What is Leadership?

What is Leadership and What are the Types of Leadership?

BusinessDictionary.com defines leadership as "the activity of leading a group of people or an organization or the ability to do this." Leadership is often confused with management, however they are not the same, a manager manages and keep things in order while a leader leads their organization or team and steps up in a time of need or difficulty and motivates the rest of the team. Leaders are not necessarily at the top of the organizational structure, leaders may be at the top of a particular team. Leaders are, however, usually at the top of the chain of command of their team or even an organization which is where the rest of the team/organization  resort to in time of difficulties or decision-making.

There are 4 different types of leaders, autocratic, democratic, bureaucratic and laissez-faire leaders. An autocratic leader is usually in control or power of everything in the organization, branch or team. The rest of the team have no say in any decisions that are made in the organization. The autocratic leader usually has unlimited authority. To get everyone and everything under control an autocratic leader may try to intimidate the rest of the team. This kind of style is also usually used and applied in the military as it is very aggressive. Some examples of autocratic leaders are Steve Jobs, Adolf Hitler and Martha Stewart. One of the advantages of having an autocratic leader is when the organization is in time of stress and needs help, the autocratic leader is able to make decisions quickly to get the organization back on track. One of the disadvantages of having an autocratic leader is the fact that they usually communicate something without caring for anything and they don't like to hear anybody else's opinions toward the decisions.

A democratic leader, unlike an autocratic, allows the rest of the team have a say in the decision-making of an organization. The democratic leader is still in control but they welcome ideas from the rest of the organization's staff. Everyone is given a seat at the table. The last call, however, always comes from the leader themselves. This kind of style is usually used in changing environments so they can get new ideas to get their organization on the same page as their environments. In changing environments, the leader needs to consider all options to keep the organization from becoming out-dated. One of the advantages of having a democratic leader is that the team have a part in the decision-making process which can result in more thorough solutions to problems. One disadvantages of having a democratic leader is that most ideas come from the team which means an inexperienced team may not be very effective and these collaborative works takes time to accomplish, therefore, this style may not be suited in a situation where a quick decision needs to be made.

A bureaucratic leader is a leader that works by the rule book, meaning this leadership style emphasizes on how things have been done before and they follow it thoroughly, step by step regardless of their changing environments. They ensure that the rest of the team also follows exactly how it has been done before. The bureaucratic leadership style is usually used in any work involving serious safety risks such as with machinery or when money is involved. It can also be used in organizations where employees do routine tasks like in manufacturing. This style however, may not be effective in organizations that require flexibility, creativity, or innovation. Bureaucratic leader achieve their position because of their ability to stick to the rules.

A laissez-faire leader allows their employees to work on their own. This can kind of leadership can start naturally when a leader does not have any control of the organization whatsoever. Laissez-faire leaders try to give the least possible guidance to subordinates and they try achieve control through less obvious means. Laissez-faire leaders may give their employees complete freedom to do their work and set their own deadlines with provided resources and advice if needed. This leadership style can be very effective if the leader observes their team and gives regular feedback for improvement or when the team is equipped with experienced, skilled, self-starters. An advantage of this leadership style is that the freedom given can lead to high job satisfaction and increased productivity. On the other hand, it can be horrible if the team members don't manage their time well or don't have the knowledge, skills, or motivation to do their work effectively.