Five common leadership styles, and how to find your own

Running head: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES
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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES
Leading organization could be compared with conducting orchestra. Leader directs
orchestra’s various parts, indicating how and when they need to play. Leadership styles
reflect any one of following approaches for motivating and directing people: democratic,
laissez-faire and autocratic. In democratic style, the managers seek input generally from
subordinates when retaining for making final decisions. In autocratic style, the managers take
decisions from subordinates without soliciting the input. They practice authority and also
expect subordinates for taking responsibility to perform required tasks having no undue
explanation. In style of laissez-faire, approach of “hands-off” is adopted by the managers and
provide little direction for the subordinates. They might advise employees, however give
them usually considerable freedom for making decisions and for solving problems (Du, et.
al., 2013). At initial glance, the employee would not like in working for autocratic leader, as
the employee do not like to be said what should be done without having input. Hence, the
idea to work for democratic leader is much better as the input could be asked. However,
working in environment of laissez-faire, they might seem little unsettling in the beginning,
the opportunity for making their own decisions could be appealing.
Leadership style is approach for providing direction, motivating people and
implementing the plans. As employees see, this consists of overall pattern of implicit as well
as explicit actions that are performed by the leaders. Leadership’s several different styles as
expressed by the leaders in business, political and all other fields (Sethuraman & Suresh,
2014). Leadership style’s studies are conducted within military field, thus expressing
approach which stresses leadership’s holistic view, which includes how physical presence of
a leader determines how the leader perceives all others. This physical presence’s factors
within this context consists of military bearing, resilience, confidence and physical fitness.
Intellectual capacity of a leader helps in conceptualizing solution and in acquiring knowledge
for doing the work. Leader’s conceptual abilities apply judgement, interpersonal tact,
innovation, domain knowledge and agility (Giltinane, 2013). Technical and tactical
knowledge along with geopolitical and cultural awareness are encompassed by domain
knowledge. There exists several leadership styles which could be useful.
Democratic leadership is something where leader takes decision depending on every
team member’s input. However they take final call, where every employee have equal say
over direction of a project. It is a quite effective style of leadership as it allows employees of
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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLES
lower-level in exercising the authority they would require for using wisely for positions in
future they could hold. This resembles also how the decisions could be made within meetings
of company board. The autocratic leadership is a democratic leadership’s inverse
(Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014). Within this style of leadership, the decisions are
taken by the leader without fetching input. Employees are not consulted and considered prior
to the direction and could expect to adhere in decision at pace and time stipulated by leader.
Leadership style of laissez-faire could empower the employees through trusting them for
working in the way they like, it could limit the development and could overlook crucial
growth opportunities of the organization. Therefore, it is essential that this style of leadership
should be kept in check. Strategic leaders sit in interaction among growth opportunities and
major operations of the organization. The leaders accept executive interests’ burden while
making sure that current conditions of work should be stable for everybody. It is desirable
style of leadership within several organizations as several kind of employees are supported by
strategic thinking (Saeed, et. al., 2014). Transformational leadership is improving and
transforming upon conventions of the organization. Employees should have basic set for
goals and task which they should complete each month or week, however leader is pushing
them constantly outside the comfort zone.
Management includes organizing, planning and prioritizing work efforts for
accomplishing objectives in business organization. Style of management is a particular way
where the managers try to accomplish the objectives. This encompasses way in which
decisions are made by them, how the plan is made, how the work is organised and how the
authority is exercised by them. Management styles changes in every organization, for each
person and their management level (Anjum, Karim & Bibi, 2014). A manager is considered
good if he could adjust the management style for adjusting different employees and
environments. Management style of individual could be shaped by many different factors
which includes internal and external business environments. Internal factors determine the
style of management, however not limited to corporate culture, priorities and policies, skill
levels of staff, management structures and staff motivation. For being effective, outlook and
style of manager should fit into organizational culture of the business. External factors which
effect the management styles are not in control of the organization. External factors consists
of, however not limited to competitors, suppliers, law, economy and consumers.
When considering success of career, tangible qualities come in mind, like type of
salary and work. However, one critical factor for success is style of management, both in how
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