Leadership styles

Another approach to understanding leadership, and one you may be familiar with, is that of styles: Autocratic, Democratic and Laissez-faire.

The Democratic style is more acceptable these days due to: the recognition of efficient use of human resources; broader standards of education & training; pressure for greater social responsibility towards employees; and Government legislation re. employment protection, EU etc. But it is by no means exclusive, and a good leader should be able to adapt their style to suit particular circumstances.

The choice of leadership style needs to take into account the inter-relationships of - the preferred style of the leader, the preferences of the led, the nature of the task and the context of the challenge. The names of these styles have changed over the years, but the principles remain the same. So back to John Adair's idea really, but with an added extra.