Title: Define leadership styles.
Course: Introduction to Leadership (22101) > Section: Examining Leadership Methods

Definition should include styles such as

- authoritarian or autocratic—leader dictates all policies and procedures and decides all goals and activities without input from others
- democratic or participatory—leader collaborates with others (leaders and team members); team members take on more responsibility
- delegative (laissez faire)—leader is more hands-off and allows team members to make more decisions
- transformational—leader causes valuable and positive change in individuals and social systems; leader fosters development of followers into leaders
- strategic—leader expresses a strategic vision and motivates and persuades others to adopt that vision
- transactional—leader focuses on supervision, organization, and performance; leader promotes compliance by followers through both rewards and punishments
- situational—leader must adjust leadership style to fit the development level of the followers he/she is trying to influence.

Definition should also include features of each style and examples of leaders who represent each style.

Process/Skill Questions:

- When might a leader modify his or her style to fit a situation?
- What leadership styles can be observed in the family, in the classroom, and among peers?
- Why might one prefer to follow a leader who has a certain style?
- What are some ethical considerations for each leadership style?
- What are the pros and cons of each leadership style?