Types of Leadership Styles- An Essential Guide

Types of Leadership Styles 1 Laissez-Faire A laissez-faire leader lacks direct supervision of employees and fails to provide regular feedback to those under his supervision. Highly experienced and trained employees requiring little supervision fall under the laissez-faire leadership style. Autocratic The autocratic leadership style allows managers to make decisions alone without the input of others. Managers possess total authority and impose their will on employees. 2 Participative Often called the democratic leadership style, participative leadership values the input of team members and peers, but the responsibility of making the final decision rests with the participative leader. 4 Transactional Managers using the transactional leadership style receive certain tasks to perform and provide rewards or punishments to team members based on performance results. Employees receive rewards, such as bonuses, when they accomplish goals. Transformational The transformational leadership style depends on high levels of communication from management to meet goals. Leaders focus on the big picture within an organization and delegate smaller tasks to the team to accomplish goals.