This can be appropriate when you need to make decisions quickly, when there's no need for team input, and when team agreement isn't necessary for a successful outcome. He argued that there are three major styles of leadership:Īutocratic leaders make decisions without consulting their team members, even if their input would be useful. Psychologist Kurt Lewin developed his framework in the 1930s, and it provided the foundation of many of the approaches that followed afterwards. Your own, personal approach is likely to be a blend of these, depending on your own preferences, your people's needs, and the situation you're in.

So, let's look at some useful approaches – shown mainly in the order they appeared – that you can use to become a more effective leader. We'll also look at some specific styles of leadership, and we'll explore the advantages and disadvantages of each Useful Leadership Style Frameworks In this article, we'll highlight some of the common approaches to leadership that you can use. When you understand these frameworks, you can develop your own approach to leadership, and become a more effective leader as a result. Building awareness of frameworks and styles can help you to develop your approach and to be a more effective leader.įrom Mahatma Gandhi and Winston Churchill, to Martin Luther King and Steve Jobs, there can be as many ways to lead people as there are leaders.įortunately, business people and psychologists have developed useful frameworks that describe the main ways that people lead. There are also many general styles, including servant and transactional leadership. There are as many approaches to leadership as there are leaders, from Lewin’s Leadership Styles framework of the 1930s to the more recent ideas about transformational leadership.

Blake mouton's managerial grid