Effective leaders can motivate and inspire people to achieve success, work hard and work as a team. Regardless of your level within your company, leadership skills will lay a foundation for present and future success. As you develop your leadership qualities, you must understand your natural leadership style.
Although you inevitably will need to use various leadership styles, depending on context, you will usually achieve your highest performance level by using your natural style. The following list of leadership styles will help you identify your leadership style.
Autocratic Leaders Like to Direct
If you like giving orders and micromanaging your team members, you might naturally tend toward an authoritarian leadership style. An authoritarian leader dictates what to do and how to do it. The head of the team or organization occupies a position of power, so people follow out of fear or a sense of responsibility.
Democratic Leaders Value the Group Over the Individual
If you prefer to present your goals or the goals of your organization to your team members and allow them to help decide how to achieve these objectives, you might naturally be a participative or democratic leader. A democratic leader retains full control over all operations while empowering others to have a meaningful role in their work.
Laissez-Faire Leaders Let the Team Decide
A laissez-faire leader lets teams have almost complete autonomy while working to achieve goals. If you naturally tend to provide your team with facts and objectives and let them decide how to get the work done, you probably have this leadership style.
Contact ActionCOACH for More Leadership Training
When you recognize your natural leadership style, you might also realize that you must sometimes assume other leadership styles. For example, a Laissez-Faire leader might need to take an autocratic stance in emergencies or other critical situations. Similarly, a naturally authoritarian leader might have to become more democratic when given expanded responsibilities or projects that require autonomous teams.
Regardless of your leadership style, you can learn principles that make you a better leader. Contact us at ActionCOACH Tampa Bay via telephone or send us a message. Our professional services can help you harness your strengths so that you can reach your full potential.