Outline

Leadership development is a lifetime journey, not a quick trip.- John Maxwell

You can’t be a leader if you can’t influence others to act.- Dale E. Zand

Leadership is about change… The best way to get people to venture into unknown terrain is to make it desirable by taking them there in their imaginations.- Noel Tichy

Autocratic Leadership

This is often considered the classical approach. It is one in which the manager retains as much power and decision-making authority as possible. The manager does not consult employees, nor are they allowed to give any input. Employees are expected to obey orders without receiving any explanations. The motivation environment is produced by creating a structured set of rewards and punishments.

Democratic Leadership

The democratic leadership style is also called the participative style as it encourages employees to be a part of the decision making. The democratic manager keeps his or her employees informed about everything that affects their work and shares decision making and problem solving responsibilities. This style requires the leader to be a coach who has the final say, but gathers information from staff members before making a decision.

Democratic leadership can produce high quality and high quantity work for long periods of time. Many employees like the trust they receive and respond with cooperation, team spirit, and high morale. Typically the democratic leader:

Bureaucratic Leadership

Bureaucratic leadership is where the manager manages “by the book¨ Everything must be done according to procedure or policy. If it isn’t covered by the book, the manager refers to the next level above him or her. This manager is really more of a police officer than a leader. He or she enforces the rules.

Laissez-Faire Leadership

The laissez-faire leadership style is also known as the “hands-off¨ style. It is one in which the manager provides little or no direction and gives employees as much freedom as possible. All authority or power is given to the employees and they must determine goals, make decisions, and resolve problems on their own.

Participative Leadership

Being a participative leader means involving your team in making some, but not all, key decisions. This is most essential when creative thinking is needed to solve complex problems. You want to lead your team to the best of your ability. But should you be participative when making decisions or save time by making them yourself?

There is simply no better way to make people feel valued than to ask them, genuinely, for their advice. You can pat people on the back and recognize their efforts but this is not as effective in motivating people as involving them in important decisions.

Transactional Leadership

The transactional leadership model proposes that followers are motivated by rewards and punishment. It’s a system of quid pro quo – reward/pay for effort. If a person does something well then they can expect to be rewarded if they do something poorly they can expect to be punished.

Visionary Leadership

The leadership style focuses on how the leader defines the future for followers and moves them toward it. A visionary leader is effective in manifesting his or her vision because s/he creates specific, achievable goals, initiates action and enlists the participation of others.

Strategic Leadership

Strategic leaders are always looking ahead and analyzing the present in terms of preparation for what may be ahead for the business. Awareness is a big part of a strategic leadership style, but it must be followed up with well thought out action. Strategic leaders are adaptable and growth-oriented. They take responsibility for getting things done by training employees to think and act more effectively to achieve the best result possible for the company. It stresses the competitive nature of running an organization and being able to out fox and out with the competition.

Team Leadership

Team leadership is the management of a group of people brought together to work to achieve a common goal. In order to get everyone to work as one functioning team, the leader must motivate and inspire his or her followers. Leadership of a team involves assigning followers to tasks, supporting members, and overseeing projects.

Facilitative Leadership

They have a strong interest in the individual and what they have to contribute. They are inquisitive about their underlying values and the reasons for their opinions and behaviour.   They are reflective in nature, and tend to be good at reading the “politics” at work. They ask structured, probing questions and encourage interaction and debate, helping individuals to see alternative points of view. This is a special style that anyone who runs a meeting can employ. Rather than being directive, one uses a number of indirect communication patterns to help the group reach consensus.

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