Different Types of Leaders in the Workplace

Knowing the different types of leaders is an important way to define your own leadership style. As a leader, you’ll use a variety of strategies to guide your team toward the company’s goals and objectives. Although you may pull such methods from different types of leaders, it’s likely that the way you lead your team will fall under one main leadership style. Knowing this can help you decide how to handle different situations and be the best leader possible.

Get to know the most common types of leaders:

Servant

A servant leader is someone who values the well-being of their team members more than anything. If the people under them are happy, then they are happy too. This kind of leader is likely to implement a variety of strategies to boost employee morale and job satisfaction. They take employee feedback to heart and are constantly finding ways to make the workplace a more positive place to be. You often see this type of leadership in nonprofits or tightly knit teams.

Autocratic

An autocratic leader is solely focused on meeting goals and getting results. They often make decisions on their own and command rather than ask. Someone with this leadership style isn’t looking to make friends with their team, but rather to do whatever it takes to improve efficiency. Employees who need to follow strict orders may often be under the direction of an autocratic leader. You may see this type of leader in industries that must meet many regulations.

Strategic

A strategic leader often finds the sweet spot between running a company’s overarching operations while seeking opportunities for growth. They collaborate with both executive-level employees along with those who are under them. They want to ensure that employees are both efficient and satisfied with their working conditions. They understand that happy employees tend to be more invested in the goals of the company. Many successful companies have these kinds of leaders.

Laissez-faire

A laissez-faire leader is someone who prefers the hands-off approach. This type of leader gives a lot of their authority to employees under them and trusts that their team can get the job done right on their own. Their own focus tends to be on the overall operations of the company rather than the day-to-day details. They often encourage flexible work environments with no set work hours or hard deadlines. You may see this type of leader in an emerging startup company.

Coach

A coaching leader is someone who strives to tap into their team members’ potentials. They work to pinpoint each person’s strengths and weaknesses and find ways to motivate them to do better. This kind of leader is known for setting team objectives and goals. They stay on top of measuring employee success and facilitating a positive work environment. Since this type of leadership requires a lot of time and effort, it isn’t as common as the other styles.

Transactional

A transactional leader plays by the books and rewards employees based on the exact work they do. They often motivate their team with incentives like promotions or bonuses. Although this type of leadership helps employees understand exactly what they need to do to succeed, it can also stifle innovation or lead to employees doing the bare minimum. You may see this type of leadership in sales teams that need to meet specific quotas.

Transformational

A transformational leader expects their team to continue to improve and reach goals at a rapid pace. They may set initial goals for their team and then build upon them as they progress. These goals often start out as simple and get more challenging as a person grows with their company. You most commonly see this kind of leadership is companies that are looking for fast growth.

Deciding what kind of leader you are is an important part of being successful when offered a position of authority. By looking at your problem-solving skills along with how you interact with others, you can begin to understand how others see you as a leader. Follow these steps to determine your leadership style:

1. Reflect on your own characteristics. Think about your different personality traits and how they influence your leadership decisions. For instance, someone who is a textbook Type A person is likely to lead a team quite differently than a Type B person. Likewise, your strengths and weaknesses can tell you which kind of leadership styles are best for you. Someone who enjoys collaboration may be a servant, while someone who likes to call the shots is likely an autocratic leader.
2. Learn your values. What you value in life has a direct influence on how you lead a team. Some leaders are driven purely by results, while others want to serve the people. Having a clear understanding of what’s important to you along with your moral compass can help shape your leadership style.
3. Ask for other’s opinions. When just starting out as a leader, you may feel unsure of what kind of leader you are. That’s why asking for feedback from your colleagues is so helpful. If you want their honest thoughts, ask them to fill out an anonymous survey about you. Ask them a series of questions that helps define your style of leadership.
4. Look to those you admire. Of course, you have the power to shape what kind of leader you are. Observe leaders you respect to get a gauge on their style of leadership. If you feel like their management methods are fair and they get good results, you can begin to emulate their actions.