/herself. Their priority is themselves – at the expense of their people/group members. This leader showcases the characteristics of a narcissist: arrogance, dominance and hostility. It is a common leadership style. The narcissism maybe anywhere between positive and harmful. To critics, “narcissistic leadership (preferably destructive) is driven by uncompromising arrogance, self-absorption, and a personal need for power and admiration.”

Toxic

A toxic leader is someone who has responsibility over a group of people or an organization, and who exploits the leader–follower relationship by leaving the group or organization in a shoddier condition than when he/she joined it.

Task-oriented and relationship-oriented

Task-oriented leadership is a style in which the leader pays attention on the tasks that need to be performed in order to meet a certain production goal. Task-oriented leaders are usually more concerned with producing a step-by-step solution for given problem or goal, strictly making sure these deadlines are met, results and reaching target outcomes. Relationship-oriented leadership is a contrasting style in which the leader is more concerned with the relationships amongst the group and is generally more concerned with the overall well-being and satisfaction of group members. Relationship-oriented leaders emphasize communication within the group, show trust and confidence in group members, and shows appreciation for work done.

Task-oriented leaders are usually less concerned with the idea of catering to group members and more concerned with acquiring a certain solution to meet a production goal. For this reason, they usually are able to make sure that deadlines are met, yet their group members’ well-being may suffer. Relationship-oriented leaders are focused on developing the team and the relationships in it. The positives to having this kind of environment are that team members are more motivated and have support. Hence, the focus on relations as opposed to getting a job done might make productivity suffer.

Gender Difference

Another factor that goes with leadership style is whether the person is male or female. When men and women come together in groups, they tend to utilize different leadership styles. Men generally take on a leadership style where they are in control of their subordinates. They are task-oriented, active, decision centric and goal oriented. Women, on the other hand, are usually more social when they assume a leadership position; they aim to be helpful towards others, warm in relation to others, understanding, and mindful of others’ feelings. Usually, when women are asked to describe themselves to others in newly formed groups, they emphasize their open, fair, responsible, and pleasant communal qualities. They give advice, offer assurances, and manage conflicts in an attempt to sustain positive relationships among group members. As leaders, men are primarily task-oriented, but women tend to be both task- and relationship-oriented. Therefore, it is important to note that these sex differences are only tendencies, and do not establish themselves within men and women across all groups and situations.