When it comes to leadership, there are plenty of explanations regarding leadership styles. I believe that each leadership style has its own benefits and everything comes back down to the needs of the organization itself and see what works best. A leader’s behavior patterns when attempting to persuade others to make up their leadership style. The subject of leadership is intriguing because it has a direct impact on the actions of followers, communities, and groups. Different leadership philosophies have emerged as a result of numerous ideas, and each of these philosophies results in a particular organizational behavior. A group, organization, or even a whole nation’s success or failure can be greatly influenced by a leader’s effectiveness. From managers to researchers around the world, the idea of leadership has drawn a lot of interest. Making and carrying out decisions is one of a leader’s most important tasks. There are several leadership styles that were discussed such as Autocratic leadership, Democratic leadership, Laissez-faire, and Situational.
- Autocratic Leadership
This type of leader would focus more on controlling and using their power to create decisions for the organization. Joseph Chukwusa in his journal stated that: “leaders should learn to apply restraint while using an autocratic leadership style in the management of their institutions since it hinders the application of innovative ideas to problem solutions” (Chukuwusa: 2018). In an organization, autocratic leaders will create a clear dynamic between a leader and their followers. Moreover, Mohammad Younes Amini stated in his journal that: “an autocratic leader is one who keeps most of the power for himself. This leadership style places a high value on performance and a low value on people” (Amini: 2019). The style of leadership does not welcome criticism or remarks from those beneath them. With this character, it can be too overwhelming for the organization’s employees. As a result, this personality could also be advantageous for the company because it takes little time to make a choice. I personally view Autocratic Leadership as something I do not want to be. I would also feel uncomfortable working for an Autocratic leader. I think that in an organization it is important to make all the people you work with feel comfortable, and a way to do that is by listening to what their opinion is like. From my own perspective, it doesn’t really matter if in the end, you do not use any of their opinions to make the decision, but it is important to show that you appreciate and respect them. I preferably believe that the organization would not grow if it weren’t because of the people in it.
- Democratic Leadership
Democratic leadership is a participative leadership style. According to Muhammad Saqib Khan, he stated that “this leadership style necessitates the leader to act as a mentor who has the final word yet consults with the team before making a decision” (Khan: 2015). This type of leader would consult with the team before making a decision. Democratic leaders will make sure to uplift their team and foster a cooperative atmosphere throughout the organization. A democratic CEO would encourage employees to contribute their opinions and views, which would allow them to come up with original solutions for the company. However, under this style of leadership, it might take longer for the corporation to make a decision because it would consider everyone’s input before settling on one ideal choice. Democracy’s primary flaw is how highly it values each individual’s personality (Dike: 2019). As far as I’m concerned, I view this democratic leadership as something that is interesting, as I think in some companies, democratic leaders are what fits best for the organization. However, I believe that time efficiency is everything, so I would not be a democratic leader that will ask each person’s opinion. Instead, I will only ask the people that are in charge or related to the decision the organization is about to make.
- Laissez-faire leadership
The “hands-off” leadership style is another name for the laissez-faire leadership style (Khan: 2015). Laissez-faire leaders are leaders who have complete faith in their employees to come up with a solution for the company. In an organization with this style of leadership, employees are given the power to decide what to do. Laissez-faire leaders would rely on their team instead of standing up by themselves. The disadvantage of this type of leadership style is that your team might not be able to handle it, and could lack responsibilities that would end up having a workload. C. W. VonBergen stated in his journal that: “managers hardly ever grasp the tremendous influence of their own inaction on their subordinates, and that many performance concerns are not just caused by what supervisors do, as well as what they do not do” (VonBergen: 2012). However, if a leader has a dedicated team, it can be a terrific idea to do. Additionally, I think that this leadership is something I myself wouldn’t want to hold. Giving your employees in the organization your trust is crucial, in my opinion. Leaders must react appropriately to both positive and bad employee performance. Laissez-faire executives can damage firms by failing to seize chances to impose appropriate penalties for unacceptable employee behavior. Inaction on the part of the supervisor has a very high cost. I would not, however, be a laissez-faire leader since I still want to use my leadership role. a leader who guides their team toward the desired outcome.
- Situational Leadership
Situational Leadership is a type of leader who leads based on the situation of each member of the organization. “Situational leadership emerged as a response to trait-based leadership once it emerged” (Ghazzawi: 2017). Situational leaders would change their approach based on the team’s needs and personalities. Since they will direct, encourage, and even coach you directly, this kind of leadership would be more considerate of its followers. “From a practical standpoint, situational leadership might be criticized for not fully addressing the question of one-on-one vs group leadership inside an organization’s culture” (Shonhiwa: 2016). But I believe situational leadership is something I would strive to be because that is how I see a strong leader, by setting an example and adapting their leadership to each individual. Although it will take more time, I think situational leadership can help the employees of the organization to develop. Having a situational leader would give me the confidence to use my skills and the feeling of support I need to complete the task. I have always encouraged people by giving my support as a leader. However, I would improve myself on the coaching style as after reflecting on myself over the past year, I think that one of the problems I faced is not being as confident as I should be as a leader. Hence, that is something that I want to work on. With this type of leadership, I aim to be a leader who creates a good relationship with my fellow workers, gives effective communication, and offers flexibility.
References
Amini, M. Y. (2019). The Impact of Autocratic, Democratic and Laissez-Fair Leadership Style on Employee Motivation and Commitment: A Case Study of Afghan Wireless Communication Company (Awcc). IOSR Journal of Business and Management, https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol21-issue6/Series-1/E2106014550.pdf.
Chukwusa, J. (2018). Autocratic Leadership Style: Obstacle to Success in Academic Libraries. Libraries at University of Nebraska Lincoln , https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5380&context=libphilprac.
Dike, E. E. (2019). Democratic Leadership Style and Organizational Performance: An Appraisal. International Journal of Development Strategies in Humanities, Management and Social Sciences, http://www.internationalpolicybrief.org/images/2019/APRIL/IJDSHMSS/ARTICLE8.pdf.
Ghazzawi, K. (2017). Situational Leadership and Its Effectiveness in Rising Employee Productivity: A Study on North Lebanon Organization. Scientific & Academic Publishing, http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.hrmr.20170703.02.html.
Gleeson, B. (2016). 10 Unique Perspectives On What Makes A Great Leader. forbes.com, https://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2016/11/09/10-unique-perspectives-on-what-makes-a-great-leader/.
Khan, M. S. (2015). The Styles of Leadership: A Critical Review. Public Policy and Administration Research , https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/PPAR/article/viewFile/20878/21131.
Shonhiwa, D. C. (2016). An Examination of the Situational Leadership Approach: Strengths and Weakness. https://saspublishers.com/media/articles/CCIJHSS_22_35-40.pdf.
VonBergen, C. W. (2012). Not Seizing Opportunities: The Effects of LaissezFaire Leadership. Administrative Issues Journal, https://dc.swosu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1202&context=aij.
Deafening Mind 