What Are the Various Leadership Philosophies and Approaches?

Different leadership philosophies exist, including democratic, bureaucratic, and autocratic ones. Determine the kind of leader you want to be. What would you say if someone asked you, "What is leadership?" Consider your response carefully since it will indicate the type of leader you are or want to be, as well as the leadership stances you want to take moving forward.

Different kinds of leadership styles exist. Which leadership style you choose to use will depend on your personality and how you want to manage your team. A leader will be more adept at identifying the leadership philosophies that best suit them as they gain experience managing teams and organizational procedures.

Understanding the types of leadership and various leadership styles can add a lot of value to the impact that leaders can create on their organizations. Let us first understand what leadership is, followed by the types of leadership, different leadership styles and career opportunities.

What is Leadership?

Leadership refers to the art of motivating people in an organization to work towards a common goal. It is based on ideas that can be a person’s own or inspired by other leaders.

Leadership is also an art of communicating these ideas effectively to others and encouraging them to take up responsibilities and grow personally besides leading the company towards growth. Effective leadership is not only inspirational for the self but also for others.

If you also want to become an inspirational and successful leader in the near future, it is important to understand that leaders must have certain critical thinking skills which can help them in directing an organization’s resources for better growth prospects. Now, let’s skim through the different leadership styles.

Different Types of Leadership

The next few sections will give you insights into the leadership styles you can choose from. It will also give you an understanding of leadership courses you may want to take to hone your skills.

1. Democratic Leadership

This is as clear as its name. In democratic leadership, the leaders make or break decisions democratically, based on their team’s opinion and feedback. Although it is the leader who makes the final call, every opinion counts. This is easily one of the most effective leadership styles since it allows employees to have a voice.

2. Autocratic Leadership

This is exactly the opposite of democratic leadership wherein the opinions of employees are not considered. Leaders with this style expect others to adhere to the decisions they take, which is not a sustainable approach for the long term.

3. Laissez-faire Leadership

Laissez-fire means “let them do”. This style is the least intrusive and leaders with this approach ensure that the authority lies with the employees. While this leadership style can empower, it may also limit development, therefore, must be kept in check.

4. Strategic Leadership

Strategic leadership acts as a bridge between the senior team and the employees. Leaders adopting this style ensure that both executive interests and working conditions for the team are stable when a decision is made.

5. Transformational Leadership

This kind of leadership always aims at transforming and improving functions and capabilities. There may be tasks and schedules assigned and leaders following this style may ask employees to push their boundaries constantly. Most growth-minded companies tend to adopt this kind of leadership style.

6. Transactional Leadership

This is a very common leadership style today based on the action-and-reward concept. For instance, an employee or team may receive an incentive or bonus for achieving a target set by the company.

7. Coach-Style Leadership

This leadership style focuses on larger growth while encouraging individual team members to focus on their strengths and talent. Though this is similar to strategic and democratic leadership styles, the focus here is more on the individual.

8. Bureaucratic Leadership

This kind of leadership style goes by the books. Although leaders with this approach do listen to employees and their opinions, they may negate or reject it, in case they go against the company’s ethos or policy.

Extensive Training/Leadership Development Programs

Now that we understand the nitty-gritty of leadership, different leadership styles, and other aspects, it is important to understand why you must undertake a leadership development program at some point of your career.

Undertaking a leadership development program will ensure that leaders keep themselves updated and are capable of switching to other leadership styles according to the prevailing circumstances.

An effective leadership program should be a part of everyone’s career planning, irrespective of their field.  

Ongoing leadership training will help you develop a global perspective coupled with future-ready strategic thinking and data-driven decision-making skills. Here’s your chance to boost your growth by learning from the best.

Whether your team is new, transitioning through change, or is under pressure to perform, as a leader in charge of creating value for your organization, refine and build your identity as an effective leader in line with your company’s strategic interests and goals. Challenge your established understanding of business management and advance your ability to think strategically of your role as a business leader with this course, designed to empower you to lead your organization confidently.

In today’s data-led, digital-driven era, the IDC mantra of “change at the speed of digital” is no longer a choice as customer journeys are increasingly becoming digital. Strongly aligned to making you industry-ready in this evolved digital reality, this course will enable you to lead effective digital business transformation. Become proficient in identifying, developing, and executing digital business strategies to lead a data-driven, forward-thinking organization.

A leadership training program can play a crucial role at a juncture in your career when you feel you are at a critical point of growth in the organization. In addition to the leadership training programs mentioned above, you can explore other leadership courses on our website. Sign up; now is the time to become the next-gen leader.