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What type of leader are you?

The strengths and weaknesses of different leadership styles

		Strongly Disagree	Moderately Disagree	Neutral	Moderately Agree	Strongly Agree
1	It is often necessary to make decisions without consulting others due to time pressures upon the task at hand.	0	1	2	3	4
2	Teams operate best within a clear and structured framework of procedures.	0	1	2	3	4
3	The best decision will be the one with the largest consensus.	0	1	2	3	4
4	People will come up with the best working methods when given minimal instruction.	0	1	2	3	4
5	People repeatedly come to me for advice and support, and I generously give it.	0	1	2	3	4
6	People have learnt to not question my judgement, as I rarely back down when I am truly passionate about something.	0	1	2	3	4
7	If everyone is forced to perform the same task in the same way. The efficiencies gained outweigh the costs.	0	1	2	3	4
8	I receive employee approval before making absolutely any changes to their working conditions or role, even if just for a day.	0	1	2	3	4
9	I have learnt that people will never fail to positively surprise you if you leave them alone.	0	1	2	3	4
10	I consult a variety of people when making decisions, but they tend to agree with my original idea anyway.	0	1	2	3	4
11	Half of people are intrinsically hard working, but the other half need to be pushed into completing work to a high enough standard.	0	1	2	3	4
12	Over time, we can continue to build upon and add to our systems and ways of doing things, which will make life easier.	0	1	2	3	4
13	People constantly challenge my ideas and strategies because they know they are welcome when they do so.	0	1	2	3	4
14	I can say with 100% conviction that I do not micromanage.	0	1	2	3	4
15	People see me as a leader, not a manager.	0	1	2	3	4
16	Leadership is about making the right decisions, at the right time, and ensuring the workforce follow through with that decision with effectiveness.	0	1	2	3	4
17	Cost savings can be made if everybody does exactly what they’re told, and don’t try to over-engineer solutions.	0	1	2	3	4
18	I try to delegate as many tasks as possible in their complete entirety.	0	1	2	3	4
19	I let people get back to me when they decide to, rather than getting in touch myself.	0	1	2	3	4
20	I feel responsible for my employees, and I look after them accordingly.	0	1	2	3	4

Enter your points for each question against the question numbers below, and total up each column to paint a picture of which leadership styles your behaviour matches most closely. Most managers tend to lean towards Style A. However leaders in reality can exhibit several different styles at once to help lead their businesses or organisations to success!

Question	Result	Question	Result	Question	Result	Question	Result	Question	Result
1		2		3		4		5
6		7		8		9		10
11		12		13		14		15
16		17		18		19		20
Total		Total		Total		Total		Total
	Style A		Style B		Style C		Style D		Style E

Style A = Autocratic Leadership Style

Style B = Bureaucratic Leadership Style

Style C = Democratic Leadership Style

Style D = Laissez Faire Leadership Style

Style E = Paternalistic Leadership Style

Visit http://www.leadership-expert.co.uk/leadership-styles/ for more information on what strengths and weaknesses your leadership style has, and how you can work to overcome any disadvantages of a particular style.

Summary of leadership/management styles

	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages
Autocratic	Senior managers make all the important decisions with no involvement from employees.	Quick decision making. Effective when employing many low skilled employees.	No two-way communication so can be de-motivating Creates “them and us” attitude between managers and employees.
Bureaucratic	Manager manages “by the book”. Everything must be done according to procedure or policy. He or she enforces the rules.	Useful if employees are performing routine tasks over and over; need to understand and follow relevant procedures and perform tasks in a very safe manner.	Employees do only what is expected of them and no more and often lose interest in their role and team.
Democratic	Employees allowed to make own decisions. Some businesses run on the basis of majority decisions.	Authority is delegated to employees which is motivating. Useful when complex decisions are required that need specialist skills.	Mistakes or errors can be made if employees are not skilled or experienced enough or provided with appropriate support.
Laissez-Faire	"Hands-off¨ style of management. Manager provides little or no direction and gives employees as much freedom as possible.	Useful if employees are highly skilled, experienced, educated and trustworthy and have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own.	Manager does not provide regular feedback or thank the employee for their good work. Employees feel insecure about their role and performance.
Paternalistic	Managers make decisions in best interests of employees after consultation.	More two-way communication so motivating. Employees feel their social needs are being met.	Slows down decision making. Increases dependency on manager and does not empower employees. Still quite a dictatorial or autocratic style of management.

Autocratic Leadership Style

This is often considered the classical approach. It is one in which the manager retains as much power and decision-making authority as possible. The manager does not consult employees, nor are they allowed to give any input. Employees are expected to obey orders without receiving any explanations. The motivation environment is produced by creating a structured set of rewards and punishments.

This leadership style has been greatly criticized during the past 30 years. Some studies say that organizations with many autocratic leaders have higher turnover and absenteeism than other organizations. Certainly Gen X employees have proven to be highly resistant to this management style. These studies say that autocratic leaders:

Rely on threats and punishment to influence employees
Do not trust employees
Do not allow for employee input

Yet, autocratic leadership is not all bad. Sometimes it is the most effective style to use. These situations can include:

New, untrained employees who do not know which tasks to perform or which procedures to follow
Effective supervision can be provided only through detailed orders and instructions
Employees do not respond to any other leadership style
There are high-volume production needs on a daily basis
There is limited time in which to make a decision
A manager's power is challenged by an employee
The area was poorly managed
Work needs to be coordinated with another department or organization

The autocratic leadership styleshould not be used when:

Employees become tense, fearful, or resentful
Employees expect to have their opinions heard
Employees begin depending on their manager to make all their decisions
There is low employee morale, high turnover and absenteeism and work stoppage

Bureaucratic Leadership Style

Bureaucratic leadership is where the manager manages "by the book¨. Everything must be done according to procedure or policy. If it isn't covered by the book, the manager refers to the next level above him or her. This manager is really more of a police officer than a leader. He or she enforces the rules.

This style can be effective when:

Employees are performing routine tasks over and over.
Employees need to understand certain standards or procedures.
Employees are working with dangerous or delicate equipment that requires a definite set of procedures to operate.
Safety or security training is being conducted.
Employees are performing tasks that require handling cash.

This style is ineffective when:

Work habits form that are hard to break, especially if they are no longer useful.
Employees lose their interest in their jobs and in their fellow employees.
Employees do only what is expected of them and no more

Democratic Leadership Style

The democratic leadership style is also called the participative style as it encourages employees to be a part of the decision making. The democratic manager keeps his or her employees informed about everything that affects their work and shares decision making and problem solving responsibilities. This style requires the leader to be a coach who has the final say, but gathers information from staff members before making a decision.

Like the other styles, the democratic style is not always appropriate. It is most successful when used with highly skilled or experienced employees or when implementing operational changes or resolving individual or group problems.

The democratic leadership style is most effective when:

The leader wants to keep employees informed about matters that affect them.
The leader wants employees to share in decision-making and problem-solving duties.
The leader wants to provide opportunities for employees to develop a high sense of personal growth and job satisfaction.
There is a large or complex problem that requires lots of input to solve.
Changes must be made or problems solved that affect employees or groups of employees.
You want to encourage team building and participation.

Democratic leadership should not be used when:

There is not enough time to get everyone's input.
It's easier and more cost-effective for the manager to make the decision.
The business can't afford mistakes.
The manager feels threatened by this type of leadership.
Employee safety is a critical concern.

Laissez-Faire Leadership Style

The laissez-faire leadership style is also known as the "hands-off¨ style. It is one in which the manager provides little or no direction and gives employees as much freedom as possible. All authority or power is given to the employees and they must determine goals, make decisions, and resolve problems on their own.

This is an effective style to use when:

Employees are highly skilled, experienced, and educated.
Employees have pride in their work and the drive to do it successfully on their own.
Outside experts, such as staff specialists or consultants are being used
Employees are trustworthy and experienced.

This style should not be used when:

It makes employees feel insecure at the unavailability of a manager.
The manager cannot provide regular feedback to let employees know how well they are doing.
Managers are unable to thank employees for their good work.
The manager doesn't understand his or her responsibilities and is hoping the employees can cover for him or her.

Paternalistic Leadership Style

Paternalistic managers give more attention to the social needs and views of their employees. Managers are interested in how happy employees feel and in many ways they act as a father (or mother) figure (pater means father in Latin). They consult employees over issues and listen to their feedback or opinions.

The manager will however make the actual decisions (in the best interests of the employees) as they believe the staff still need direction. Although paternalistic leadership is essentially as much of a dictatorial leadership as the autocratic form, in as much as decisions are made at the top and communication is mostly downward, paternalistic leadership advantages can include:

Feedback being invited, thus improving morale;
Decisions taking employees' best interests into accountand
Employee loyalty, lower turnover due to emphasis placed on social needs

The disadvantages of paternalistic style of leadership can include:

Low staff motivation if loyal connection to management is not established;
Increasing dependency of employees on the leader and
Dissatisfaction in employees if bad decisions are made

The paternalistic leadership style, at first glance, gives an impression of almost being democratic. Employees are invited to comment and questions are answered. In addition, their social needs are being considered.

Ultimately, however, the decisions stay with those at the top. While the ability to comment and the apparent care for their needs does aid in improving morale, and to a certain point engender loyalty within the employees, sometimes the loyalty does not go deep enough to be positively motivated.

Employees are likely to stay put, because their basic needs are met, so staff turnover is lowered. They are not, however, motivated into giving their best at all times, resulting in increasedsupervision becoming necessary.

They become dependent on the leaders by simply following the instructions and decisions made without really caring much about what has to be done and their professional development can be diminished.