11 Common Leadership Styles (And Tips for Choosing the Right One for You) • Asana

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It is normal for your personality and experience to influence your leadership style.
While there is no one right approach to leadership, knowing what your leadership style is is helpful for developing your own skills and empowering your team. In this article, we talk about 11 different leadership styles and their pros and cons in different situations. What do Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Lowe's CEO Marvin Ellison have in common? Both of them are outstanding leaders. One of them ranks high in the tech industry, the other reaches new heights in the retail industry. Both are visionary, have a deep understanding of their work, and are charismatic enough to earn the trust of their audience.

Leadership is not a universal quality. Every leader has a different personality and experience that defines their style. This style can evolve over time, so the leader you are now may be different from the leader you want to become in the future.

To help you figure out what your current leadership style is and how to use it to improve team performance, here are 11 of the most common leadership styles and theories.

1. Authoritarian (autocratic) leadership style

Authoritarian leaders, also called autocratic, are characterized by a clear command approach and control over colleagues. Decision-making processes are centralized, meaning the most important decisions are made by one person. An authoritarian leader has a clear vision of the big picture, but other employees participate only to complete individual tasks as needed.

Authoritarian leaders may praise or criticize employees, but at the same time they clearly separate themselves from the team. Although it may seem that an authoritarian leader is only disliked, this is usually not the case. They are rarely hostile. On the contrary, they are usually friendly and sometimes even emotionless.

An authoritarian leader is characterized by the following statements:

I know the situation better than others.
When disagreements arise in the company, I am usually right.
With so many voices we will never get the job done.
I do not accept opposing opinions about the project for which I am responsible.

Advantages of authoritarian leadership:

Authoritarian leaders are able to complete projects within tight deadlines.
This style is useful when decisive action is needed.
Autocratic leadership can be successful when the leader has the most complete knowledge relative to the rest of the team.

Disadvantages of Authoritarian Leadership:

This style is not conducive to creativity.
Colleagues may view such leaders in a negative light due to suppression of initiative and excessive control.
Authoritarian leaders find it difficult to adopt any other leadership style and are usually not willing to deviate from their plan.

2. Collegial (democratic) leadership style

Collegial, or democratic, leaders welcome all opinions and encourage collaboration. And although they may have the final say, such leaders share responsibility for decision-making among everyone.

Collegial leaders participate in the work of the team. They devote time and effort to the professional growth of their colleagues because they understand that this will help achieve the ultimate goal. If you feel comfortable working in a collaborative environment, this leadership style may be right for you.

A collegial leader is characterized by the following statements:

If I rely on the knowledge and experience of my colleagues, this will help me fulfill my responsibilities.
If disagreements arise in the company, it is necessary to listen to the opinions of all participants and only then make a decision.
The more people work on a project, the better the result will be.
I accept opposing opinions because it helps make the final product better.

Benefits of Peer Leadership:

According to Levine's research, this is the most effective leadership style.
Peer leadership improves the quality of work.
It encourages creativity and helps team members feel included.
Everyone understands the big picture and is interested in achieving the end goal.

Disadvantages of collegial leadership:

Teams with a collegial leader are not as productive as those with an authoritarian leadership style.
For collaboration to be effective, all team members must be involved in the process.

Read about the secret of high dynamics in team work

3. Liberal (permissive) leadership style

Lewin's third style is the liberal, or permissive, leadership style. Liberal leaders rarely give any instructions to the team. They give employees complete freedom to make decisions.

Liberal leaders distance themselves from the team and prefer not to participate in the project control process. You rarely hear any comments from them. By the time the project is completed, employees may even forget what such a leader looks like.

A liberal leader is characterized by the following statements:

The team can decide for itself what is best for them, but I expect a brilliant result.
If disagreements arise in the company, others can make a decision without me.
I place all resources at the disposal of the team. Therefore, I want employees to take the initiative themselves and know what needs to be done.
Those who have a different opinion can use their methods on an individual basis.

Benefits of liberal leadership:

The liberal style can be useful if all team members are qualified experts.
This leadership style will appeal to those who value independence.
If the team has the same goal as the leader, it can be achieved. You can use goal tracking software to monitor progress.

Disadvantages of liberal leadership:

According to Lewin's research, teams with permissive leadership are the least productive.
Under liberal leadership, the roles and responsibilities of employees are blurred.
With this style, team members may begin to blame each other without accepting any responsibility.

Having become acquainted with Lewin's three leadership styles, we can go from the other side and consider the theory of emotional leadership. This approach helps you use emotional intelligence to assess a situation and choose the appropriate leadership style.

Recommendations

Although this type has several names, it is important to maintain a balance, remaining liberal and not bringing matters to complete connivance and lack of control. Therefore, be discreet in checking and observing, periodically contacting the group leader.
Look at the article “Ways to develop lateral thinking”; this knowledge and training will help you learn to make non-standard decisions and get out of difficult dead-end situations.
Most often, it is important to simply create the appearance that you have power over the employees and the process. After all, if you are honest with yourself, it becomes clear that you depend on the decisions and abilities, qualifications of a group of people, and that you can only wait and believe that they will cope. This can create a lot of tension, which will then affect your health, and negatively. Therefore, study the article about methods of getting rid of stress, and put them into practice to maintain balance and calm.
To initially cope with both the leaders and the rest of the employees, so that they listen to you, you must be an authority for them. This is when you can leave the work to be done to them. But what if the boss has low self-esteem and lacks self-confidence? These are significant shortcomings that will make concepts like respect and authority more mythical and unrealistic. Therefore, work on yourself, and here the recommendations in the article about the best methods for achieving success will help you.
Learn to take responsibility and resolve conflicts. This will improve the general atmosphere and add respect and a certain status to you. You will learn how to do this easily and skillfully here.

Visionary Leadership

Visionary leadership is comparable to Lewin's authoritarian leadership style. Visionary leaders have a clear long-term vision and know how to inspire and motivate people.

This type of leadership is best suited when a company is undergoing major changes or when there is a need to receive clear direction. In these conditions, people are looking for someone they can trust to follow them into the unknown.

This style may be less effective when other team members are experts with ideas and opinions that differ from those held by the leader. Such specialists will not want to blindly follow a leader with whom they do not agree.

Read about how to build expert authority (and improve your leadership skills)

Benefits of Visionary Leadership:

Members of the organization receive the necessary inspiration and understand their responsibilities.
Temporary problems do not depress the leader because he is focused on the ultimate goal.
Visionary leaders are able to provide backup options for solving problems associated with external factors, such as politics or the global situation.

Disadvantages of Visionary Leadership:

There is no short-term vision of the situation on the part of the teams.
Vision can be lost if it is too closely tied to the leader's personality.
Visionary leaders tend to push away the ideas of other team members.

Coaching

A leader-coach is able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of other team members and contributes to their development. In addition, such leaders know how to connect the skills of employees with the goals of the company.

This leadership style will be effective if the leader is creative, open to collaboration, and provides clear feedback to colleagues. It is also important that the coach knows when to step back and give the person space.

If you've ever dealt with a bad mentor, you know that coaching isn't for everyone. If you are unlucky with a coach, such leadership can turn into total petty control.

Benefits of coaching leadership:

A leader-coach can create a motivating atmosphere in which participants are happy to work on a project.
Clearly defined expectations help develop the skills of colleagues.
This leadership style gives companies a competitive advantage because it provides productive conditions for qualified people who are willing to train others.

Disadvantages of coaching leadership:

Coaching requires patience and time.
This style is only effective if others are willing to accept it.
Mentor leaders rely heavily on relationships, which can be difficult if there is no team chemistry.

What is leadership style

The idea of rational distribution of human resources arose at the stage of tribal communities. Then the foundations of management were born. Management science today is, of course, very different from resource allocation back then. Gradually, another science emerged - management psychology, which studies the styles and characteristics of management and leadership, their influence on the team.

Leadership style is the individual and personal characteristics of the system of methods, techniques and means of influencing the leader on the team in order to ensure the effectiveness of its work. This includes the manager’s communication style, behavioral norms, and the nature of the activity.

The main characteristics of leadership style include:

activity/passivity;
collectivism/individualism;
instructiveness/connivance;
positive/negative stimulation;
contacts with subordinates/maintaining distance;
centralization/decentralization of information flows;
feedback from the team/lack thereof.

A mixed leadership style or the predominance of one over the others is possible. Then several contradictory features occur at once.

The leadership style incorporates the characteristics of the leader as a person and personality (temperament, character), the specifics of this particular activity (field of work), and the characteristics of relationships with each member of the team.

Fatherly leadership style

A fatherly leadership style is relationship-oriented. The main thing for such a leader is to create harmony. This charismatic leader works to create and develop working relationships that promote cohesion and positivity within the team.

A leader with a fatherly style helps when building a new team or in a crisis, as both require trust. However, this leadership style can be detrimental when the leader is too focused on maintaining a friend's image and less concerned with improving productivity and achieving company goals.

Benefits of a paternal leadership style:

Team morale is maintained by positive and constructive feedback.
Interpersonal conflicts quickly cease.
Team members feel important and are less stressed.
A fatherly leadership style creates close bonds in teams whose members are committed to helping each other.

Disadvantages of a paternal leadership style:

Some employees may not work effectively when out of sight. The lack of a clear definition of responsibilities can lead to so-called social laziness.
Leaders with a fatherly style are reluctant to voice criticism that does not help others grow.
Organizational goals are often forgotten.
Team members become emotionally dependent on the leader. If the leader moves to another team or leaves the company, the rest of the team will be lost.

Read the article “Servant Leadership: How to Lead a Team to Meet Its Needs”

"Family Idol"

Alternative name: permissiveness.

With this type of upbringing, the child becomes the center of the universe for the parents. He is never scolded, all his wishes are fulfilled. Parents tend to exaggerate their child's abilities and achievements. They give up personal needs and boundaries for the sake of the child.

What does this type of education lead to? Most children who are raised as idols become narcissists and selfish people. They are confident that all people must obey them unquestioningly and please them. If this does not happen, then the child becomes angry, offended, takes revenge, and tries in every possible way to attract attention. In adult life, this is compounded by intense disappointment and dependence on people. Against this background, chemical dependencies and mental disorders may develop.

Democratic leadership style

Democratic leadership style is the same concept as Lewin's collegial leadership. The team encourages the active participation and exchange of ideas of all participants. Therefore, the entire team feels involved, even despite the fact that the leader’s voice is ultimately decisive.

Democratic leadership style is effective in teams with highly qualified members who make productive contributions. And it is less successful with less experienced employees who have less knowledge in the field. Additionally, it should not be used in situations requiring immediate action.

Advantages of democratic leadership style:

A collaborative environment fosters creativity and innovation.
Maintains a high level of engagement and trust among employees.
Shared goals ensure a high level of accountability and productivity.

Disadvantages of democratic leadership style:

Collaboration requires more time.
A leader may lose the trust of members if he makes decisions without their input.
Democratic leadership style is ineffective if team members do not have the necessary qualifications.

Classification of parenting styles

There are 6 main parenting styles:

authoritarian;
liberal;
guardian;
democratic;
aloof;
chaotic.

Despite the clear classification, in modern families there is most often a mixture of styles. Nevertheless, a person continues to learn and change under the influence of circumstances throughout life.

But, one way or another, one of the styles continues to dominate. And if its advantages for parents are obvious, then the disadvantages most often escape their attention. Read more about each parenting style and evaluate how effective the one you choose is.

Reference leadership style

A leader with a reference style sets an example for high performance, productivity and quality. This leadership style requires team members to follow in the footsteps of their leader. If the participants do not keep up with the leader, he will intervene and complete the task correctly.

Benefits of the reference leadership style:

Leaders with this style are able to achieve company goals on time.
The reference leadership style allows you to fully use the potential of the team.
Reporting on the progress of work allows you to quickly identify problems.

Disadvantages of the reference leadership style:

When leading with a reference style, employees may become stressed and unmotivated, causing low morale within the team.
Employees may lose trust in a leader if he monitors their every move and corrects their every action.
Excessive attention to results and deadlines is fraught with a decrease in creative potential.
Insufficient feedback.

Conniving type

Alternative names: lenient, hypoprotective, liberal.

With this style of parenting, the child finds himself without parental attention, guardianship and care. He is not scolded, but he is not praised either. They don’t tell him what to do, but they aren’t interested in his wishes either. In simple words, parents are indifferent to their child. They leave him to his fate. The child is left to his own devices.

What impact does this style have on the psychological development of a child? Children become insecure and have difficulty with discipline. They lack self-organization and self-control skills. Most children try in any way to attract the attention of their parents.

In general, a child’s development depends on what kind of people he meets along the way. And also on the innate psychological characteristics of the child. He can become responsible and independent, self-aware and realizing his potential. Or the child may grow up infantile, irresponsible, and antisocial.

One way or another, children raised in liberal conditions lack a sense of stability and security. In adulthood, this is a direct path to depression, neurosis, phobias, and mental disorders.

Directive leadership style

The directive leadership style is similar to the authoritarian, or coercive, style. A leader with this style sets clear goals and objectives for the team, expecting employees to strictly implement them. They introduce rules and procedures to create the appropriate structure.

Directive leadership is usually used in situations where employees lack the skills and experience. In such a situation, employees need a structure that allows them to complete tasks. This leadership style is also effective in emergency situations when there is no time for discussion. If you use this leadership style, it should be done in combination with other styles.

Advantages of the directive style:

Having clearly defined expectations helps improve performance.
Useful in times of crisis because it allows you to make decisions quickly.
A directive leadership style can be effective in teams with low-skilled or inexperienced employees.
Leaders with a directive style can quickly identify gaps in certain employees.

Disadvantages of the directive style:

If the leader does not have more experience than the team, this leadership style will not work.
Collaboration is lacking, which stifles creativity.
Team morale may drop significantly and employees may lose interest.
There is a strong dependence on the leader, which creates certain problems.
A leader with a directive style can easily turn into an authoritarian leader.

The theory of emotional leadership can be easily implemented in everyday work. First, determine the type of team you are working with. Then consider which leadership styles are best suited to your challenges. Next, try to adjust your emotional leadership style to account for possible scenarios. With some practice, this theory can change the way you approach leadership.

Read about how to effectively manage your group's workload

Education and its types

Definition 1
A permissive parenting style is a style in which the teacher allows the child to do whatever he wants.

The classification of types of education is based on the principles of substantive diversity of educational goals and methods of their implementation.

Education is a multifactorial process and is greatly influenced by the natural environment, the hierarchy of social values, educational institution, family and school, organizations for children and youth, art and mass media, and everyday professional activities.

Based on the institutional characteristics, family, school and out-of-school education, religious education, education at the place of residence, in various children's and youth organizations, education in orphanages, and boarding schools are distinguished.

Are you an expert in this subject area? We invite you to become the author of the Directory Working Conditions

The educational process is the relationship of goals and content, methods and means, and, of course, the results that were achieved - these interconnected basic elements are the structure of the educational process.

The main goal of the educational process is to help a person achieve the expected changes under the influence of specially prepared educational actions.

Such goals accumulate the humanistic attitude of the educator to the personality of the person being educated.

The unity of purpose and content determines the direction of education, based on which physical, aesthetic, moral, mental, and labor education are distinguished.

New directions in education are also being formed, which are necessary at the present time - legal, economic, civic, environmental education.

When upbringing is well organized, the result is the formation of a person’s ability to self-education.

In the process of self-education, a person assimilates the experience of previous generations through internal mental factors that ensure this development. Education is impossible without self-education, therefore they must be considered as two sides of the same process, moreover, with self-education a person educates himself.

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Self-education refers to the internal self-organization of a person, aimed at assimilating the experience of generations for one’s own development.

A person directly receives the experience of generations through self-education using his own means and aspirations.

As for school education, this is the organization of life and educational activities in a school environment, including extracurricular activities. It consists of maintaining school traditions, holidays, and organizing self-government.

Note 1

The success of educational work largely depends on the personality of the teacher, on the nature of communication with children, the psychological and educational atmosphere of the classes.

Education outside of school assumes that the designated educational tasks will be solved by educational institutions located outside of school - these are children's art houses, development centers, clubs for young naturalists, ecologists, etc.

The role of religious education is very important, since believers make up about 90% of humanity; its implementation occurs through religious traditions and rituals.

Education in the area of residence occurs through health camps, clubs, sports competitions and holidays, which are organized by parents and teachers.

Transformational Leadership

In addition to Lewin's leadership theory and emotional leadership theory, there are two other leadership styles worthy of your attention: transformational and transactional leadership.

Both of these styles were described by Bernard M. Bass, an American psychologist who studied leadership and behavior in organizations. Even if you haven't heard of them yet, you've probably already seen them in action.

The most popular theory of Bernard M. Bass is transformational leadership, which is a combination of four leadership qualities. This theory was formulated based on James McGregor Burns' 1978 concept in which he argued that leaders and their followers help each other improve morale and motivation.

Leaders with this style are trusted and respected by those who are willing to follow them. The four leadership qualities of transformational leadership are personal consideration, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation, and thought leadership. These four qualities determine how transformational a leader is.

Benefits of transformational leadership:

Leaders with this style use coaching and rewards to inspire their team.
Each employee is treated individually, allowing all their unique skills to be used effectively.
Employees are united by a common cause, which ensures their growth within the company.
Each employee is given freedom of action.

Disadvantages of transformational leadership:

Small tasks are easily forgotten, making it difficult to bring a concept to life.
The constant presence of a leader can lead to employee overload and burnout.
The leader's goals must be consistent with the company's goals, otherwise risks may arise.
All employees must respect the leader and agree with his approach.

Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership was first conceptualized by sociologist Max Weber. It was then refined by Bernard M. Bass as opposed to transformational leadership.

Transactional leadership uses the principle of carrots and sticks to motivate employees. Such a leader believes that a clearly structured management system increases work efficiency. At the same time, team members must strictly follow the instructions and be under close control from the leader.

Benefits of Transactional Leadership:

Transactional leadership is useful in situations where there is a clearly defined problem.
This leadership style can be useful in times of crisis, when everyone has clearly defined responsibilities.
Employees know what is expected of them.

Disadvantages of Transactional Leadership:

A transactional leadership style stifles employee creativity.
Leaders with a transactional style do not meet the emotional needs of team members.
Such leaders do not encourage individual initiative.
This leadership style is usually ineffective in the long term because it is overly focused on short-term goals.

Read six tips on creating a strong organizational culture from Asana leaders

Leadership and Guidance

Leadership and management are often used interchangeably. However, they have different meanings.

A leader builds on his vision to move the company forward while keeping his team inspired. In addition, they have a positive influence on a social level and can use it to benefit the organization. On the other hand, managers can perform the function of operational support for projects in a company, using a special leadership style.

Leadership is an operational concept; it concerns setting and evaluating priorities, making hiring and firing decisions, compensation decisions, etc. A leader is more of a coach or even a spiritual guide. He is responsible for maintaining the energy and inspiration of employees, helping them grow, and also ensuring the coherence of their actions. A leader is a source of strength and stability in the process of change. ”

—Dustin Moskowitz, co-founder and CEO of Asana
You don't have to be an executive to be a leader. A leader can be a person in any position, not just in the highest echelons. If you are looking to develop leadership skills in any role, you may find it helpful to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your leadership style and to become familiar with other types of leadership that may be suitable for you.

We'll then look at different leadership theories and styles to help you understand your style. You may even want to change your strategy.

Read the article “Leadership and Management: What’s the Difference?”

Advantages

For staff

Work is of interest because a person does what he likes and suits best, and not what he is “ordered to do.” And you yourself know from the article about human energy that interest contains a lot of energy, so you will be less tired when doing something that gives you pleasure. Like little children, they are restless because they follow their curiosity and desires.
With success, the feeling of satisfaction is much higher than that a person experiences with praise. And all thanks to the realization that without clear instructions and control, by showing creativity and using abilities, knowledge and skills, we managed to achieve such a result. This has a positive effect on self-esteem. Since the most stable opinion about oneself is the one formed independently, it is on this that the personality then relies. Yes, you yourself probably know what it’s like to convince a slender girl that she shouldn’t go on a diet... If she thinks that she’s fat, then no one and nothing will influence this decision.

For the company

The advantages are that the group as a whole and each individual individually get the opportunity to express themselves and reveal their potential. In such complete freedom, completely unusual and creative ideas are born that could not arise under other conditions.
People themselves regulate relationships among themselves and establish a clear chain of hierarchy. This is why such a system becomes very stable and able to withstand many difficulties and complexities. Even if several participants drop out during the work process, the team will be able to cope with the project as a whole, distributing responsibilities among themselves. It can exist for many years, creating its own values, rules and traditions. There can be many managers, but nothing will change, unlike other types of management, where when the management changes, either most of the specialists are lost, or the quality and efficiency of the work performed changes.
There are individuals with whom it is impossible to cooperate unless given freedom. And it is also impossible to refuse them, because they are valuable and capable of brilliant creations. But as soon as you try to put pressure on them, then consider that you yourself, with your own hands, have sent your planned project to the trash can. So liberality contributes to the emergence of masterpieces and discoveries, this is especially significant in the field of science and medicine.

What is your leadership style?

As you can see, there are many different theories and concepts of leadership.

Lewin's theory divides all leaders into three categories, the most effective of which is collegial leadership. Emotional leadership theory provides six leadership styles that an effective leader uses at one time or another depending on the current circumstances. Bass offers us two opposing styles: transformational and transactional. In the first case, motivation is provided by the inspiration of employees, and in the second - by the carrot and stick method.

There is no one right leadership style, but there is a style that you are naturally inclined towards. Which style suits you best? What are you used to? Weigh the advantages and disadvantages to become a leader who sets up his followers for success. If your current leadership style isn't working, try a different approach.

Read 39 Business Quotes to Inspire Your Team

The influence of parenting style on the formation of a child’s personality

Parenting style largely determines a person's destiny. First of all, it influences the nature of relationships in the family and forms the first stereotypes - concepts that a person will rely on throughout his life.

In the future, parenting style can affect other things:

independence and responsibility;
child's self-esteem and future fulfillment;
school performance, desire to achieve;
attitude towards people and the opposite sex.

Inspire employees with effective leadership style

Leadership style is a classification of how leadership skills are used in practice. As we already know, leaders have many strengths. They dedicate themselves to a variety of tasks, from motivating employees and thinking creatively to solving problems and taking risky decisions. At the same time, there are no two absolutely identical leaders: the approach to the same set of tasks for different leaders can differ significantly.

Leaders' job is to ensure that employees achieve the organization's goals.
Work management software can help you keep your team working in a consistent manner, no matter where you lead them. Try work management software