Effective Leadership Styles
One of the most important tools for corporate managers is leadership. Corporate managers generally arrive in their successful positions through hard work, diligence, and the proper training and education. Often coming from executive MBA programs and other top schools, corporate managers will have worked their way up as specialists in their fields into broader roles that let them lead teams and large groups of people to ensure company success. Because team management can be stressful and project development often comes under a tight deadline, it is necessary that corporate managers have the leadership skills to ensure everyone they supervise fulfills their respective roles to the best of their abilities. A good understanding of leadership and leadership qualities is essential for the corporate manager.
No Leadership Formula
There is no magic formula for successful leadership, just as there are no unique set of traits that leaders share that make them effective. Qualities like integrity and empathy, assertiveness and likability, good time management and good decision making skills are all qualities that good leaders can possess, either alone or in combination with one another. But an effective leader does not have to be well liked to motivate people, and a good leader can make good decisions without a strong sense of empathy. Thus, it is necessary to look more closely at the actions of leaders and the styles that leaders can adopt.
3 Different Leadership Styles
There are essentially three different leadership styles in management. Each has its place and is closely tied to the personality of the manager. The autocratic leader is the kind of leader most people associate with leadership. This individual makes decisions without consulting a team. Although this kind of leadership can have a negative connotation as the tyrant or the bully, there are situations where autocratic leadership is effective and necessary. For instance, autocratic leadership can be appropriate when decisions need to be made quickly and when there is no need for input, and also, if team agreement is not necessary for a successful outcome. The second style of leader is the democratic leader. This is the kind of leader that most people would like to work for because he offers strong likability. This kind of leader allows its team to provide various kinds of input before making a decision. This degree of input can vary depending on the leader and the kind of leadership situation involved. Democratic leadership is important where team agreement matters, but it can be difficult to manage when there are lots of different perspectives and ideas. Finally, the most hands off kind of leadership happens by the laissez faire leader. This individual does not get involved in the team process, and allows people within the team to make many decisions. Although this can be the result of laziness or distraction, there are many situations where a laissez faire leadership role is effective. For instance, when the team is highly capable and does not need close supervision. Developing a good leadership style is essential for corporate managers in order for their teams of people to carry out different jobs and work effectively together. Good leadership allows them proper motivation and allows the corporate manager to maximize output. See Also:
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Wendy Hacker writes for education blogs where you can learn more about online executive mba programs.