preview

Different Types Of Leaders And Styles Of Leadership

Decent Essays

Every person who enters the field of education has both the opportunity and an obligation to be a leader (Dufour, Marzano, 2011). Leadership defined by Owen (2002) is, “A journey of discovery. It is the expression of a person at his or her best whose aim is to transform something for the better and to develop this potential in others. It is not a solitary pursuit but one that harnesses the energy of those around you. Leadership is a process in which leaders and followers engage to achieve mutual goals. Prentice (2004) defines leadership as the accomplishment of a goal through the direction of human assistants. A great leader is one who can do so day after day, and year after year, in a wide variety of circumstances.
LEADERSHIP STYLES …show more content…

Laissez-Faire leaders, or delegative leaders, offer little or no guidance to group members and rely on group members to make decisions (Cherry, 2015). Laissez-Faire leadership lends itself to undefined roles and a lack of motivation from group members. Ubben, Hughes, and Norris (2016) reference transactional leadership as a managerial style of leadership where power and responsibility is in the hands of the principal leader. Transactional leadership is a relationship where the members of the group have agreed to obey and follow the course and directions of the leader (Cherry, 2015). In transactional leadership there are clearly defined roles. Transformational leadership on the other hand, focuses on making change happen through self, others, groups and organizations (Johannsen, 2014). The situational leader chooses the best course of action based upon the current situation. The situational leader uses different types of leadership styles depending on the decision that needs to be made (Cherry, 2015). Situational leaders rely on all seven styles of leadership in order to make the most informed and appropriate decisions based on circumstances. Servant leaders look at leadership as an act of service. According to Blanchard and Hodge’s (2003) definition the servant leader embraces and welcomes feedback as a source of useful information on how they can provide better service. Servant leadership begins with a vision. Servant leaders look beyond their own leadership

Get Access