When you mention the world, "leadership" in a business setting, people think of the type of person who motivates and encourages their team of employees to reach the highest levels of success. While that is the ideal scenario to have, the traits that make you a good leader to your employees can vary based on the working environment and the employees' personalities. Being a strong and commanding leader works for those employees who thrive on being told what to do for every step of the process, yet can stifle innovative and creative employees who do their best work when they control their workflow.

1. 5 Types of
Leadership Styles
David Kiger

2. When you mention the world, "leadership" in a business setting, people think of
the type of person who motivates and encourages their team of employees to
reach the highest levels of success. While that is the ideal scenario to have, the
traits that make you a good leader to your employees can vary based on the
working environment and the employees' personalities. Being a strong and
commanding leader works for those employees who thrive on being told what to
do for every step of the process, yet can stifle innovative and creative employees
who do their best work when they control their workflow.
Deciding on the type of leadership styles that will work in your business
environment and deciding on when to employ these traits is what will make the
difference between being a good leader and a successful one.

3. Authoritarian
When you have an authoritarian leadership style,
you have clear goals and steps on how to
effectively reach those goals. You assign roles that
best fit each employee and oversee them to ensure
that objectives are met. An authoritarian style is
perfect for new business owners who have more
knowledge than the employees they hire as the
workers look up to you for leadership. You will also
want to have this leadership style when there are
any major changes to operations where the
employees need guidance on what the next steps
will be.

4. Laissez-Faire
The laissez-faire leadership style is the exact opposite of the authoritarian. You
aren't looking to step on the employees' toes because your workers have the
superior skills and knowledge to handle any task that falls onto their desks. David
Kiger tells business owners looking for leadership advice that the best way to
employee a laissez-faire approach is when you delegate tasks and then let your
motivated team select their own paths to success. You can still be there to offer
advice and guidance. Yet you are engaging in a more hands-off approach.

5. Democratic
Every employee has an opinion, and the democratic leader
wants to be a team player as you allow all your employees to
decide on what is best for the company. Also known as a
participative leader, this leadership trait allows you to give each
employee a sense of self-worth in the company as well as
accountability. You want to employ a democratic style when
you are engaging in teams as you want to motivate full
participation by all employees, suggests David Kiger.
Employees decide on the actions to take through a majority
vote as then you can make the final decision.

6. Servant
You don't want to be in the limelight when you take on the servant leadership role.
Everyone knows what they have to do because the business objective is so
focused that there is no deviation to present or future business operations.
Employees usually rely on collaboration when making decisions or they decide for
themselves on what to do. But often, there are very few issues that would need
your leadership to solve. Servant leadership styles work best in less dynamic work
environments, normally nonprofits, as you allow the services offered by the
employees to take center stage.

7. Inspirational
Motivation and inspiration are the leading qualities that you exhibit toward your
employers. An inspirational, or transformational, leader is always around to push
the team to become more productive and efficient. You focus on the big goals and
let your employees handle the daily tasks. When you are an inspirational leader,
you know what the best traits are in your employees and you are always pushing
them to become better. While this leadership style can promote a positive work
environment, you don't want to have this inspirational style with employees who
aren't detail-oriented on what daily tasks are required of them to make the day
productive. You won't succeed with employees who require more hand-holding.

8. So what makes the best leader in your company? David Kiger suggests to try to
adopt the best traits of each style based on your operations and employees. It's
okay to mix it up and use varying styles on different employees based on their
work behaviors. Just understand when you have to push a little more or when it is
okay to hang back and let your employee do their own thing when it brings in more
positive results. Also, have a firm grasp on what your role is in the company.
When it comes to quick decisions, you must be the sole person to make the big
choices as you show everyone who is in charge.
How do you lead your company of employees to make them the best business
team? The type of leadership traits you have can dictate whether there is a
productive or unproductive working environment as you may need to change your
style to get the most out of your employees.