Other Types of Leadership
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The autocratic leadership style is also known as the directive style of leadership.
They typically tell their subordinates what to do, how exactly to do it and what is expected of them and specifying conditions for good performance and deadlines.
Generally these leaders work best where there is:
• an extreme urgency
• full conformity is necessary
When the time is very tight, you wouldn’t want anyone else to give you creative feedback or ways to improve, what you need is the objective to be met as soon as possible.
While listening to feedback is important, there comes a time where the feedback wastes more time than is required and affects the completing of the tasks.
Another place the autocratic style work best in is the armed forces. In the armed forces, when orders are passed in the battlefield, you need your men to do exactly as they’re told immediately.
Any delay in executing the order could mean life or death in the battlefield.
And it’s the same in say, the trading floor of a brokerage. You need people to move fast because every second counts, and millions exchange hands every second in the trading world.
During these times, you don’t need feedback, you need conformance and swift execution.
My view is that this style should only be used in the two situations I mentioned above.
Other than that, where there is time, I believe that a leader should not use this style, but rather take time to listen to feedback on ways to improve certain decisions or methods.
Other Theories of
Types of Leadership
» Servant leadership
Servant leadership is not so much a style, but an attitude that a leader adopts. It finds its roots in the Bible.
» Strategic leadership
One would find strategic leadership in business organizations where change management is required and a strategic vision is necessary for the business to grow.
» Autocratic Leadership
An autocratic leadership style is somewhat like a directive leadership style; but autocratic leaders are generally more task oriented. They expect their task to be done and they do not consider their follower’s feelings in their decision-making.
» Democratic leadership
A democratic leadership style is in the opposite spectrum of the autocratic leadership style. Also known as the participative leadership style, this type of leaders generally seeks a consensus on the direction of a group. They are generally more people oriented and the feelings and thoughts of their followers matter to them.
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