Peter Drucker: "The only definition of a leader is someone who has

followers."

Really? This instance of tautology is so simplistic as to be dangerous. A new

Army Captain is put in the command of 200 soldiers. He never leaves his
room, or utters a word to the men and women in his unit. Perhaps routine
orders are given through a subordinate. By default his troops have to “follow”
orders. Is the Captain really a leader? Commander yes, leader no. Drucker is of
course a brilliant thinker of modern business but his definition of leader is too
simple.

Warren Bennis: "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into

reality.”

Every spring you have a vision for a garden, and with lots of work carrots and
tomatoes become a reality. Are you a leader? No, you’re a gardener. Bennis’
definition seems to have forgotten “others.”

Bill Gates: "As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be
those who empower others."

This definition includes “others” and empowerment is a good thing. But to

what end? I’ve seen many empowered “others” in my life, from rioting
hooligans to Google workers who were so misaligned with the rest of the
company they found themselves unemployed. Gates’ definition lacks the parts
about goal or vision.

John Maxwell: "Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing

less."

I like minimalism but this reduction is too much. A robber with a gun has
“influence” over his victim. A manager has the power to fire team members
which provides a lot of influence. But does this influence make a robber or a
manager a leader? Maxwell’s definition omits the source of influence.

So what is leadership?

DEFINITION: Leadership is a process of social influence, which

maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.

Notice key elements of this definition:

 Leadership stems from social influence, not authority or power

  Leadership requires others, and that implies they don’t need to be
“direct reports”

 No mention of personality traits, attributes, or even a title; there

are many styles, many paths, to effective leadership

 It includes a goal, not influence with no intended outcome

Lastly, what makes this definition so different from many of the academic
definitions out there is the inclusion of “maximizes the efforts”. Most of my
work is in the area of employee engagement, and engaged employees give
discretionary effort.

Six Key Leadership Traits

Good leadership is crucial to success in the business world. Of course, a capable and
effective leader must possess the right qualities. Certain traits are especially common
among skilled leaders. Cultivating and developing these traits is a crucial part of
becoming a strong leader. Here are six of the traits most needed for good leadership.
1. VISION

True leadership involves looking beyond today, to tomorrow and beyond. A leader
should have a vision of where they (and their team) will be in the future. If a leader only
plans for the short-term, their team will be aimless, lacking any real long-term goals.
This is why good leaders cultivate the habit of planning for the times ahead, and make
sure to step back and looking at the big picture regularly.
2. OPTIMISM

A true leader must be able to inspire and motivate others. The quality most needed for
this effort is an optimistic, upbeat attitude. Taking an optimistic approach to business life
doesn't mean blindly assuming that everything will work out, or ignoring signs of trouble.
Rather, it means focusing on the positive, and adopting a hopeful attitude to the future.
A leader naturally sets a powerful example for their team, so being personally optimistic
is one of the best ways to encourage a good attitude among staff members.
3. ADAPTABILITY

No single leadership style is right for all times and places. A different time or a different
team might require very different things from a leader. The needs and expectations of
individuals will also vary. To be effective, a leader must respond to circumstances as
they are. Sticking with the same approach, no matter the situation, is foolish. A leader
must not be afraid to try something new if the current approach isn't working. A rigid,
inflexible leadership style will never be effective in the end.
4. STRONG COMMUNICATION SKILLS
A leader must instruct subordinates on their work, correct their mistakes, provide
inspiration, and take feedback. For all these duties, good communication is required. A
leader must be able to translate their thoughts and ideas into words that anyone can
understand. A real leader also understands that communication is a two-way street.
Listening to what others have to say is as important an aspect of communication as
anything else. Being able to speak well isn't enough on its own to make someone a
strong communicator.
5. CONFIDENCE

A leader must be someone people can believe and trust in. And if someone wants
others to have confidence in them, they must have plenty of confidence in themselves
to start. Confidence doesn't mean arrogance, braggadocio, or putting down others. A
truly confident person is simply aware of their abilities, knows they are good at what
they do, and is unafraid of responsibility and pressure. In times of crisis and stress, it is
always people like this that are needed. Their confident leadership can impart strength
and assurance to others.
6. DECISIVENESS

Decision-making is at the very heart of what it is to be a leader. A leader is the one who
must make the final call, ultimately determining what course the team will take. While a
leader shouldn't be too hasty to make a determination, they must also not hesitate once
a decision has been made. A strong leader chooses a plan, and then throws their whole
weight behind it. Pursuing weak half-measures, or wasting time waffling back and forth
between two options is simply bad leadership.
Few people are born as strong leaders. Most leaders are created through long effort.
Since everyone has some natural leadership capabilities, the key is to build upon and
develop these abilities. In that effort, focusing on the six traits described above is
particularly important, since each of those traits is so crucial to excellent leadership.
Types of leadership styles
Here are 10 of the most common leadership styles:
1. Coaching style
2. Visionary style
3. Servant style
4. Autocratic style
5. Laissez-faire or “hands-off” style
6. Democratic style
7. Pacesetter style
8. Transformational style
9. Transactional style
10. Bureaucratic style

In the next section, we'll look at each leadership style in detail in including benefits, challenges
and examples of each.

1. Coaching leadership style

A coaching leader is someone who can quickly recognize their team members’ strengths,
weaknesses and motivations to help each individual improve. This type of leader often assists
team members in setting smart goals and then provides regular feedback with challenging
projects to promote growth. They’re skilled in setting clear expectations and creating a positive,
motivating environment.

The coach leadership style is one of the most advantageous for employers as well as the
employees they manage. Unfortunately, it’s often also one of the most underutilized styles—
largely because it can be more time-intensive than other types of leadership.

You may be a coaching leader if you:

 Are supportive
 Offer guidance instead of giving commands
 Value learning as a way of growing
 Ask guided questions
 Balance relaying knowledge and helping others find it themselves

 Are self-aware

Benefits: Coaching leadership is positive in nature. It promotes the development of new skills,

free-thinking, empowerment, revisits company objectives and fosters a confident company
culture. Leaders who coach are often seen as valuable mentors

Challenges: While this style has many advantages, it is more time consuming as it requires one-
on-one time with employees. This may be difficult to obtain in a fast-paced environment with
time-sensitive priorities.

Example: A sales manager gathers their team of account executives for a meeting to discuss
learnings from the previous quarter. They start the meeting by completing an assessment together
of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats regarding the team’s performance. The
manager then recognizes specific team members for exceptional performance and goes over the
goals achieved by the team. Finally, the manager closes the meeting by announcing a contest to
start the next quarter, motivating the salespeople to reach their goals.

Read more: Coaching Leadership: How to Become a Coaching Leader and When to Use
This Style
2. Visionary leadership style

Visionary leaders have a powerful ability to drive progress and usher in periods of change by
inspiring employees and earning trust for new ideas. A visionary leader is also able to establish a
strong organizational bond. They strive to foster confidence among direct reports and colleagues
alike.

This type of leadership is especially helpful for small, fast-growing organizations, or larger
organizations experiencing transformations or corporate restructuring.

You may be a visionary leader is you are:

 Persistent and bold

 Strategic
 Risk-taking
 Inspirational
 Optimistic
 Innovative

 Magnetic

Benefits: Visionary leadership can help companies grow, unite teams and the overall company
and improve outdated technologies or practices.

Challenges: Visionary leaders may miss important details or other opportunities because they’re
so focused on the big picture. They also may sacrifice the resolution of present-day issues
because they are so future-oriented, which could leave their team feeling unheard.

Example: A teacher starts a group at work for colleagues who want to help resolve anxieties and
issues students have outside of school. The goal is to help students better focus on and succeed at
school. He has developed testing methods so they can find meaningful ways to help students in a
quick, efficient way.

Read more: 14 Traits of Visionary Leaders

3. Servant leadership style

Servant leaders live by a people-first mindset and believe that when team members feel
personally and professionally fulfilled, they’re more effective and more likely to produce great
work regularly. Because of their emphasis on employee satisfaction and collaboration, they tend
to achieve higher levels of respect.

A servant leader is an excellent leadership style for organizations of any industry and size but is
especially prevalent within nonprofits. These types of leaders are exceptionally skilled in
building employee morale and helping people re-engage with their work.
You may be a servant leader if you:

 Motivate your team

 Have excellent communication skills
 Personally care about your team
 Encourage collaboration and engagement

 Commit to growing your team professionally

Benefits: Servant leaders have the capacity to boost employee loyalty and productivity, improve
employee development and decision-making, cultivate trust and create future leaders.

Challenges: Servant leaders can become burnt-out as they may put the needs of their team above
their own, they may have a hard time being authoritative when they need to be and the
organization's goals may be at risk if the servant leader is only focused on the needs of their
immediate team.

Example: A product manager hosts monthly one-on-one coffee meetings with everyone that has
concerns, questions or thoughts about improving or using the product. This time is meant for her
to address the needs of and help those who are using the product in any capacity.

Read more: Servant Leadership: Definition, Tips and Examples

4. Autocratic leadership style

Also called the authoritarian style of leadership, this type of leader is someone who is focused
almost entirely on results and efficiency. They often make decisions alone or with a small,
trusted group and expect employees to do exactly what they’re asked. It can be helpful to think
of these types of leaders as military commanders.

This leadership style can be useful in organizations with strict guidelines or compliance-heavy
industries. It can also be beneficial when used with employees who need a great deal of
supervision—such as those with little to no experience. However, this leadership style can stifle
creativity and make employees feel confined.

You may be an autocratic leader if you:

 Have self-confidence
 Are self-motivated
 Communicate clearly and consistently
 Follow the rules
 Are dependable
 Value highly structured environments

 Believe in supervised work environments

Benefits: Autocratic leaders can promote productivity through delegation, provide clear and
direct communication, reduce employee stress by making decisions quickly on their own.

Challenges: This style of leadership can cause stress to the leader by bearing all the weight of
decision making. The lack of flexibility and rigidness, as well as the lack of interest in hearing
the ideas from others, can cause resentment on the team.

Example: Before an operation, the surgeon carefully recounts the rules and processes of the
operation room with every team member who will be helping during the surgery. She wants to
ensure everyone is clear on the expectations and follows each procedure carefully and exactly so
the surgery goes as smoothly as possible.

Read more: What is Autocratic Leadership?

5. Laissez-faire or hands-off leadership style

This leadership style is the opposite of the autocratic leadership type, focusing mostly on
delegating many tasks to team members and providing little to no supervision. Because a laissez-
faire leader does not spend their time intensely managing employees, they often have more time
to dedicate to other projects.

Managers may adopt this leadership style when all team members are highly experienced, well-
trained and require little oversight. However, it can also cause a dip in productivity if employees
are confused about their leader’s expectations, or if some team members need consistent
motivation and boundaries to work well.

You may be a laissez-faire leader if you:

 Effectively delegate
 Believe in freedom of choice
 Provide sufficient resources and tools
 Will take control if needed
 Offer constructive criticism
 Foster leadership qualities in your team

 Promote an autonomous work environment

Benefits: This style encourages accountability, creativity and a relaxed work environment.

Because of this, it can also increase employee retention.

Challenges: This style does not work well for new employees, as they need guidance and hands-
on support in their early days. This method can also lead to a lack of structure, leadership
confusion and employees feeling a lack of support.

Example: When welcoming new employees, Keisha explains that her engineers can set and
maintain their own work schedules as long as they are tracking towards and hitting goals that
they set together as a team. They are also free to learn about and participate in projects outside of
their team they might be interested in.

Read more: Laissez-Faire Leadership: Definition, Tips and Examples

6. Democratic or participative leadership style

The democratic leadership style (also called the participative style) is a combination of the
autocratic and laissez-faire types of leaders. A democratic leader is someone who asks for input
and considers feedback from their team before making a decision. Because team members feel
their voice is heard and their contributions matter, a democratic leadership style is often credited
with fostering higher levels of employee engagement and workplace satisfaction.

Because this type of leadership drives discussion and participation, it’s an excellent style for
organizations focused on creativity and innovation—such as the technology industry.

You may be a democratic/participative leader if you:

 Value group discussions

 Provide all information to team when making decisions
 Promote a work environment where everyone shares their ideas
 Are rational
 Are flexible

 Are good at mediation

Benefits: Under this leadership style employees can feel empowered, valued and unified. It has
the power to boost retention and morale. It also requires less managerial oversight, as employees
are typically part of decision-making processes and know what they need to do.

Challenges: This leadership style has the potential to be inefficient and costly as it takes a long
time to organize big group discussions, obtain ideas and feedback, discuss possible outcomes and
communicate a decision. It also can add social pressure to members of the team who don’t like
sharing ideas in group settings.

Example: As a store manager, Jack has hired many brilliant and focused team members he
trusts. When deciding on storefronts and floor design, Jack acts only as the final moderator for
his team to move forward with their ideas. He is there to answer questions and present possible
improvements for his team to consider.

Read more: What is Participative Leadership?

7. Pacesetter leadership style

The pacesetting leadership style is one of the most effective for driving fast results. These leaders
are primarily focused on performance. They often set high standards and hold their team
members accountable for hitting their goals.

While the pacesetting leadership style is motivational and helpful in fast-paced environments
where team members need to be energized, it’s not always the best option for team members
who need mentorship and feedback.

You may be a pacesetter leader if you:

 Set a high bar

 Focus on goals
 Are slow to praise
 Will jump in to hit goals if needed
 Are highly competent

 Value performance over soft skills

Benefits: Pacesetting leadership pushes employees to hit goals and accomplish business

objectives. It promotes high-energy and dynamic work environments.

Challenges: Pacesetting leadership can also lead to stressed-out employees as they are always
pushing towards a goal or deadline. The fast-paced work environment fostered under this style
can also create miscommunications or a lack of clear instructions.

Example: The leader of a weekly meeting recognized that an hour out of everyone’s schedule
once a week did not justify the purpose of the meeting. To increase efficiency, she changed the
meeting to a 15-minute standup with only those she had updates for.

Related: How to Demonstrate Leadership Skills at Work

8. Transformational leadership style

The transformational leadership style is similar to the coach-style in that it focuses on clear
communication, goal-setting and employee motivation. However, instead of placing the majority
of the energy into each employee’s individual goals, the transformational leader is driven by a
commitment to organizational objectives.

Because these types of leaders spend much of their time on the big picture, this style of leading is
best for teams that can handle many delegated tasks without constant supervision.

You may be a transformational leader if you:

 Have mutual respect with your team

  Provide encouragement
 Inspires others to achieve their goals
 Think of the big picture
 Places value on intellectually challenging your team
 Are creative

 Have a good understanding of organizational needs

Benefits: Transformational leadership values personal connection with their team, which can
boost company morale and retention. It also values the ethics of the company and team instead of
being overly focused on achieving goals.

Challenges: Since transformational leaders look at individuals, it can cause team or company

wins to go unnoticed. These leaders can also overlook details as they are big picture thinkers.

Example: Reyna is hired to lead a marketing department. The CEO asks her to set new goals and
organize teams to reach those objectives. She spends the first months in her new role getting to
know the company and the marketing employees. She gains a strong understanding of current
trends and organizational strengths. After three months, she has set clear targets for each of the
teams that report to her and asked individuals to set goals for themselves that align with those.

Related: What Does Leadership Mean?

9. Transactional leadership style

A transactional leader is someone who is laser-focused on performance, similar to a pacesetter.

Under this leadership style, the manager establishes predetermined incentives—usually in the
form of monetary reward for success and disciplinary action for failure. Unlike the pacesetter
leadership style, though, transactional leaders are also focused on mentorship, instruction and
training to achieve goals and enjoy the rewards.

While this type of leader is great for organizations or teams tasked with hitting specific goals,
such as sales and revenue, it’s not the best leadership style for driving creativity.

You may be a transactional leader if you:

 Value corporate structure

 Micromanage
 Don’t question authority
 Are practical and pragmatic
 Value goal-hitting

 Are reactionary

Benefits: Transactional leaders facilitate the achievement of goals, through short-term goals and
a clearly defined structure.
Challenges: Being overly focused on short-term goals and not having long-term goals can cause
a company to struggle with adversity. This style stifles creativity and is unmotivating to
employees who are not incentivized by monetary rewards.

Example: A bank branch manager meets with each member of the team bi-weekly to discuss
ways they can meet and exceed monthly company goals to get their bonus. Each of the top 10
performers in the district receives a monetary reward.
Read more: What is Transactional Leadership?

10. Bureaucratic leadership style

Bureaucratic leaders are similar to autocratic leaders in that they expect their team members to
follow the rules and procedures precisely as written.

The bureaucratic leadership style focuses on fixed duties within a hierarchy where each
employee has a set list of responsibilities, and there is little need for collaboration and creativity.
This leadership style is most effective in highly regulated industries or departments, such as
finance, healthcare or government.

You may be a bureaucratic leader if you:

 Are detail-oriented and task-focused

 Value rules and structure
 Have a great work ethic
 Are strong-willed
 Have a commitment to your organization

 Are self-disciplined

Benefits: This leadership style can be efficient in organizations that need to follow strict rules
and regulations. Each person in the team/company has a clearly defined role which leads to
efficiency. These leaders separate work from relationships to avoid clouding the team's ability to
hit goals.

Challenges: This style does not promote creativity which can feel restricting to some employees.
This leadership style is also slow to change and does not thrive in an environment that needs to
be dynamic.

Example: Managers at a Department of Motor Vehicles office instruct their employees to work

within a specific, defined framework. They must take many steps to complete a task with strict
order and rules.