Types of leadership: find out what they are

The types of leadership serve as a reference for professional performance and give clues about productivity in companies . When the leaders in question are not in tune with what their subordinates and the business need, the results tend to be bad.

On the other hand, if there is synergy between leaders and followers, the growth potential tends to increase, sometimes surprisingly. Everything will depend on how people in command are more or less capable of maintaining motivation.

Leadership is leading people towards a goal, and it is necessary to influence, motivate, teach, learn and give orders when appropriate, so that the person or group has an efficient and effective stance, towards the set objective.

This is what we can prove by getting to know 7 profiles of the most prominent leaders. Remember that there is no right or wrong, but what fits best according to the circumstances. Good reading!

Technical leadership

The technical leader is distinguished by having extensive knowledge about his profession, that is, he is someone who becomes respected for his notorious ability with the most practical part. Their role in organizations has become increasingly important, which has given rise to new ways of structuring careers.

An example is the so-called Y-shaped career, in which professionals with a lot of technical competence can choose to progress, seeking more executive positions and less linked to management .

In any case, this type of professional does not always have the necessary tools to generate empathy in people. As these professionals are highly focused on carrying out activities and the vast majority have an introspective attitude, they end up experiencing difficulties in relating to their subordinates.

If this is the case, an interesting option is to invest in coaching to develop the ability to relate to others or even take Public Speaking, a subject that helps people develop communication techniques.

Motivational leadership

Motivating teams is one of the challenges that companies face, especially those that are born with DNA focused on developing technology and innovation.

Motivating is encouraging people to go in the same direction in search of the desired success, with determination and enthusiasm. A motivated team pursues the goals and objectives pre-defined by the company more diligently, largely because there is alignment with the professional objectives of each team member.

In this context, motivational leadership can mean the necessary leap in quality, as long as it is aligned with other professionals in the technical part. Thus, she will be able to exercise personal magnetism to extract, from the people under her supervision, something more that, under normal conditions, they would not be able to give.

Democratic leadership

A leader who fits this profile tends to delegate more tasks, divide responsibilities and put themselves in a listening position. It is different from the motivator, who is more concerned with keeping the “flame burning” than with sharing decision-making power.

The democratic leader is the one who contributes to defining the work, but what must be done is defined by the subordinates themselves based on the expected results. His role is as a conflict mediator, reconciling the individual interests of each professional on the team.

Liberal leadership

“The example is leadership.” (Albert Schweitzer).

In highly mature teams, liberal leadership may be more appropriate, as its most striking trait is precisely laissez-faire , an expression in French that means “let it be done”.

On the other hand, there is a consensus that liberality is not always healthy, as it can trigger less responsible behavior or generate, among those led, the perception that there are no rules to be followed. Therefore, this type of leader is not recommended to be in charge of teams whose activities depend on a lot of control.

Authoritarian leadership

Always contested, authoritarian leadership is where the leader exercises greater authority over those under command, through clear and direct orders on how the work should be done, without leaving room for subordinates to give their opinion on the procedure adopted.

In this type of leadership, decisions usually occur more quickly, as this type of professional naturally decides and determines what will be carried out alone.

However, authority alone will not bring positive results to the team, because as the leader’s position is more autocratic, the others end up assuming a more submissive and inhibited position, since there is determination expressed obedience without dialogue.

Along with authority, a positive position must be built with those led, in the sense of motivation, learning and influence for professional growth.

It is worth highlighting that the authoritarian leadership style can be useful, especially in times of crisis, when firm and direct actions need to be taken. Leaders with an authoritarian profile tend to simplify processes and tasks, making them more productive.

Charismatic leadership

It is the type of leadership that is based on the leader’s charisma. This profile tends to create a great bond of loyalty with those led, who are motivated by the inspiration of the leader.

Despite not having major technical requirements, the charismatic professional can significantly improve the company’s results by exerting a powerful influence on those they lead, achieving greater dedication, loyalty and commitment to the objectives set.

Situational leadership

The very existence of different leadership profiles shows that reality is not something simple to understand. On a daily basis, people present variations in their behavior, which has an impact on their professional performance.

Wouldn’t it be more productive if leaders could handle these fluctuations with the same ease?

This is why the figure of the situational leader has been acclaimed as the one that best adapts to the demands of companies. It is capable of balancing the characteristics of all the profiles we have covered so far, balancing the necessary attributes to deal with different types of situations.

In fact, the situational leader originates from a theory, which highlights the importance of a leader’s ability to apply the correct measures, depending on the level of maturity in which their followers are.

Known as Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory , it highlights the need to identify the subordinate’s level of maturity. This way, the leader will be able to know whether he needs to guide, motivate or balance both actions to obtain the best results.

The types of leadership are always directly related to the profile of the people to be led. The ideal is for balance to prevail, since, as we have seen, different leaders generate results depending on the context in which they operate.
Be a successful leader, keep constantly learning and you will see that people will pay more attention to what you do.