Succeeding in a management position requires strong leadership skills, but there is more to it than that. To be a good leader, you also need to develop a leadership style that suits your skills, the kind of position you have, and the kind of business environment you work in. Your leadership style can highlight the strengths you have as a leader while helping you thrive in your role. In order to develop your own leadership style, you should learn more about leadership behavior and different kinds of leadership styles.
What Is Leadership Behavior?
Leadership behavior refers to the traits and skills that help individuals become effective leaders. This behavior can vary from one leader to the next, depending on an individual’s skills and traits. However, some aspects of leadership behavior are similar among many leaders. For example, solid decision-making, communication, team building, and problem-solving skills, along with traits such as empathy, confidence, and honesty, are components of leadership behavior that effective leaders possess.
Which Style of Leadership Is the Best?
Different styles of leadership can be used in business settings or other management roles. As far as which style is best, this can vary based on certain factors, such as the environment you work in and your strengths and weaknesses. You might also find that certain situations call for different leadership styles. Learning more about leadership styles and being able to adjust your own style as needed to fit specific situations can be highly beneficial. Keep the following leadership styles in mind when developing your own style.
Coach
These leaders focus on making sure each team member is able to achieve their full potential. Coaches help individuals set goals and identify their strengths and weaknesses in order to make improvements.
Visionary
A visionary leader has a clear vision of a company or organization’s potential and focuses on inspiring team members to work on bringing that vision to life. These leaders motivate team members and offer a plan of action to achieve goals.
Servant
A servant leader focuses on employee satisfaction and morale in order to help an organization reach its goals. This type of leader makes sure individual team members feel valued and fulfilled while also providing them with resources.
Autocratic
Autocratic leaders use their authority to manage others rather than asking for team members’ input or feedback. These leaders often make decisions on their own and expect team members to follow their directions.
Laissez-faire or Hands-off
A laissez-faire or hands-off leader tends to rely on team members to make decisions and work on accomplishing goals instead of directing them. This is the most relaxed approach to leadership among all leadership styles.
Democratic
Democratic leaders welcome feedback and input from team members and use it to set team goals and work toward achieving those goals. These leaders encourage team members to share fresh ideas or offer different perspectives.
Pacesetter
Pacesetters are leaders who focus on achieving goals quickly rather than team building. These leaders usually work in a fast-paced environment and tend to look for ways to achieve goals faster and more efficiently.
Transformational
A transformational leader focuses on working toward a vision of what a company or organization can be with input from team members. These leaders also focus on helping team members recognize their own strengths and weaknesses and engage in creative problem-solving methods.
Transactional
Transactional leaders use incentives, such as monetary rewards, to motivate team members to accomplish goals. This type of leader might also act as a mentor to team members in order to help them achieve goals.
Bureaucratic
Bureaucratic leaders follow the rules and are unlikely to use creativity or innovation to set goals and motivate team members. While these leaders often listen to feedback from team members, they might not put it to use.
How Does Leadership Style Affect Actions and Behaviors?
The kind of leadership style you have can affect the way you manage team members or employees. For example, autocratic or bureaucratic leaders often spend more time telling team members or employees what to do rather than encouraging and using input from them. These leadership styles typically work better in environments where team members are expected to follow strict rules and policies. A laissez-faire or servant leader might spend more time gathering feedback from team members or employees and using this input to set goals. The leadership style you use can have a significant impact on how well your team functions or accomplishes goals.
How to Grow into a Leadership Position
Being a leader does not always come naturally to people. In some cases, it takes time and effort to become a good leader. The exact path to becoming an effective leader can vary from person to person, depending on individual personality traits and other factors. Keeping the following in mind can help you grow into a strong leader.
Personality and Leadership Traits
Personality and leadership traits are not the same. Personality traits often refer to traits or characteristics, such as introversion and extroversion, that are not considered essential leadership traits. For example, those who are introverted are often seen as quiet around others, which might not be seen as a strength for a leader. However, these individuals can make good leaders based on their leadership traits, such as motivation, integrity, confidence, and adaptability. Identify your own personality and leadership traits, then use these to find ways to develop and improve your leadership style.
Behaviors
When you are familiar with your personality and leadership traits, you can start to notice how they influence your leadership behaviors. For example, you might be more comfortable gathering input from others and listening to their feedback instead of leading discussions and issuing directions for others to follow. In general, leadership behaviors that effective leaders exhibit tend to include focusing on teamwork, building trust, and continuously looking for ways to improve.
Growing Leadership Behaviors
Understanding the connection between personality and leadership traits and leadership behaviors is an important part of growing into a leadership position. Developing these behaviors can help you adopt a style that results in highly effective leadership. Keep in mind that some behaviors might come naturally to you, while others might require considerable effort on your part to master. Growing leadership behaviors involves focusing on your strengths while also improving your weaknesses and assessing your leadership style from time to time.
Education to Advance Your Career
Earning a certificate in leadership can help you advance your career and learn how to become an effective leader. This type of certification program teaches you management and leadership skills, which you can then use to develop your own leadership style. Leadership certificates can be a smart choice for those looking into professional development options. Through an online course, you can gain the skills needed for effective leadership while also increasing your knowledge of what it takes to be a successful leader.
If you are interested in gaining leadership skills to help you develop your own personal leadership style, please contact Post University. Our Leadership Graduate Certificate is online to help you build leadership skills on a schedule that fits your life.
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