Flex Your Leadership

In this blog we are going to discuss four different leadership types based on the studies of psychologist Kurt Lewin and American historian and political scientist, James MacGregor Burns. These types are autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire, from Lewin and the fourth style, called Transformational Leadership from Burns. Transformational leadership is a more recent model, coined by Burns in the mid-1970s. Now that you have a framework for these four leadership styles, you can better understand how to flex your leadership.

Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leadership is an authoritarian type of leadership style. The leader has all the power and expects complete submission from teams and employees. Obviously, this can sound bureaucratic or archaic and I am sure we have all dealt with people who take this too far.

The positive side of this leadership style is, it can bring proper order to a situation that has gotten out of hand. For example, if you were recently hired as the lead manager and you find your supervisor (your employee) is playing favorites with an associate, your team may benefit from establishing clear policies & procedures to foster equal treatment for all employees. Facets of this leadership style may be more common in larger companies.

The negative side of autocratic leadership is that it can cause severe division between associates and supervisors. Since there is no room for suggestions many employees may feel they do not have a voice or that the autocratic leader is unapproachable. This leads to frustration, discontent, and low morale in the company.

Democratic Leadership

Considered the most effective of Lewin’s leadership styles, this style is probably the most familiar style. Democratic leadership is about quality over quantity. Teams may not get as much work done when not being pushed by an autocratic leader. However, if you are striving for quality this style is recommended. Why is democratic leadership so effective? Because it gives people a chance to share their ideas and feel heard. When people feel heard they feel valued. When they feel valued they are more likely to put their all into something and not just complete their tasks half-heartedly.

Laissez-Faire Leadership

Probably the worst and most dangerous of Lewin’s leadership styles is laissez-faire. This type of leadership style is very distant and hands-off. This leader wants people to make decisions on their own, however, with little direction or input from the leader. This can lead to extreme frustration and many people in this situation will do one of two things. They will :

• • One: Take advantage of having no structure. This can range from employee theft, dishonest timekeeping, or even bullying another coworker with little or no consequences; or,
  • Two: they will find another job because let’s be honest this can be a very toxic environment if laissez-faire is the only leadership style in the workplace.

Transformational Leadership

Burn’s transformational leadership style is considered to be one of the most effective leadership styles today. In this style, leaders serve as coaches using all of Lewin’s leadership styles at the appropriate time. Transformational leaders flex their leadership style by operating in their different strengths. These leaders are change agents, in turn they are often placed in positions that utilize their unique strengths. They are life learners not afraid to be coached or mentored.

When they are in charge they have no problem hiring subject matter experts of people “smarter than they are,” because they know it will help everyone achieve, grow and meet those important goals. People follow people that are inspiring and relational. With transformational leadership, you allow people to thrive and create a very healthy environment for the workplace. Because once again it comes down to this people want to be heard and people want to bring value. Even if they are not crazy about a job, people tend to love transformational leaders. Think about the leaders who you admire the most and now think about why you admire them. Chances are, they are transformational leaders. People don’t leave companies, they leave employers, they leave people who are not appropriately flexing their leadership style.

In Closing

There are many different types of leadership styles. As a leader, it is important to figure out how to flex these leadership styles because each has a time and a place. In my book “The Key Leadership Qualities It Takes to Be a BOSS… ” (the first in its series) I talk about this very thing. This book is written for women who are entrepreneurs, but anyone can benefit from the tips and pointers found within the book’s contents based on solid research.

Get your copy of the book on Amazon.com. Available in print and on Kindle.

Pro Tip: Check out this Forbes article – “The Secret To Transformational Leadership.”

Blog Written By Zoey Baker

Blog Editor: Judith Baker

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