LEADERS ARE BORN or MADE

Pros and Cons of Leadership Styles

A leadership style is a leader's method of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people

Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people. As seen by the employees, it includes the total pattern of explicit and implicit actions performed by their leader (Newstrom, Davis, 1993).

Pros and Cons of Different Leadership Styles

AUTOCRATIC LEADERSHIP

“Leadership does not always wear the harness of compromise”

Woodrow Wilson, 28^th president of the United States

Steve Jobs

Pro: Confusion and guesswork are eliminated, because tasks and expectations are clearly mapped out by the leader.

Con: Due to the rigid environment and expectations, creativity and innovation are stifled

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BERUAECRATIC LEADERSHIP

“Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked;  leadership is defined by results, not attributes”

Peter Drucker, management consultant

Narendra Modi

Pro: There’s plenty of stability. Since this is a systematized approach to leadership, things remain constant even through personnel changes and other shifts that threaten to rock the boat.

Con: It’s tempting to fall into the “we’ve always done it this way” trap. This approach can be inflexible and neglect to leave room for creativity or ideas from employees

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CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP

“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision”

John maxwell, author.

Richard Branson

Pro: Charismatic leaders are very inspirational and effective at getting an entire group invested in a shared objective. 

Con: Due to their intense focus, it’s easy for these leaders to develop “tunnel vision” and lose sight of other important issues or tasks that crop up. 

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DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it”

Dwight D.Eisenhower,34th president of united states

Donald Trump

Pro: Creativity and innovation are encouraged, which also improves job satisfaction among employees and team members. 

Con: Constantly trying to achieve consensus among a group can be inefficient and, in some cases, costly.

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LAISSEZ-FAIRE LEADERSHIP

“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it”

Theodore Roosevelt, 27^th president of the United States

Warren Buffett

 

Pro: This level of trust and independence is empowering for teams that are creative and self-motivated. 

Con: Chaos and confusion can quickly ensue—especially if a team isn’t organized or self-directed.

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SERVANT LEADERSHIP

“To command is to serve, nothing more and nothing else”

Andre Malraux, former minister of Cultural Affairs of France

Mahatma Gandhi

Pro: This approach boosts morale and leads to a high level of trust, which results in better employee performance and a more positive company culture overall. 

Con: It’s challenging. Constantly pushing your own needs and priorities to the backburner isn’t something that comes as second nature for most of us.

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TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP

“Leadership is unlocking peoples potential to become better”

Bill Bradley,former US Senator of new jersey

Bill Gates

Pro: Confusion and guesswork are eliminated, because tasks and expectations are clearly mapped out by the leader. 

Con: Due to the rigid environment and expectations, creativity and innovation are stifled.

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TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP

“Outstanding leaders go out for there way to boost self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, its amazing what they can accomplish”

Sam Walton, founder of walmart

Arriana Huffington

Pro: Leaders are able to establish a high level of trust with employees and rally them around a shared vision or end goal. 

Con: In environments where existing processes are valued, this desire to change things up can ruffle some feathers.

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In conclusion, when considering the different styles of leadership, each has its own distinct set of characteristics, pros and cons. It is easy to differentiate the styles as following phrases: 

 

autocratic as “THE COMMANDER”, bureaucratic as “THE ADMINISTRATOR”, charismatic as “THE CHAMER”, democratic as “THE MOTIVATOR”, laissez-faire as “THE DELEGATER”, servant as “THE STEWARD”, transactional as “THE STANDARDIZER and transformational as “THE INSPIRER.

References

Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., & Walumbwa, F. O. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Emergent trends and future directions. In W. L. Gardner, B. J. Avolio, & F. O. Walumbwa (Eds.), Authentic leadership theory and practice: Origins, effects, and development (pp. 387–406). Oxford: Elsevier Science.

Philip, A. W. (2005). Democratic Leadership in Education. California: Paul Chapman Publishing.

Rost, J. C. (1991). Leadership for the Twenty First Century. Westport, Connecticut, United States of America: Praeger.

"Leadership that Gets Results". Harvard Business Review. March 2000. Retrieved June 24, 2016.

Avery, G. C. (2005). Understanding Leadership. London: Sage Publications

Kirkpatrick, S. & Locke, E. (1991). Leadership: Do traits matter? Academy of Management Executive, May, 48-60.

Kotter, J. P.(1990). Force for change: How leadership differs from management. New York: The Free Press.