In this paper, will define and discuss the meaning of leadership, identify the efferent types of management styles and identify the benefits and/or drawbacks to each. Leadership has been defined in several ways throughout the years. According to the textbook, leadership is the “process of inspiring, influencing and guiding others to participate in a common effort. To encourage participation, leaders supplement any authority and power they possess with their personal attributes, visions, and social skills” (Grittier 2008).
Many hold fast to the belief that there is no such thing as a born leader, and leadership is an acquired trait that begins early in childhood. For example, some children develop a take-charge attitude; some children are able to make friends easily, while others are just content to be a part of something. As time goes on, a leader’s way of thinking and personality is shaped by his or her education, jobs and life experiences. According to an article excerpted from Wall Street Journal, leadership is “less about your needs, and more about the needs of the people and organization you are leading.
Leadership styles are not something to be tried on like so many suits to see which fits. Rather, they should be adapted to the particular demands of he situation, the particular requirements of the people involved and the particular challenges facing the organization” (Leadership Styles-Management 2014). In other words, an effective leader has to be flexible and able to change his or her style Of leadership to suit changing circumstances. Although there is no single correct management leadership style, the best is the one which meets the challenges and needs of the people who are being led.
In the article entitled “8 Common Leadership Styles,” Rhea Blacken outlines eight leadership styles as follows: charismatic, innovative, command and control, kisses-fairer, pace setter, servant, situational and transformational. Each has its strengths and weaknesses in terms of management and leadership. As previously stated, one of the many types of leadership styles is charismatic. A charismatic leader inspires and motivates others through the power of their personality. Oftentimes, charismatic leaders spur others to action and motivate them to move forward because of the passion and .NET Asians they exhibit.
Opera Winfred is an example of a charismatic leader. Literally, one word from Opera Winfred “can move the stock market and social issues for he better” (Blacken 2013). Although charismatic leaders inspire, motivate and raise the morale of the team, there exists a major weakness to this type of leadership. Unfortunately, charismatic leaders often focus on themselves and their own ambitions. Some even may believe that he or she “can do no wrong, even when others warn them about the path that they’re on. This feeling of invincibility can severely damage a team or organization” (Leadership Styles 2014).
Another leadership style used by management is innovative. This type of leadership style usually creates a work environment hat encourages the workers to apply innovative thinking to solve problems develop new products and services. Also, an innovative leader can grasp the entire situation and go beyond the usual course of action by seeing what is not working and bringing new thinking and action into play. Richard Brannon is an example of an innovative leader. He describes his philosophy as “dream big by setting yourself seemingly impossible challenges. You then have to catch up with them” (Blacken 2013).
The major strengths to this type of leadership is it creates an atmosphere of respect for other people’s ideas, the am gains job satisfaction and enjoyment and failure does not impede the progress of the company. However, the drawbacks are that risk taking is increased for everyone and it creates a chaotic management environment in which the employees have total control over the decision making process. Additionally, command and control is a leadership style used by management regarding his or her team. This form of leadership is characterized by a leader that sets “high standards and may be obsessive about achieving” (Magical 2014).
Command and control leaders also will make decisions without insulting his or her team, even if their input may be useful. The advantages to this type of leadership is that it is appropriate in situations in which a leader needs to “make decisions quickly, when there’s no need for team input, and when team agreement isn’t necessary for a successful outcome” (Leadership Styles 2014). The disadvantages to this type of leadership are it can be restrictive if not demoralizing and limits others’ ability to develop their own leadership skills.
Also, it can lead to high levels Of absenteeism and staff turnover rates. Likewise, laissez-fairer leadership is sometimes used by management. Laissez-fairer leaders “give their team members a lot of freedom in how they do their work, and how they set their deadlines. They provide support with resources and advice if needed, but otherwise they don’t get involved” (Leadership Styles 2014). This type of leadership is advantageous when the team is working in multiple locations and is most effective when the team is skilled, experienced and self-directed in their use of time and resources.
However, this type of leadership can be damaging to a team if you have team members who do not manage their rime well or if they lack the knowledge, skills or self-motivation to effectively do their work. This type of leadership largely depends upon trusting others to keep their word. Another form of leadership is pacesetter. In this style, ‘the leader sets high standards for performance. He or she is obsessive about doing things better and faster, and asks the same of everyone” (Leadership Styles-Management 2014).
This is most effective when the staff is self-motivated and highly skilled, able to embrace new projects and move with great speed, and when action is the keyword and excellent results are critical. The drawback to this type of Dervish is that the pace cannot be sustained for too long and the staff runs the risk Of burn out trying to keep up with the demands Because team members may feel overwhelmed by the pacesetters demand for excellence “work becomes a matter of doing one’s best along a clear course so much as second-guessing what the leader wants.
At the same time, people often feel that the pacesetter doesn’t trust them to work in their own way or to take initiative. Flexibility and responsibility evaporate; work becomes so task focused and routine it’s boring” Coleman (2000). In contrast to pacesetter Dervish, a servant leader is “someone, regardless of level, who leads simply by meeting the needs of the team. The term sometimes describes a person without formal recognition as a leader. These people often lead by example.
They have high integrity and lead with generosity’ (Leadership Styles 2014). A servant leader puts service to others before self-interest and generally stays out of the limelight and allows the team to accept credit for results. This type of leadership is good in terms of the high morale and positive work environment for the team, but is ill-suited in situations which all for quick decisions or meeting tight deadlines. Another form of leadership is situational. This type of leader is usually direct and supportive while being empowering at the same time.
Situational leaders are sometimes referred to as coaching leaders. They help “employees identify their unique strengths and weaknesses and tie them to their personal and career aspirations, they encourage employees to establish long-term development goals and help them conceptualize a plan for attaining them. They make agreements with their employees about their role and responsibilities in enacting development Lana, and they give plentiful instruction and feedback” (Coleman 2000). Moreover, situational leaders are excellent at delegation.
Although this type of leadership focuses on developing individuals and helping them to connect their goals to that of the company, it works best for those who show initiative and want more professional development. Otherwise, it may seem as if the situational leader is micromanaging the team. Lastly, transformational leadership is used by management regarding his or her team. Transformational leaders “possess a vision of where they want the company o go and charisma and skills to implement that vision” (Magical 2014).
This type of leadership counts on team members giving their best effort, motivates the group by strengthening optimism, enthusiasm and commitment. Additionally, transactional leadership is “present in many business leadership situations, and it does offer some benefits. For example, it clarifies everyone’s roles and responsibilities. And, because transactional leadership judges team members on performance, people who are ambitious or who are motivated by external rewards-including compensation-often hire’ (Leadership Styles 2014).
The advantages to this type of leadership are that it can lead to high productivity and engagement from all team members. However, the one major disadvantage is that the team needs very detail oriented people to ensure that the scheduled work is done. In closing, it is vitally important to have leadership and management styles to maintain a work environment that is both effective and highly productive. As previously discussed, there are many forms of leadership and management styles utilized in today’s workplace.
