Four Leadership Style Essay

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In this paper I will look at the four major leadership styles, their characteristics, advantages, disadvantages, and in what situations a particular leadership style is desired. Additionally, I will look at my leadership style and how I acquired this style throughout my career. Autocratic leaders also known as authoritarian leaders are leaders that have absolute authority over subordinates, are in control of the situation they are in, dictate and enforce orders, rarely consult with or ask opinions of others, are highly task driven, and the emotional needs of people are a low priority. The advantage of an Autocratic leader is they typically achieve results quickly; they would make a great leader during the time of crisis or when a project …show more content…

Like the types of leadership, the choice of which power to use is highly situational. There are six basic types of power: • Legitimate Power – This is power that comes from holding a position within an organization • Reward Power – This is power a leader has to reward subordinates for a job well done. • Coercive Power- The power that comes from being able to punish and intimidate a follower. • Networking Power – Otherwise known as connection power, a leader uses his contacts as a source of power. • Expert Power - This kind of power comes from an expert knowledge of the task that needs to be accomplished, this kind of power can be extremely strong. • Charismatic Power – The ability to influence followers based on the leaders personality. Politicians often use this kind of power to get follower’s to support them. Probably the most difficult part of leadership is to know what leadership style is best to use, by carefully evaluating their own skills and the situation a good leader can adjust the leadership style as needed to be effective as possible. This requires the leader to be flexible and adapt as needed to maximize the

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