Looking at the Different Leadership Styles: Direct, Spirited, Considerate, Systematic
Bradford R. GlaserLeadership is the process of influencing others to work toward predetermined goals. As a leader, understanding your leadership style will enable you to navigate complex work situations with greater ease.
Style is defined as the way a person usually behaves when they can do things their own way. When you combine leadership and style, a leadership style is created: a person’s unique way of influencing others to work toward shared goals.
The most effective leaders adapt their leadership styles for each situation they encounter. They need to know when to be flexible, when to negotiate, and when to be firm.
Let's take a look at the four types of leadership styles that are outlined in our popular, research-based Style Suite, and what it means for you.
- Discover your leadership style
- Understand the characteristics of each style
- Learn to flex your leadership style
Table of Contents
The Four Types of Leadership Styles
All four types of leadership styles have a degree of assertiveness and expressiveness. Assertiveness is a person's ability to influence others' thoughts and actions. Expressiveness is how a person displays their emotions when interacting with others.
Some leaders can encompass more than one type, and people can also exhibit varying degrees of assertiveness and expressiveness within these styles. The four types of leadership styles are:
- Direct: Direct leaders have high assertiveness and low expressiveness. They lead by taking charge.
- Spirited: Spirited leaders have high assertiveness and high expressiveness. They lead by inspiring.
- Considerate: Considerate leaders have low assertiveness and high expressiveness. They lead by building group harmony.
- Systematic: Systematic leaders tend to exhibit low assertiveness and expressiveness. They lead by planning carefully.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Each Style
Each type of leader has a time to shine. There are moments at work when being a specific kind of leader can be beneficial. Similarly, there are times when a specific type of leader may struggle.
Direct: When there’s a work crisis, a direct leader’s take-charge style can help others push through challenging situations. However, when delegating tasks to others is necessary, direct leaders may struggle to relinquish control.
Spirited: If a group’s energy starts running low, a spirited leader’s spontaneity can provide a vital spark. However, their tendency to live in the present can be a problem in situations that require careful, long-term planning.
Considerate: Team harmony is vital, and a considerate leader has the ability and empathy to accommodate everyone. However, this could cause issues when one person pushes for a special interest and the considerate leader easily caves.
Systematic: Accuracy and objectivity at work are essential, and they are strengths of a systematic leader. Their analytical style can be a valuable asset. However, when time pressures build, their thoroughness may slow down projects.
Understanding Leadership
Being in charge of an entire organization, overseeing the work of one or two other people, or working with others on a cross-functional team means you are a leader. Additionally, if you influence others to work toward organizational goals, you are also considered a leader.
Leaders come in many forms, but the important thing is that they help their team and work hard towards organizational success. If a leader is respected, the entire team will do well.
The concept of leadership is familiar to anyone in the workforce. You probably have managers, directors, and VPs at your organization. Yet defining the term precisely can be challenging, since there is no universally agreed-upon definition of leadership.
However, one way to construct a definition is to first consider what a leader does. A leader generally develops and maintains sufficient cohesiveness and motivation to keep one or more people working together as a functioning unit. The leader positively influences the behavior of others to achieve a predetermined accomplishment or goal.
Different people have different ways of influencing others. One leader may appeal to team members’ competitive drive. Another may rally the troops around a cause. Another may guide team members according to carefully laid plans. What’s My Leadership Style reveals a leader's preferred way of influencing and leading others.
Further Your Leadership Knowledge
Further your leadership knowledge with What’s My Leadership Style by HRDQ. This tool is a leadership style assessment that provides learners with 20 pairs of actions related to leadership behavior. The scoring shows people’s preferred leadership style: direct, spirited, considerate, or systematic.
What's My Leadership Style is ideal for training anyone in a leadership role or who needs to influence others towards achieving a goal. Get started today, and unleash the power of leadership styles in your workplace.
1 comment
Great article on how different types of leadership and ways of persuading others may guide leaders on influencing others more inclusively and positively