Introduction to Leadership
A leadership does not mean you must rule the person working under you. It simply means helping those who are performing poorly or helping those who are doing well but can do much better in the future. You might have heard from your manager that you should think like a leader to grow in the business. A leader and his entire team take the project to a new level. There are different leadership models that can help you take the right path to achieve the success ladder and improve the business reputation.
Who is a Good Leader?
The Internet is flooded with stories about how a long leadership personality bullied employees. Some stories have also been shared on social media on how a leader, with his team of qualified employees, achieved success for a particular project. Leadership depends on an individual’s approach toward employees to achieve the target and fulfill the business expectation. You may find different books associated with these leadership models. This is the right page for you if you have never read any of those books.
What is Leadership Model?
Once you understand how to encourage an employee to work for the business, your next step is to apply the suitable leadership model. The model that you use must be simple and well-organized. It should not be restricted to a laminated index or a sheet of paper. Practically, such a type of leadership model is not something you make on a sheet of paper. It comprises different parts of the organization and management system capable and functional enough to give a qualitative result.
Leadership models make a simple mechanism to give you the results. A good leader must be aware of different leadership models. So far, the users and the organization members have given positive feedback on using such leadership models. It gives effective output for a long time. An individual of small or large scale business can successfully perform such to meet the deadlines and organize the team members appropriately. Usually, the team members are only given the freedom if they are skilled and experienced in most leadership models.
Top 10 Important Leadership Models Which Will Make You a Successful Leader
Let’s see the 10 Important Leadership Models that will make you a Successful Leader:
1. Servant Leadership
A book on servant leadership which was published in the year 1970, was quite popular. Since then, people have followed the ways mentioned in it for the betterment of the business. Do not go on the name. Servant leadership does not mean that you have to act like a servant. It is neither a technique nor a style of leadership. In this model, you need to focus on others’ needs, especially the needs of your team members, before considering your own. Your job is to acknowledge other people’s perspectives and support them in achieving their goals correctly.
As per the experts who suggest such a model, to apply this leadership model to your team, try to involve them in decisions where their opinion matters. Try to create a community sense within your team. The more your team members engage, the better it will lead to innovation. Such leadership models entirely depend on how you behave with your team members for a long time. The only issue with such leadership models is they may not work in a hierarchical environment. Such leaders would have to strive hard to earn respect.
2. Leadership with an Autocratic Model
It is another popular leadership model showing tremendous progress among different customers. It is one of the types of transactional leadership. The leaders can have good power and control over their team. Unfortunately, staff members have limited options to suggest or comment on what would be best for the team. There are many benefits of this leadership. No doubt it gives incredible results. It is easy to make decisions too quickly and get solutions efficiently. There is a high chance that it may lead to a high level of absenteeism with a good staff turnover.
To apply such type of leadership among the members of the business requires an unskilled yet routine job. You can use it in crises when you need to decide and implement it without wasting time over the discussion. You may find such type of leadership popularly used among the military people. Top commanders use such leadership to make complex decisions. This allows the troop to focus on performing the tasks allotted and achieving the mission. However, there are times when you need to be harsh to make decisions for the betterment of the organization.
3. Leadership with a Transactional Model
It is among the finest and most common leadership models many people worldwide have used. In this leadership style, a leader must assign certain tasks to the employees. If the employee delivers good performance results, a leader must reward him. If the employee does not perform as expected, then the employee should be punished for the deeds. Managers and team members make specific goals that employees agree to follow under the right leadership and achieve the results.
Transactional leadership includes more managerial power. Your manager will review the result, train the employee and reward him if the desired goals are met. The rewards could be anything from bonuses to increments encouraging the employee to do better for the company. Such a type of leadership is acceptable to senior members and staff. It includes two-way communications and is the most effective option so far. For effective results, the leader must create a strong emotional bond with the organization’s members and follow the agenda that people come first before anything else.
4. Task-Oriented Leadership
This type of leadership model is quite similar to autocratic leadership. For better understanding, you can refer to different books written on it. It mostly focuses on getting the job done by the employees. It requires employees to be alert and active. They should be participating and must complete their desired leadership roles in the right manner. The work will be managed and monitored by the organization head. There are other key tasks, such as maintaining and creating performance standards.
5. Charismatic Leadership
This type of leadership is similar to the transformational leadership model. In this model, leaders must inspire their teammates to be energetic. The leaders focus on motivating employees to move forward with the right goals. This creates team spirit, commitment, and excitement, which greatly benefit the organization. The only difference between transformational and charismatic leaders is the intention. Charismatic leaders must focus on themselves and might not change other things, whereas transformational leaders must transform the team and organization. Though there are certain drawbacks associated with it, the advantages do overcome them.
6. Leadership which is based on People
The name itself says what the role of a leader must be in this type of leadership. It entirely focuses on supporting, organizing, and creating the people in the team. It requires the participation of the leader and the employees. The leader must encourage team members to achieve goals with strong teamwork. It is the opposite of leadership which is task oriented. The role of a leader needs complete involvement. He must advise and help the team members whenever required. It is necessary to carry a friendly approach and pay attention to the employees involved in the tedious task.
There are times when charismatic leaders have no option but to trust their own decision. This can be risky for the project, but the positive outcome benefits the organization. It will be good if the charismatic leader can believe in what others advise. In the end, the decision would completely be upon the leader. It is a great role for a leader, and its responsibilities are pretty huge. The people who undertake such a role a leader must give a long-term commitment to the organization and ensure that employees work the way the leader planned.
7. Leadership Models called Transformational
Most businesses use the Transformational Leadership model the most in most business situations. A leader needs to be well-educated, highly qualified, and inspiring. He must set the right goals for the team members and himself too. If this leadership model is followed in the right manner, it will lead to good productivity and better results from every member present in the team. If the layman is not right, he may create misunderstanding. Organizations that use such leadership models must also opt for transactional models for better results.
8. Leadership called Laissez-Faire Model
This leadership model name is based on the French Phrase “let it be”. It is a free-mind job. Eventually, it lets the people do their part of the job how they want. For this, the leadership comes individually, and managers also don’t have to control much over the people or the work. This type of leadership model works entirely on the freedom that every team member gets, whether he is in a higher position or just a trainee. The leader must monitor the performance and give his opinion to the team members regularly.
9. Leadership with a Democratic Model
This type of leadership includes final decisions. It includes team members in making the decision process. If you talk about people involvement, it involves the leader and his team members. This type of leadership allows the employees to show their creativity and talent and thus contribute to the decision-making associated with the project. This gives team members job satisfaction and results in better productivity too. This may not be effective if you need to make a quick decision for any critical issue or the manager requires prompt solutions on certain aspects.
10. Leadership with a Bureaucratic Model
This is another popular leadership model applicable in small-scale and large-scale businesses. Though there are safety risks that need to be followed, results are always positive. These leaders usually make rigorous rules to ensure people are organized enough to follow the process correctly. You can apply leadership models when the tasks are associated with toxic substances, machinery, or dangerous heights. Companies that require extreme flexibility or creativity should not opt for such leadership models as it requires proper planning and organization.
Use Leadership Models for Better Results
Out of the leadership mentioned above, you can choose anyone that suits your employees and business. It must convince the people to change and improve for the betterment. All the above leadership models focus on assessing employee motivation and identifying their needs, and valuing them. For successful business implementation, valuing employees’ needs is essential. The above leadership models so far have given a positive result to the business of different sectors. Implementing it in your business will allow you to see the difference in the revenue generated.
To utilize the leadership qualities and skills correctly, ensure that you are well-versed in the abovementioned leadership and how to apply them at the right time. Identify the employees with factors like department meetings, focus groups, and one-to-one meetings. This helps you understand what the employee holds as his values, vision, and goals for the business. Besides, the employee must identify what they expect from the leader. This will help you uncover the gap and properly fulfill their expectations and the business.
Recommended Articles
Here are some articles that will help you to get more detail about the leadership models so just go through the link.