In my workplace, a transformational leadership style is a key approach to managing processes and encouraging employees. This style creates a positive working environment and focuses on empowering employees to share their ideas and cooperate with each other. It seems to be the most effective leadership to ensure that open communication and creative thinking are the main advantages of teamwork and expected results (Lussier & Achua, 2015). In terms of the democratic style that was also used by my employer, employees were often asked to express their opinions, which promoted team spirit and greater trust among the colleagues. I have observed how the leader identified the goals to be achieved, but the ways to do it were to be decided by the team members. Both transformational and democratic styles aligned well with my company’s business strategies that were focused on fostering a corporate culture and inspiring the workforce to avoid clichés and practice training and innovative approaches.
I have also experienced the execution of the autocratic style of leadership that requires little initiative from employees and implies that the leader is all-knowing. This style proved to be ineffective since the workforce did not cooperate, and the goals set were not achieved in time. Many avoidable mistakes were made due to a lack of knowledge of some employees, while others were not expected to consult their colleagues (Lussier & Achua, 2015). Accordingly, business strategies were not consistent with the autocratic style of leadership, which lead to decreased profits and a lack of customer interest. However, it seems that this style can be beneficial as a temporary decision for novice or inexperienced team members, who need strong guidance to learn about the situation in the workplace.
Reference
Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2015). Leadership: Theory, application, & skill development (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.