Leadership and Leadership Styles

Leadership

Definition

Leadership is defined as influence, the art or process of influencing people so that they will strive willingly and enthusiastically toward the achievement of group goals. - Leaders act to help a group attain objectives through the maximum application of its capabilities. - Leaders must instill values – whether it be concern for quality, honesty and calculated risk taking or for employees and customers.

Importance of Leadership

ü Aid to authority

ü Motive power to group efforts

ü Basis for co operation

ü Integration of Formal and Informal Organization.

Leadership Styles

The leadership style we will discuss here are:

ü Autocratic style

ü Democratic Style

ü Laissez Faire Style

Autocratic style

Autocratic leadership is a classical leadership style with the following characteristics:

ü Manager seeks to make as many decisions as possible

ü Manager seeks to have the most authority and control in decision making

ü Manager seeks to retain responsibility rather than utilize complete delegation

ü Consultation with other colleagues in minimal and decision making becomes a solitary process.

ü Managers are less concerned with investing their own leadership development, and preferto simply work on the task at hand.

Democratic Style

Democratic  Leadership   is  the  leadership  style  that  promotes  the  sharing  of responsibility, the exercise of delegation and continual consultation.

Laissez-Faire Style

This French phrase means “leave it be” and is used to describe a leader who leaves his/her colleagues to get on with their work. The style is largely a "hands off" view that tends to minimize the amount of direction and face time required.