Qualities and Styles of Effective Leadership July, 2014 | Page 2

Leadership Styles

LEADERSHIP STYLES
Leaders are an important resource for all organizations. Those individuals who have leadership qualities
exhibit a broad scope of talents and abilities. Leaders are born with exceptional abilities such as to take
control of a situation, make important decisions and motivate others to follow his instructions. The
leadership style of a leader has significant impact on performance and satisfaction of employees. That
depends on how a leader influences and encourages his employees towards the achievement of a
common goal. The leadership styles can affect an employee performance and self image in either a
positive or negative way. There are various leadership styles or approaches mentioned below that work
in different types of situations.
Autocratic: An autocratic leader has a little confidence and faith on his subordinates. This type of leader
does not appreciate input from his subordinates. He rarely asks for thoughts and inputs on how things
should be run or carried out. He only gives directions and expects that those directions should be
followed by his subordinates. If anyone fails to follow the instructions then the person might confront
heavy consequences. Autocratic style is quite similar to the style of dictatorship.
Democratic: The democratic leader takes charge when necessary because he is a strong leader. He
values the input from his followers. In order to ensure the fairness of the decisions made, the
democratic leader is likely to put options to a vote. This style boosts employee morale because
employee contributions are valued in decision making process.
Intellectual: When the knowledge of an intellectual leader permits him, he is willing to take the charge
of a situation. He never requires a group of followers. He is considered as a reluctant leader because he
does not do lead in actual.
Persuasive: Persuasive leadership style is a passive and aggressive style. This type of leader has the
ability to persuade and convince others to follow him because he has a compelling and pleasant
personality. A persuasive leader needs not to put efforts to get people to follow his instructions.
Bureaucratic: This type strictly follows the book practice of a bureaucratic leadership style. In this style
the leader follows rules for management and decision making. This type of style can be effective in
those organizations where little or no creativity is required from employees. Many considered this style
as a highly inflexible leadership style.
Authoritative: Authoritative style is quite similar to autocratic leadership style. This is also known as
commanding style of leadership because leaders use little reinforcement for employees such as
appreciating employees for doing a good job. Instead, employees are often criticized if they perform
their duty inadequately.
Conclusion:
The effectiveness of all the leadership styles depends upon the situation a leader is dealing, the
people with whom he works and the corporate culture where he works. In order to become a more

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