To be a great leader, you must have a vision and understand how your leadership style affects people. Once you have mastered this, you can guide your team toward success, improve work performance, and build a solid reputation for your organization.
What Is Leadership Style?
Leadership style is not simply how a leader directs or manages a team, but it is also a reflection of who they are, their vision, and their values. Everyone has their leadership style – it is the way they feel most comfortable and natural in leading others to achieve their goals. But do you know how your leadership style affects the performance and morale of your team?
Research shows that effective leadership has a huge impact on team performance. Interestingly, high leadership ability reflects the team's past performance and predicts its potential for future growth. Teams led by highly effective leaders tend to improve more while also bringing higher prestige to the organization.
As a manager, understanding your leadership style will help you communicate more effectively, understand the needs of your colleagues and employees, and build positive relationships. This helps your team thrive and builds a healthy, united working environment.
Lewin's Leadership Styles
One of the most prominent studies on leadership styles was conducted in 1939 by psychologist Kurt Lewin, who established three main leadership styles: authoritarian leadership, democratic leadership, and laissez-faire leadership. Each style has advantages and disadvantages and is suitable for different management situations.
Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic)
The authoritarian leadership style, also known as autocratic leadership, is a style in which the leader holds complete control and decision-making authority. In this model, all task requirements are clearly defined by the leader, without the participation of other members. This creates a clear division between the leader and the members.
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. In particular, it is suitable for environments where strict adherence to procedures or principles is required. However, this style can cause a loss of creativity and the ability to contribute to the team, leading to a stressful and uncooperative working environment.
Advantages:
Suitable for situations where quick decisions are needed.
Suitable when the team needs clear direction and discipline.
Disadvantages:
Lack of creativity from the team.
Easily creates a stressful and confrontational working environment.
Participative Leadership (Democratic)
Participative leadership, or democratic leadership, is considered the most effective in creating cooperation and motivation in teams. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. Although the leader still retains the final decision-making power, listening and receiving opinions from the team creates a sense of importance and positive contributions from everyone.
This style helps team members feel more connected to the organization's goals, creating creativity and high morale. It is especially suitable for situations that require breakthrough thinking and problem-solving or when the team needs to maintain a high spirit of cooperation.
Advantages:
Encourages participation and creativity from the team.
Creates a sense of cohesion and high motivation.
Disadvantages:
Decision-making may be slower due to the discussion process.
Not suitable for urgent situations that require immediate action.
Delegative Leadership (Laissez-Faire)
Delegative leadership, also known as laissez-faire leadership, is a style in which the leader is largely hands-off and leaves the team free to make decisions. This style may be appropriate when team members are highly skilled professionals who can operate without much guidance. However, laissez-faire leadership teams are often less productive and prone to conflict among members due to a lack of clarity in roles and responsibilities.
Delegative leadership can create great creativity and motivation if the team is confident and capable of self-management. However, without direction from the leader, this style can lead to chaos, disorganization, and poor performance.
Advantages:
Suitable for highly competent, self-directed teams.
Creates space for creativity and freedom in work.
Disadvantages:
This can easily lead to disorganization and low work efficiency.
The team is prone to conflict due to a lack of direction from the leader.
Other Leadership Styles
Transformational Leadership
Transformational leadership is considered one of the most effective leadership styles today. This style not only focuses on achieving organizational goals but also focuses on the personal development of team members. Transformational leaders are often highly inspirational, energetic, and passionate about their work.
They give instructions and help employees discover and develop their potential. In this way, transformational leadership can promote innovation, increase work performance, and help teams achieve outstanding results, while significantly improving the mental health of members.
Transactional Leadership
In contrast to transformational leadership, transactional leadership places a heavy emphasis on the exchange between a leader and their employees. In this style, the relationship between managers and employees is viewed as a transaction: employees perform tasks and complete tasks in exchange for rewards or compensation. This is especially true in work environments where everyone’s role and responsibilities are clear.
A major advantage of transactional leadership is that it is transparent and clear about what is expected from both parties. However, this style can limit creativity because it focuses on following procedures rather than encouraging innovation. For organizations that need tight control or operate in a repetitive work environment, transactional leadership can be a good choice of management.
Situational Leadership
Situational leadership is a flexible style that emphasizes changing leadership depending on the circumstances and needs of the organization. Rather than applying a single approach, situational leaders adapt their style based on the development and abilities of the team members.
For example, with new employees who do not have much experience, the leader needs to provide clear direction. Conversely, with experienced members, laissez-faire leadership will encourage them to be creative and self-manage their work.
Identify Your Leadership Style And Improve Your Leadership Skills
Every leader has a different leadership style, whether it is autocratic, democratic, or empowering. It is important to identify which style works best for your current situation and interaction with your team.
To determine your style, ask yourself:
Do I regularly engage and listen to my team before making decisions?
Do I encourage my employees to develop their potential and creativity?
Do I demand strict compliance and clearly define roles for each person?
The answers to these questions will help you better understand your current leadership style.
No matter what your leadership style is, you can improve and develop your leadership skills through leadership coaching. Leadership coaching helps you not only see your strengths and weaknesses clearly but also provides specific and timely feedback.
Improve self-awareness: Leadership coaching focuses on helping you identify your values, strengths, and skills that need further development. When you have a better awareness of yourself, it is easier for you to lead your team suitably and effectively.
Improve communication skills: Through coaching, you will learn how to communicate more effectively, from conveying your vision and goals to resolving conflicts in a gentle and understanding way. This helps build better relationships with your team and create a positive working environment.
Define clear goals: Coaches will help you define and clarify your personal goals as well as the goals of the organization. This process not only helps you focus on the long-term vision but also helps you adjust your action strategies to achieve your goals most effectively.
Strengthening resilience: In a leadership role, facing challenges and pressures is inevitable. Leadership coaching helps you develop resilience, and the ability to face difficulties and make wise decisions, even in the most difficult situations.
Leadership is not a destination but a continuous journey of development. Over time, you will become a more effective leader and inspire your team to achieve greater goals.
Depending on the needs of each business, the Vietnam - France Psychology Institute designs business psychological care service packages with appropriate scales, subjects, implementation stages, and implementation topics. Contact us to discuss your business's need for psychological support services HERE.
References:
[1] Leadership Styles and Frameworks You Should Know. https://www.simplypsychology.org/leadership-styles.html
[2] How to Lead: 6 Leadership Styles and Frameworks. https://www.verywellmind.com/leadership-styles-2795312
[3] Exploring Different Leadership Styles: A Comprehensive Guide. https://positivepsychology.com/leadership-styles/#leadership-coaching-improving-your-skills
-----------------------------
VIETNAM - FRANCE PSYCHOLOGY INSTITUTE
HEADQUARTER & PSYCHOTHERAPY CENTER: WINCO Building, 54 Tran Quoc Vuong Street, Dich Vong Hau Ward, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, Vietnam
PSYCHOTHERAPY CENTER IN HCMC: Landmark 81 & Landmark Plus, Vinhomes Central Park, 720A Dien Bien Phu Street, Ward 22, Binh Thanh District, HCMC, Vietnam
Phone: 0979.158.463 (Business hours)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ic.vfpi