A leadership style is a leader's method of providing direction, implementing plans,

and motivating people.[1] Various authors have proposed identifying many different leadership styles
as exhibited by leaders in the political, business or other fields. Studies on leadership style are
conducted[2] in the military field, expressing an approach that stresses a holistic view of leadership,
including how a leader's physical presence determines how others perceive that leader. The factors
of physical presence in this context include military bearing, physical fitness, confidence, and
resilience. A leader's conceptual abilities include agility, judgment, innovation, interpersonal tact,
and domain knowledge. Leaders are characterized as individuals who have differential influence
over the setting of goals, logistics for coordination, monitoring of effort, and rewards and punishment
of group members.[3] Domain knowledge encompasses tactical and technical knowledge as well as
cultural and geopolitical awareness.[4][need quotation to verify]
One of the key reasons why certain leadership styles are blocked with positive outcomes for
employees and organizations is the extent to which they build follower trust in leaders.[5] Trust in the
leader has been linked to a range of leadership styles and evidence suggests that when followers
trust their leaders they are more willing and able to go the extra mile to help their colleagues and
organization. Trust also enables them to feel safe to speak up and share their ideas. In contrast,
when a leader does not inspire trust, a follower’s performance may suffer as they must spend time
and energy watching their backs.
Daniel Goleman, in his 2000 article "Leadership that Gets Results", talks about six styles of
leadership.[6]

Autocratic[edit]
The autocratic leadership style particularly emphasises the distinction between authoritarian leaders
and their followers. These types of leaders make sure to create only a
distinct professional relationship.[citation needed] They regard direct supervision as fundamental in
maintaining a successful environment and followership.[citation needed] Authoritarian leadership styles often
follow the vision of those that are in control, and may not necessarily be compatible with those that
are being led. Authoritarian leaders focus on efficiency, potentially seeing other styles, such as a
democratic style, as a hindrance to progress. Examples of authoritarian leadership include a police
officer directing traffic, a teacher ordering a student to do their assignment, and a supervisor
instructing a subordinate to clean a workstation. All of these positions require a distinct set of
characteristics that give the leader the position to get things in order or to get a point across.[citation
needed]
Authoritarian traits include: setting goals individually, engaging primarily in one-way and
downward communication, controlling discussion with followers, and dominating interactions.[7]
Several studies have confirmed a relationship between bullying, on the one hand, and an autocratic
leadership and an authoritarian way of settling conflicts or dealing with disagreements, on the other.
An authoritarian style of leadership may create a climate of fear, leaving little or no room for
dialogue, and where subordinates may regard complaining as futile.[8] As such, authoritarian styles
have sometimes been associated with reduced group-member satisfaction as compared to that in
more democratic leadership styles.[9][page needed]
Authoritarian leadership became popular for a period in the inter-war years – witness for
example Stalin, Mussolini and Pilsudski.

Paternalistic[edit]
Paternalistic leadership is useful in advocacy and advocating on behalf of another.[10] A paternalistic
leader acts as a parental figure by taking care of their subordinates as a parent would. In this style of
leadership, the leader supplies complete concern for their followers or workers. In return they receive
the complete trust and loyalty of their people. Workers under this style of leadership are expected to
become totally committed to what the leader believes and will forego opportunities to work
independently. The relationship between these co-workers and leader are extremely solid. The
workers are expected to stay with a company for a longer period of time because of the loyalty and
trust. Not only do they treat each other like family inside the workforce, but outside too. These
workers are able to go to each other with any problems they have because they believe it will truly
help them.[11]
One of the downsides to a paternalistic leader is that the leader could start to play favorites in
decisions. This leader would include the workers more apt to follow and start to exclude the ones
who were less loyal. According to Padavic and Earnest, authors of "Business Dimensional and
Organizational Counseling", paternalism is more difficult to come by in today's market. They believe
this because there is a rise in lay-offs and stronger unionization. This affects paternalistic leaders
because the co-workers may not believe that their jobs are 100% ensured. When this happens,
workers begin to look for bigger and better job opportunities instead of staying at one company for a
longer period of time. Because of this, the leader may not fully believe an employee staying with
their organization when another job opportunity is discussed. This could put the workers and leader
at risk for a bad situation.[11]
According to B. M. Bass, who wrote Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations, workers
who follow paternalistic leadership also have better organization skills. The leader encourages
organization because they allow the workers to complete tasks so that they can stay on top of their
work. The workers complete tasks, which boosts self-confidence and it makes them work harder to
reach and exceed their goal to prove to their boss they are working hard. Having this style of
leadership can also help implement a reward system. This system will allow workers to work even
better because there is something for them at the end of the tunnel. While doing this they will also be
able to accomplish more work in a set time frame.[11]
Even though paternalistic leadership style is practiced in majority of places such as India, South East
Asia, Middle East and Africa, there has not been concrete empirical research on the implications of
this leadership style due to the pre-conceived negative notions in the Western literature.[12] These
negative notions arise due to differences in the intrinsic cultural aspects defined by Geert Hofstede's
study (1980). He stated that North American and Western European countries classify themselves
as individualistic cultures centred around the principles of egalitarianism, lack of in-group
interdependence, direct communication and low power distance. Therefore, from a western
perspective, the authoritative aspects of paternalism are not accepted innately, whereas the parental
aspect of this leadership style is looked upon as an invasion of privacy as personal and professional
lives are two separate facets of life. On the other hand, the paternalistic leadership style is quite
effective and successful in non-western cultures which are collectivistic in nature as these societies
look up to their leaders as a fatherly figure and rely upon them for guidance and protection in return
of deference and loyalty, thereby aligning with the principles of paternalistic style.
It is essential that extensive research be initiated from a non-Western point of view to understand the
implications of this leadership style on social, cultural and organisational metrics without any
negative bias. This would help in better comprehension of factors which lead to successful leaders
and organisations in emerging economies where paternalistic leadership style is practiced at large.
[original research?]

Democratic[edit]
The democratic leadership style consists of the leader sharing the decision-making abilities with
group members by promoting the interests of the group members and by practicing social equality.[13]
The boundaries of democratic participation tend to be circumscribed by the organization or the group
needs and the instrumental value of people's attributes (skills, attitudes, etc.). The democratic style
encompasses the notion that everyone, by virtue of their human status, should play a part in the
group's decisions. However, the democratic style of leadership still requires guidance and control by
a specific leader. The democratic style demands the leader to make decisions on who should be
called upon within the group and who is given the right to participate in, make, and vote on
decisions.[14]
Research has found that this leadership style is one of the most effective and creates higher
productivity, better contributions from group members, and increased group morale. Democratic
leadership can lead to better ideas and more creative solutions to problems because group
members are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas. While democratic leadership is one of
the most effective leadership styles, it does have some potential downsides. In situations where
roles are unclear or time is of the essence, democratic leadership can lead to communication
failures and uncompleted projects. Democratic leadership works best in situations where group
members are skilled and eager to share their knowledge. It is also important to have plenty of time to
allow people to contribute, develop a plan, and then vote on the best course of action.[15]

Laissez-faire[edit]
The laissez-faire leadership style is where all the rights and power to make decisions is fully given to
the followers. This was first described by Lewin, Lippitt, and White in 1939, along with the autocratic
leadership and the democratic leadership styles.[16]
Laissez-faire leaders allow followers to have complete freedom to make decisions concerning the
completion of their work. It allows followers a self-rule, while at the same time offering guidance and
support when requested. The laissez-faire leader using guided freedom provides the followers with
all materials necessary to accomplish their goals, but does not directly participate in decision-making
unless the followers request their assistance.[17][unreliable source?]
This is an effective style to use when:

 Followers are highly skilled, experienced, and educated.

 Followers have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own.
 Followers are experts, in situations where followers have more knowledge than the
group leader.
 Followers are trustworthy and experienced.
Note that these conditions would intuitively mean that the group is already likely to be effective.
This style should not be used when:

 The leader cannot or will not provide regular feedback to their followers.[17]
This leadership style has been associated with lower productivity than both autocratic and
democratic styles of leadership and with lower group member satisfaction than democratic
leadership.[9] Some researchers have suggested that laissez-faire leadership can actually be
considered non-leadership or leadership avoidance.[18]

Transactional[edit]
Main article: Transactional leadership

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please

help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this
section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May
2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Transactional leaders focus their leadership on motivating followers through a system of rewards
and punishments. There are two factors which form the basis for this system: contingent reward; and
management-by-exception.[citation needed]
  Contingent reward provides rewards, materialistic or psychological, for effort and
recognizes good performance.
 Management-by-exception allows the leader to maintain the status quo. The leader
intervenes when subordinates do not meet acceptable performance levels and initiates
corrective action to improve performance. Management by exception helps reduce the
workload of managers being that they are only called-in when workers deviate from
course.
This type of leader identifies the needs of their followers and gives rewards to satisfy those needs in
exchange for a certain level of performance. Transactional leaders focus on increasing the efficiency
of established routines and procedures. They are more concerned with following existing rules than
with making changes to the organization. A transactional leader establishes and standardizes
practices that will help the organization reach:[citation needed]

 Maturity
 Goal-setting
 Efficiency of operation
 Increasing productivity.
Effect on work teams[edit]
A survey was conducted by Jun Liu, Xiaoyu Liu and Xianju Zeng[19] on the correlation between
transactional leadership and how innovations can be affected by team emotions. The research was
composed of 90 work teams, with a total of 460 members and 90 team leaders. The study found that
there is a relationship between emotions, labor behavior and transactional leadership that affects the
team. Depending on the level of emotions of the team; this can affect the transactional leader in a
positive or negative way. Transactional leaders work better in teams where there is a lower level of
emotions towards a project. This is because individuals are able to think freely when setting their
emotions aside from their work and place all of their focus on a given task. From this, it can be seen
that a transactional leader is negatively affected when the emotional level is high and positively
affected when the emotional level is low.
Transactional leadership presents a form of strategic leadership that is important for the
organization's development. Transactional leadership is essential for team innovation.[citation needed] A
strategic orientation encompasses the ability to link long-term ambitions with daily tasks.[20]

Transformational[edit]
Main article: Transformational leadership
Advocates of transformational leadership portray the transformational leader as a type of person not
limited by followers' perception.[21] Advocates should strive to assist individuals in regaining and
enhancing their ideas in an efficient and timely manner which requires leadership.[10] The main
objective is to work to change or transform followers' needs and redirect their thinking.[22] Leaders
who follow the transformational style challenge and inspire their followers ideas with a sense of
purpose and excitement.[23]
Transformational leaders also create a vision of what they aspire to be, and communicate this idea
to others (their followers).[24] Schultz and Schultz identify three characteristics of a transformational
leader:[21][25][need quotation to verify][23]

 Charismatic leadership has a broad field of knowledge, has a self-promoting personality,

high/great energy level, and willing to take risk and use irregular strategies in order to
stimulate their followers to think independently
 Individualized consideration
  Intellectual stimulation
What are 10 Leadership Qualities of Great Leaders?
According to Gallup research, the Great Resignation can be stopped with great leadership.

Here are 10 qualities of good leaders. They:

Possess Self-awareness

One of the most important qualities of a good leader is self-awareness. The leader needs to be
constantly aware of how they are acting, what they are saying and what message their nonverbal
communication is sending. Although they may not always realize it, team members constantly
observe leaders and model their actions and reactions by how they see the leader react.

This is especially important in times of change or extreme stress. Employees will look to the
leader for formal and informal guidance on how to react to the change or stress and consciously
or unconsciously react in the same way.

Think about how you respond in situations of unexpected change or stress. Is this
the way you want to respond?

Garner Credibility
Research by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner suggests that credibility, or the ability to
be trusted, is one of the most important characteristics of a good leader. Leaders gain credibility
and team members’ trust by doing what they say they will do, holding themselves accountable
for their words and actions, and putting the needs of the team before their own.

Gallup reports that employees who don’t trust their leaders are more likely to leave the
organization than those at organizations with a high-trust culture, making credibility one of the
most important leadership qualities. When leaders are not credible, team members are not likely
to trust them.

How can you demonstrate to your team that you are credible? How do you earn
their trust?

Focus on Relationship Building

Early management researchers assumed that the most important element of the workplace was
the work itself. They conducted studies and developed systems meant to increase employee
productivity but did little to address the human elements of employees. Contemporary leadership
theories take a more holistic approach to the workplace and include the human elements of
employees, including their need to form relationships with team members.

As human beings, employees are not able to bring only the part of them that does the work to
their organizations. They bring their entire selves, which is why leaders need to be excellent
relationship builders in all areas of the organization.

Think about your current workplace relationships. Who else can you connect with?

Have a Bias for Action

There are some leaders who talk a good game but never do anything other than talk. Good
leaders are those who talk about what needs to happen and then do something about it or have a
bias for action.

Leaders with a bias for action do not freeze in times of uncertainty or when a decision needs to
be made. They courageously decide and act and hold themselves accountable for their decisions
and actions. Someone has to take the first step, and these leaders are the ones taking it.

Do difficult situations or decisions cause you to freeze, or are you an action-taker?

Exhibit Humility
Humility is a word that is easily misunderstood. Individuals who have humility tend not to be
overly proud of their work and accomplishments and do not believe they are better than others.
In other words, humility is not thinking less of ourselves but thinking of ourselves less and of
others more.

Humble leaders are not likely to take credit for others' work. They put the needs of the team
before their own, and they are strong advocates for what their team members need. By focusing
more on others than themselves, humble leaders gain the trust of followers and help them
develop and grow beyond what they may have thought possible.

How much attention are you giving to the needs and accomplishments of others?

Empower the Team

A leader who empowers others unleashes their ability to act on behalf of their area of work or
expertise and provides them with an opportunity to grow and improve. When a leader empowers
a team member, they give them a set of guidelines to work in and then leave them alone to do
their work.

For example, you may have had the experience of speaking with the customer service
department of a store about a purchase you were unsatisfied with. When the customer service
agent can give you a refund or discount on a future purchase without first checking with their
manager, they have been empowered in their role.

Who are you empowering, either in or outside of work? Who can make some
decisions without checking with you first?

Stay Authentic

Authenticity is acting in a way that represents who we truly are rather than trying to act like
someone else. Leaders who act authentically show their true selves to their team members, and,
over time, team members come to rely on the leader acting in certain ways.

For example, if one of the characteristics of the leader is patience, every time that leader
demonstrates patience to team members, they are acting authentically. The more team members
see the leader being patient, the more they will come to expect that no matter what they bring to
the leader, the leader will respond with patience. Acting authentically is also a great way for
leaders to build trust with team members.

Do you speak and act from the core of who you are, or do you try to act like
someone else?

Present Yourself as Constant and Consistent

Good communication is key in a work environment, yet 18% of employers find their manager's
biggest weakness is being a bad communicator, according to The Predictive Index.

Leaders whose words and actions are similar every time enable the team to not have to wonder
or worry about how the leader is going to respond. Like with authenticity, leaders who speak in a
constant and consistent way almost become predictable over time. The team comes to rely on the
leader’s predictability which builds trust and reduces stress in the workplace.

How well are your teammates, friends and family able to predict your reactions?

Become a Role Model for Followers

Although they may not realize it, leaders are constantly being observed by followers. Team
members watch to see how the leader responds to messages or events and model their own
responses from what they see the leader do.
Good leaders are those who are aware that they are being observed by the team and set an
example for them to follow. For example, if leaders respond in support of unexpected changes,
over time, team members will start to do the same.

Whether or not you are in a formal leadership role, you are likely a leader in some
area of your life. What kind of role model are you for observers?

Be Fully Present

This one can be tough for leaders since they are often pulled in many directions at the same time.
Being present for team members means that the leader is fully focused on what team members
are saying, what they are doing and the work itself. Leaders who are not present are those who
appear distracted by other things and do not give team members their full attention.

When leaders are present, they demonstrate their value of team members. There is nothing more
valuable that leaders can give team members than their time, which can be done by being fully
present.

How much attention do you pay to those you work with?

Ways to Develop Your Leadership Qualities

Now that we have a sense of the qualities of good leaders, what are some ways that you can
develop and practice them? Good leaders are not made overnight. The road to becoming an even
better leader and reaching your personal and professional goals has to start somewhere.

Consider these suggestions:

  Test, try, improve: Start with small actions or changes to test and try, and then ask a
coworker or friend for feedback. Use the list of qualities of good leaders as a starting
point by picking one or two things you want to work on – and then give it a try. For
example, if you want to increase your self-awareness, try a new way of speaking or
acting in a meeting, and then ask a coworker for their feedback and see how closely it
matches your perception of what you were doing.

 Develop a support network: Start with one or two people who can become your
mentors or accountability partners. Mentors help us to think differently about how we act
and perceive things that happen in the workplace. Accountability partners help us stay on
track with the plans we have made. Think about someone you appreciate and ask them to
be your mentor or accountability partner.

 Build relationships: Effective leaders are relationship builders. Start small and expand
your network over time. You might want to start by trying to speak with one or two
colleagues each week that you don’t typically speak with and take it from there. Soon you
will have a wide network of relationships.

 Learn more about good leadership: Take a course or an entire degree program. For
example, if you are working on a bachelor's degree, consider adding an
undergraduate concentration in leadership.

If you have already completed a bachelor’s degree, your next step might be a graduate
certificate in leadership or a full master’s degree program, such as a master's in
organizational leadership or a Master of Business Administration (MBA).
Leadership styles are classifications of how a person behaves while directing, motivating,
guiding, and managing groups of people. There are many leadership styles. Some of the most
widely discussed include: authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic), delegative
(laissez-faire), transformational, transactional, and situational.
Great leaders can inspire political movements and social change. They can also motivate others
to perform, create, and innovate. As you start to consider some of the people who you think of
as great leaders, you can immediately see that there are often vast differences in how each person
leads.
Fortunately, researchers have developed different theories and frameworks that allow us to better
identify and understand these different leadership styles.
Illustration by Joshua Seong, Verywell

Lewin's Leadership Styles

In 1939, a group of researchers led by psychologist Kurt Lewin set out to identify different styles
of leadership.1 While further research has identified more distinct types of leadership, this early
study was very influential and established three major leadership styles that have provided a
springboard for more defined leadership theories.

In Lewin's study, schoolchildren were assigned to one of three groups with an authoritarian,
democratic, or laissez-faire leader. The children were then led in an arts and crafts project while
researchers observed the behavior of children in response to the different styles of leadership.
The researchers found that democratic leadership tended to be the most effective at inspiring
followers to perform well.

What Kind of Leader Are You? Take the Quiz

If you're curious about your leadership style, this fast and free leadership quiz can help you
determine what kind of leader you are:
This leadership styles quiz was reviewed by Rachel Goldman, PhD, FTOS.

Authoritarian Leadership
(Autocratic)
Authoritarian leaders, also known as autocratic leaders, provide clear expectations for what
needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. This style of leadership is
strongly focused on both command by the leader and control of the followers. There is also a
clear division between the leader and the members. Authoritarian leaders make decisions
independently, with little or no input from the rest of the group.

Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian leadership. 1

Lewin K, Lippitt R, White K. Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created “social climates”. J
Soc Psychol. 1939;10(2):271-301.
Lewin also concluded that it is harder to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than
vice versa. Abuse of this method is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial.

Mental Health in the Workplace Webinar

On May 19, 2022, Verywell Mind hosted a virtual Mental Health in the Workplace webinar,
hosted by Amy Morin, LCSW. If you missed it, check out this recap to learn ways to foster
supportive work environments and helpful strategies to improve your well-being on the job.

Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-
making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. The autocratic
approach can be a good one when the situation calls for rapid decisions and decisive actions.
However, it tends to create dysfunctional and even hostile environments, often pitting followers
against the domineering leader.

Pros and Cons of Autocratic Leadership

Participative Leadership
(Democratic)
Lewin’s study found that participative leadership, also known as democratic leadership, is
typically the most effective leadership style.1 Democratic leaders offer guidance to group
members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. In
Lewin’s study, children in this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian
group, but their contributions were of a higher quality.2

Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say in the
decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated
and creative. Democratic leaders tend to make followers feel like they are an important part of
the team, which helps foster commitment to the goals of the group.

Democratic Leadership Strengths and Weaknesses

Delegative Leadership (Laissez-

Faire)
Lewin found that children under delegative leadership, also known as laissez-faire leadership,
were the least productive of all three groups. The children in this group also made more demands
on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently.

Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave the decision-making
up to group members. While this style can be useful in situations involving highly qualified
experts, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation.

Lewin noted that laissez-faire leadership tended to result in groups that lacked direction and
members who blamed each other for mistakes, refused to accept personal responsibility, made
less progress, and produced less work.1

How Does Laissez-Faire Leadership Work?

Observations About Lewin's Leadership Styles

In their book, The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial
Applications, Bass and Bass note that authoritarian leadership is often presented solely in
negative, often disapproving, terms.2 Authoritarian leaders are often described as controlling and
close-minded, yet this overlooks the potential positives of stressing rules, expecting obedience,
and taking responsibility.

While authoritarian leadership certainly is not the best choice for every situation, it can be
effective and beneficial in cases where followers need a great deal of direction and where rules
and standards must be followed to the letter. Another often overlooked benefit of the
authoritarian style is the ability to maintain a sense of order.

Bass and Bass note that democratic leadership tends to be centered on the followers and is an
effective approach when trying to maintain relationships with others.2 People who work under
such leaders tend to get along well, support one another, and consult other members of the group
when making decisions.

Additional Leadership Styles and

Models
In addition to the three styles identified by Lewin and his colleagues, researchers have described
numerous other characteristic patterns of leadership. A few of the best-known include:

Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is often identified as the single most effective style. This style was
first described during the late 1970s and later expanded upon by researcher Bernard M. Bass.
Transformational leaders are able to motivate and inspire followers and to direct positive
changes in groups.
These leaders tend to be emotionally intelligent, energetic, and passionate. They are not only
committed to helping the organization achieve its goals, but also to helping group members
fulfill their potential.

Research shows that this style of leadership results in higher performance and more improved
group satisfaction than other leadership styles.3 One study also found that transformational
leadership led to improved well-being among group members.4

Transactional Leadership
The transactional leadership style views the leader-follower relationship as a transaction. By
accepting a position as a member of the group, the individual has agreed to obey the leader. In
most situations, this involves the employer-employee relationship, and the transaction focuses on
the follower completing required tasks in exchange for monetary compensation.
One of the main advantages of this leadership style is that it creates clearly defined roles. 5 People
know what they are required to do and what they will be receiving in exchange. This style allows
leaders to offer a great deal of supervision and direction, if needed.

Group members may also be motivated to perform well to receive rewards. One of the biggest
downsides is that the transactional style tends to stifle creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. 6

How a Transactional Leadership Style Works

Situational Leadership
Situational theories of leadership stress the significant influence of the environment and the
situation on leadership. Hersey and Blanchard's leadership styles is one of the best-known
situational theories. First published in 1969, this model describes four primary styles of
leadership, including:7

1. Telling: Telling people what to do

2. Selling: Convincing followers to buy into their ideas and messages
3. Participating: Allowing group members to take a more active role in the decision-making
process
4. Delegating: Taking a hands-off approach to leadership and allowing group members to make the
majority of decisions

Later, Blanchard expanded upon the original Hersey and Blanchard model to emphasize how the
developmental and skill level of learners influences the style that should be used by leaders.
Blanchard's SLII leadership styles model also described four different leading styles:8

1. Directing: Giving orders and expecting obedience, but offering little guidance and assistance
2. Coaching: Giving lots of orders, but also lots of support
3. Supporting: Offering plenty of help, but very little direction
4. Delegating: Offering little direction or support