5 different leadership styles and how to use them when managing your team

Managing a team is not as easy as you think, but hundreds of different leadership styles and professional development training strategies can help you learn how. First, it is essential to know what your leadership style is and what your team requires. Check out these free online assessments to understand your specific leadership styles. 

Why are Leadership Styles Important?

Finding great managers can be laborious but necessary for a company’s health and overall well-being. In a study conducted by Gallup, researchers found that 82% of the time, companies fail to choose the right candidate for management and supervising positions. This means there is a lack of productivity when a bad or ‘unfit’ manager is chosen to lead a team.
When a company or a division within a company has a leader with an off-putting management style that does not fit with the values of the company, there is a low retention rate and high turnover. Employees do not want to stay with companies and managers that do not treat them with respect.

5 Leadership Styles to Consider when Managing a Team or Running a Business

Below are five leadership styles to consider when managing a team or running a business. These management styles have benefits and disadvantages to discuss and debate before deciding on your preferred style.

1. Authoritative Leadership

This management style is not the most popular but can be successful when used appropriately. In an authoritative management style, managers and supervisors have the authority over their subordinates and employees. This management style allows for quick decision-making and establishes clear rules and requirements for all goals and assignments. However, managers that use the authoritative management style often micromanage and do not place trust in their employees to achieve the company’s goal.

2. Consultative Leadership

Unlike the authoritative management style, the consultative management style is all about consulting the viewpoints and ideas of all department members. The supervisor makes the final decision, but it is based on the information received from the employees. It is a great way to increase employee engagement while building trust within management teams.

3. Collaborative Leadership

The collaborative management style is very similar to the consultative management style because it values the input and the opinions of team members in a group. Managers meet with different team members during collaborative management to solve big problems. 

Collaborative management builds trust with employees and makes them feel valued. Usually, it is an open discussion, and the staff is encouraged to take ownership of the results. However, it is time-consuming, and majority rule can cause problems since these are not always the best decisions for the overall health of a company.

4. Coaching Leadership

Coaching management styles are interesting because of how unique they are. This style of manager or supervisor of a team acts like the coach and pushes their team members to do their best and grow their professional development skills as much as possible. However, there are some difficulties with the coaching management style because it can give off the appearance of favoritism.

5. Visionary Leadership

The visionary management style is not used frequently because it can be challenging to implement. These types of leaders manage their teams by looking at the bigger picture and trying to inspire them. Not all managers are inspiring or can come up with a vision that leads to positive results for a company.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it is crucial to consider leadership styles when hiring individuals to take on a team. Not all leadership styles are comfortable or work for the benefit of a company. Keep in mind that all companies require different types of leaders, and you can have a leadership style with a mix of different qualities.

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