Leadership Styles Guide: Why & How to Craft Yours

Whether you’re building on existing professional experience or considering a career change, strong leadership skills can help you adapt, take on new responsibilities, and move forward with confidence in the corporate workforce.

When developing your leadership skills, it’s important to understand different leadership styles and when they may be appropriate to use. Over time, and with enough experience, you may even learn to adapt your own unique leadership style to achieve specific goals and objectives.

If you’re ready to learn how to grow your leadership skills, check out Bryant & Stratton College’s on-campus and online business degrees, for students who are serious about building their career.

Why Are Leadership Styles Important? 

Leadership styles play a critical role in how organizations operate, as well as their short- and long-term success. That’s because different types of leaders bring different strengths to the table. When a leadership style is well-matched with a company’s values and a team’s needs, it can help:

• Improve team performance and engagement
• Enhance decision-making
• Encourage innovation and new ideas
• Build a stronger workplace culture
• Drive professional development and growth among team members

What Are the Different Leadership Styles?

No matter your objectives or the type of team you’re working with, there are plenty of different styles of leadership out there. Below, we’ll unpack six well-known leadership styles popularized by psychology expert Dr. Daniel Goleman in his 2000 article, “Leadership that Gets Results.”

In addition to Goleman’s six essential styles of leadership, we’ve covered six more common leadership styles that we believe today’s leaders and aspiring leaders should be familiar with.

Autocratic or Authoritarian Leadership

Under autocratic (also known as authoritarian) leadership, one person holds all the decision-making power, allowing for centralized decision-making with a high level of supervision and control. 

As you can probably imagine, there are several potential drawbacks to an autocratic leadership style. With no opportunity for input from team members, it can have a very negative impact on morale. On the other hand, it can be very effective when there’s a need for quick action and decision-making — such as in the midst of a crisis situation.

Paternalistic Leadership

Some leaders may thrive in a central decision-making role while also understanding that team members may need more nurturing and development than an autocratic leadership style allows for. Under a paternalistic leader, decision-making and control are still centralized at the top. However, leaders take on more of a “head of family” role, making decisions with the organization’s best interests in mind and prioritizing the well-being of team members.

This leadership style can help to avoid some of the negative impacts of autocratic leadership (such as low morale and high turnover), especially when workers are led to genuinely trust their leader’s judgment and decision-making.

Democratic Leadership

Rather than putting all the decision-making power into the hands of one individual, a democratic leadership style involves encouraging team members to voice their own opinions and take shared ownership of decisions within the organization. Under this leadership approach, team members’ voices and opinions are valued — and open communication is encouraged.

Democratic leadership can be extremely effective when it comes to improving employee engagement and morale, especially when team members feel like they genuinely have a say in how things operate and how decisions are being made.

Laissez-Faire Leadership

“Laissez-faire,” when translated from French, more or less means “let it happen.” And that’s exactly the mentality that these types of leaders are expected to maintain. 

Under laissez-faire leadership, a hands-off approach and delegation of responsibility give team members a great deal of autonomy and decision-making power. These leaders must maintain a high level of trust in their team members, offering minimal oversight and stepping in only when absolutely necessary. 

Although the approach can be highly effective with experienced and skilled teams, leaders must be careful to check in as needed and ensure that things are moving in the right direction.

Transactional Leadership

When leaders utilize a transactional approach, they offer rewards to team members who maintain the status quo in terms of performance. Those who fail to meet expectations, on the other hand, may receive discipline or corrective action. As you can imagine, this type of leadership style requires that goals, objectives, and expectations be laid out clearly from the beginning.

Under transactional leadership, teams tend to be highly efficient. That being said, the rigidity of this approach can also hinder development and creativity. Ultimately, it’s best applied in project-based teams where deadlines are tight and/or quality standards cannot be compromised.

Transformational Leadership

Under transformational leadership, leaders rely on the “Four I’s” to help team members reach their full potential:

• Idealized Influence – Leaders practice what they preach, serving as role models who earn respect and admiration from team members over time.
• Inspirational Motivation – Leaders help team members see themselves as part of the organization’s shared vision and as integral to its success. They inspire and energize team members, pushing them to reach their full potential.
• Intellectual Stimulation – Leaders provide team members with opportunities to problem-solve, innovate, and grow professionally.
• Individualized Consideration – All team members are given the individual time, attention, and support they need to achieve their goals and support the company in its growth.

This leadership style can be highly effective in building employee loyalty and keeping team members engaged, especially during times of change.

Servant Leadership

As the term suggests, servant leaders are those who put others’ needs above their own — with the understanding that team members who are properly supported and encouraged will naturally evolve into the best versions of themselves professionally. This leadership approach may not be for every organization, but in environments where it is well-suited, it can foster strong collaboration between team members and a healthy workplace culture where team members feel valued and invested in the company’s long-term success.

Charismatic Leadership

Have you ever had a supervisor or manager who was so charming and inspiring that you genuinely enjoyed working for them? If so, then you’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with a charismatic leader. These leaders are able to drive loyalty and motivate others into doing their best work by building strong connections, energizing their teams, and leveraging their magnetic personalities to lead with confidence.

A charismatic approach to leadership can be challenging to cultivate, especially because those who try too hard may come off as disingenuous, which can have the opposite effect.

Narcissistic Leadership

While narcissism is generally not viewed as a favorable trait, the reality is that it can be a useful quality in leadership — but only in limited cases. Even then, it can be somewhat of a double-edged sword, as narcissistic leaders can also create unstable work environments and prevent team members from speaking freely.

Narcissistic leaders tend to put their own personal needs above others and (at times) above those of the company. However, they often have visionary potential that can be beneficial if applied in the right context.

In general, narcissism probably isn’t something you want to strive for as a leader — but a little bit of boldness and confidence can drive innovation and offer a sense of stability to team members, especially during times of crisis or uncertainty.

Authentic Leadership

Authentic leaders offer a stark contrast to narcissistic leaders. Perceived as beacons of genuineness and morality, authentic leaders tend to have an easier time building trust and meaningful connections with team members. Their openness and humanity create a sense of safety where team members feel like they can express themselves freely and take calculated risks that align with the long-term goals of the company.

An authentic leadership approach may not come naturally to everybody, but for those who aren’t afraid to loosen the reins and show their own vulnerability, it can be extremely effective.

Bureaucratic Leadership

Bureaucratic leaders are all about hierarchy, processes, and procedures. Think about a police department and its rigid chain of command, and you’ll have a better understanding of how bureaucratic leaders operate. Although they may be perceived by some as overly formal, “by-the-book,” or even a bit bland, bureaucratic leaders have a way of bringing stability and a sense of order to the workplace.

A bureaucratic leadership style may not work in every organization, but it can be effective in larger corporations where consistency across locations is key, as well as in government agencies or other settings that are highly regulated.

Visionary Leadership

Last but not least, there’s the visionary leader. This is somebody who is always looking to the future and basing decisions on the long-term goals and objectives of the organization. These leaders tend to be strategic thinkers who look more at the “big picture” than at the smaller details, though being able to effectively communicate their vision to others is key to success.

Visionary leadership requires a careful balance between striving for long-term goals and keeping day-to-day operations running smoothly, so taking on this kind of approach requires some level of adaptability.

What Is Your Leadership Style?

You’ve probably noticed that there’s a fair amount of overlap between many of the common leadership styles covered. For example, charismatic leaders tend to be authentic, while transactional leaders may also be seen as bureaucratic. Ultimately, there’s no single answer to the question of which leadership style is best for you. Your unique approach to leadership is something that you’ll refine and adapt every single day of your professional life based not only on where you work, but also on the needs of your organization and the makeup of your team. Over time, you’ll learn which leadership styles most appeal to you and which components you want to incorporate into your own work

Start Your Leadership Journey With a Degree!

Knowing how to tailor your leadership style to meet the exact needs of your team and the objectives of your organization is a skill that can pay off many times over in your career. With a solid foundation of the different styles of leadership and their practical applications, you may find yourself in a better position for that next promotion, leadership opportunity, or even starting a new career.

Likewise, the right education and training can make all the difference in your transition to leadership roles. At Bryant & Stratton College, we offer a wide selection of business degrees to suit your needs, including online business degrees and associate degrees to help you advance your education without putting other areas of your life on hold. Get in touch to learn more about our program offerings, or get started with your online application for admission today.