Managing a team of employees (or even a single employee) can be challenging. That said, your leadership style defines how your team works and how they view you as a leader. So how do you know which style is right for your needs? Here are some common leadership styles and when to use them.
Inclusive leaders, just as the name sounds, include their team in their processes. They involve their team in decision-making and rely heavily on their input, ideas, and feedback.
When to Use It: This leadership style is most beneficial to managers who aren’t as involved in day-to-day processes. The individuals most knowledgeable about tasks and responsibilities are usually those that complete them. If you’re removed from those processes in any way, inclusive leadership is a great way to gather insight you otherwise wouldn’t be privy to.
Coaching leadership allows managers to mentor their employees in their career development while enabling them to solve their own problems. Their goal is to invest in the future of their employees by guiding and motivating them without any direct hand-holding.
When to Use It: Coaching leaders typically are more experienced and can offer a wealth of knowledge to their direct reports. This leadership style is relatively hands-off, which works best when you have hard-working, trustworthy employees in whom you see potential.
Directive or Transactional Leadership
Directive leadership, also known as transactional leadership, is the type of leadership where managers and subordinates have a strictly business relationship. In other words, they assign tasks, and their employees complete them. This is one of the more common leadership styles due to its quick-paced, transactional nature.
When to Use It: Of the leadership styles, this one has the most potential to leave employees wanting. That said, it can be effective and productive so long as you take the time to offer kudos when it’s due and stay on top of your employees’ workloads so you don’t overwhelm them.
Transformational leadership is a method by which a manager brings up an employee to become an agent of change in the organization. This can be in terms of driving new initiatives or perfecting already existing processes. The goal is simply to make the workplace better. Transformational leadership is growing in popularity, but its efficacy largely depends on the organization.
When to Use It: Transformational leadership is best utilized to drive results. If you have big ambitions to make positive changes within your team, this leadership style is a great way to motivate your workforce. Additionally, it helps bring up a new generation of change agents to continue this work as they move up in the organization.
Management styles say a lot about a leader. They indicate what you look for from your employees, how you see their futures, and how you plan to help them develop their careers. By learning about the various leadership styles, you’re already actively thinking about how to be a better leader, which is a step in the right direction, regardless of which method you adopt.