What are leadership styles and theories?

Leadership theories are explanations of how and why certain people become leaders. They focus on the traits and behaviors that people can adopt to increase their leadership skills. Visionary Servant (Progress-Focused and Inspiring) (Humble and Protective).

Leadership styles

are classifications of how a person behaves while leading a group.

Lewyn's leadership styles are authoritarian (autocratic), participatory (democratic) and delegative (laissez-faire). What is it that makes some people excel in leadership roles? Leadership theories seek to explain how and why certain people become leaders. These theories often focus on the characteristics of leaders, but some attempt to identify behaviors that people can adopt to improve their own leadership skills in different situations. You may also need to think about what your team members want and need.

This is where the Path-Goal Theory, published in 1971, comes in handy. With Path-Goal Theory, you can identify the best leadership approach to use, based on the needs of your people, the task they are doing, and the environment in which they work. Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee detailed their theory of the six styles of emotional leadership in their 2002 book, Primal Leadership. There are many ways to define leadership.

Some leadership theories try to explain what differentiates a leader, while others explain how they become great leaders. The theory of the great man believes that the inherent traits with which one is born contribute to great leadership. Situational theory recommends that leaders adopt a leadership style according to the situation at hand, while behavior theory is about learning the skills needed to become a good leader. Remember, not all of these leadership styles will have a positive effect on your team members, whether in the short or long term.

This style is much less effective in teams and organizations that rely on flexibility, creativity or innovation. The situational theory of leadership does not relate to a certain type of leader nor does it claim that any style is the best. Management experts design leadership theories to identify what makes successful leaders stand out, how they evaluate options, and why they make adjustments. To promote learning and development, provide opportunities for your employees to develop awareness of their own leadership style and develop skills and knowledge in critical competencies for your company.

While many different leadership theories have emerged, most can be classified as one of the eight main types. Let's take a look at other leadership styles that are interesting, but don't fit into any of the above frameworks. Hersey-Blanchard's theory of situational leadership explains how to link his approach to leadership with the skill and experience level of his subordinates. Rooted in behaviorism, this theory of leadership focuses on the actions of leaders, not mental qualities or internal states.

Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. Contingency Theory emphasizes different variables in a specific environment that determine the most appropriate leadership style for that situation. Usually, everyone in the organization uses a leadership style at one time or another during the day. Considering your leadership ideas and practices can help you identify your areas of strength and weakness and take steps to become a better leader.

The use of a dominant style in this case tends to deprive employees of rights and contributes to low morale, decreased productivity and low employee retention rates. These experts define leadership style, on the other hand, to explain how the traits and behaviors of leaders enable them to function successfully in specific circumstances. .