What is your leadership style?

Leadership takes many forms, but there are three styles of leadership that are most popular. Good leaders do not take a form and stick to it - you look for the right situations for each style. However, good leaders know what their dominant style is and capitalize on the benefits of that style. We see the three styles of leadership, and potential pitfalls of each. Think about what your style is - and how you can change in different situations.

Autocratic leadership is also referred to as authoritarian leadership. In this style, the leader usually outlines what he wants and has to be reached. In many ways, autocratic leadership is not leadership at all, but a form of management discipline. There are situations in which this style is effective? First of all, look at the organization. If your organization is well motivated and mature, an autocratic state can be effective. Let's say you have most of the information you need, but the time to reach a certain target is very short. In a well-motivated organization, you can probably give an order autocratic and not be worried about how you will be taken - provided it does not become your dominant style. If you are a consistent autocratic leader, you're probably not getting a good response from your organization. One of the problems of autocratic leadership is the ability to fall into a pattern of abusive and degrading treatment - this is why you should only use an autocratic attitude in rare situations, and certainly not with regularity. If you identify with a dominant autocratic style, consider the transition into a more participatory style of leadership.

The participatory and democratic leadership is a style where the leader sets a goal yet, but allows some input from the organization regarding how the goal will be reached. But a democratic leader makes it necessary to obtain approval for decisions from any member of the team. In situations where information is spread out between the leader and team members, a democratic style can work. This style can also be an appropriate way for an autocratic leader for the transition of that style - without giving you total control of the team. This leadership style is very powerful for the teams who have not heard before the power. It 's also a great way to test the knowledge and skills of a team before moving into a leadership style much less control. Because this style of leadership is basically a step ahead of autocracy, it may be easy for a leader to fall back into an authoritarian attitude. If the team succeeds or fails, the Democratic leadership, allowing them to re-formulate projects and activities - without telling them exactly what to do.

The third form, and the strengthening of leadership is the most laissez-faire or delegative style. The delegative leader sets a global priority, goal, or education, but then he distinguishes the way to make things happen. Using this style, a leader takes responsibility for all decisions that are made - but leaves the decision made by the team. This also means that team members are required to analyze, evaluate and change issues and problems as they move along. This leadership style is certainly appropriate with senior teams or more mature - those who have had time to prove their worth to the leader and have the confidence to handle all matters. One of the major drawbacks of this type of leadership involves failure. If something goes wrong, this is not the place for a leader to blame the team - and this is more than likely a natural reaction for a laissez-faire leaders.

Now that we have seen the three dominant styles of leadership, that what you are? Remember that the sign of a good leader is the ability to use different styles depending on the circumstances - a bad leader sticks with the same style all the time. So what are some of the situations where each style is appropriate? If you have a new team, you should use the autocratic style as a means to evaluate the group and its members. But what if you are in a position where most of the teams will know their duties and do not react well to an autocratic attitude? Use a participative style in this situation - to allow teams to have input in decision making. Remember that you can empower yourself as a leader and a team with this style. Finally, what if the team members learn more about the situation than you? Adopt a delegative and let the teams make their own decisions, while reminding them that will be responsible for the results.

When you're deciding what style of leadership to take, there are some things to consider. First of all, how long do you have? If you're very limited in time, participative or autocratic style may be the best. Of course, this also depends on the team and its composition - if you have an experienced team and limited time, there is no need to use an autocratic attitude. Just explain and emphasize that time is limited. You should also take into account that the information about the project or task at hand - whether the information is divided between you, the leader and the team, please take a participatory position. If your team has all the information, take a position delegative - let them use their data to find the best solutions. Also consider the type of business you're looking at - what is it complicated? Compare this with the ability of the team and you should be able to choose an appropriate leadership style.

If your dominant style is more autocratic, you should examine what prevents you from moving in a participatory approach. If you are one of the other two types, you're probably getting a good response from your team. Just remember to change your style of leadership based on situations - and not stick to one style regardless. When you start moving the different styles, you will find that the team will respond .......