Facts about Leadership and Tips on Leading a Team

When done right, it brings impressive business outcomes. However, according to McKinsey, 70% of all digital transformation initiatives do not reach their goals.

Most leaders know that tech is essential to business but don't know what they really need to know about technology to succeed in the digital age.

Leaders don't need to learn code to succeed. Instead, they need to learn how to work with people who code. It means becoming a digital collaborator and learning how to work with developers, data scientists, user experience designers and product managers.

Research shows that being ignored by one’s boss is more alienating than being treated poorly. The impact of absentee leadership on job satisfaction outlasts the impact of both constructive and overtly destructive forms of leadership. Constructive leadership immediately improves job satisfaction, but the effects dwindle quickly. Destructive leadership immediately degrades job satisfaction, but the effects dissipate after about six months.

Great leaders inspire people to do better and develop their skills because leaders with a great leadership style can make anyone appear more competent than they actually are, and that builds confidence within the individual.

However, leaders who do have poor methods can drag down an individual with an exceptional skill set or even the whole team.

Leadership is a process of social influence that works to increase the efforts of others in pursuit of a common goal.

What most do agree with is that good leaders don't wait for a title. They simply lead, and others naturally follow them.

• Tolerating an environment of risk and ambiguity
• Showing resilience in the face of constant change
• Being brave in challenging how things are being done
• Having the confidence to take the lead in driving change

Successful leaders overcome aspects of their lives that make them feel negative, which can include those that are:

• “Physical” – Clutter, junk and an overflowing email inbox have a deleterious impact on your environment.
• “Relational” – Beware of people who influence you negatively.
• “Emotional” – Avoid unnecessary worry or anxiety.
• Time-based – Reconsider activities that don’t lead you in a productive direction.

“Hope means investing time and energy toward results that you have solid reason to believe can be achieved.”

There are two ways in which leaders develop their personal styles:

1. High self-monitors are naturally able to try on different styles until they find a good fit for themselves. They adapt to the demands of a situation without feeling fake. They care about managing their public image and may mask their vulnerability.
2. True-to-selfers tend to express what they really think and feel, even when it is counter to situational demands. It may make people question their ability to do the job.

Managing one’s boss can be a challenge, and most people have problems and frustrations with their superiors.

Working optimally with your boss means trying to produce the best possible results in an organization, keeping your stress levels low and increasing your happiness. It helps to have clarity about your options, keeping your sanity and focusing on what you can control.

The best leaders know that they could not have accomplished much on their own. It takes a team, a group, to make things happen, so give each member of that team credit for your success.

Leadership style cannot be fully separated from unconscious biases and discrimination.

However, we do not advise women and minorities to not be upset, to not disagree, and to not promote their achievements. Rather, to carefully select their social markers and develop a blended style that is suited to them.

The right assortment can allow you to show loyalty to the group you want to lead while still maintaining your uniqueness.

Leadership development is viewed as a current and future priority. Despite efforts to produce and nurture new leaders, only 7 percent of senior managers think that their companies develop global leaders effectively. Around 30 percent of US companies admit that they lack enough leaders with the right capabilities.

Leaders focus on results, on what must be achieved by themselves, by others, and by the company. They focus on the strengths in themselves and others.

It is difficult to define the quality of a leader. To say that a leader is someone who has followers is too simple. A captain may have soldiers who follow orders, but it makes a captain a commander, not a leader. To say that leadership is influence is too reduced. A robber with a gun has "influence" over his victim, but the source of influence is missing.

It is easier to assert what leadership is not: Its not fancy titles, a position in hierarchy, or even management.

To be a stronger leader, you need to practice self-confidence. If you’re always second-guessing yourself and feeling shy around your coworkers, they won’t follow you.

Confident leaders have a strong sense of self and rarely express self-doubt. They understand who they are and are comfortable in their own skin. Charismatic leaders are also optimists. They see the glass as half full instead of half empty and are always looking on the bright side.

• Touch base often, to catch problems when they're small.
• Build relationships through conversations. Your employees will learn about you and whether they can trust you.
• Have regular one-on-ones with your team members.
• Solve problems as they appear. The smaller, the easier to handle.
• Keep tough conversations private, away from distractions.
• Tailor what you say and do to the person you’re meeting with.
• Treat people with dignity.

According to this point of view, great leaders are born to lead with internal characteristics such as charisma, confidence, intelligence, and social skills.

Great man theories assume great leaders are born, not made. These theories suggest people cannot learn how to become strong leaders.

It's a servant leadership model taught by The Ken Blanchard Companies, based on the belief that leadership style should be tailored to the situation. 

This kind of flexibility is a key principle of agile organizations.

Many training initiatives assume that the same group of skills or leadership styles are suitable without considering the strategy or organizational culture of a company.

An excellent leader in one situation does not necessarily perform well in another. Focusing on context means equipping leaders with two or three competencies that will make a distinction to performance, rather than a list of leadership standards that is of no specific benefit.

These type of leaders present a vision to their followers and encourage them to achieve it. They also serve as a role model. 

Advantages

• High value on relationships
• Employees are motivated and inspired
• High value on a vision

Disadvantages

• Constant feedback is required
• Tasks can not be pushed without the agreement of employees

Five key elements of optimum leadership in healthcare settings:

• Inspiring visions at every level, along with upholding a shared, holistic view of care
• Clear, aligned objectives for all teams, departments, and individual staff
• Supportive and enabling people management and high levels of staff engagement
• Learning, innovation, and quality improvement embedded in the practice of all staff
• Effective teamwork

To be successful in any workplace, leaders must have problem-solving skills . This quality enables them to see the situation from all angles and find the best solution for the organization. The best solutions often come from taking a step back and analyzing the situation.

• Restore Trust: In the US crisis scenario, restoring everyone's trust was essential. That is why the first step was to speak the truth to the population, to stipulate the next steps and, thus, win the confidence of all;
• Shared purpose: The next step was to create a shared sense of purpose with everyone. Then, Roosevelt defined that he, as leader, and the population were interdependent and would need to work together to rebuild the country;
• Leading by Example: In moments of crisis and the search for recovery, it is up to the leader to be an example and lead the team towards success.

In order to build and lead a great team, you have to be the kind of person that people want to build with.

What does that look like? It looks like centring your humanity and core values by remembering at the end of the day that we all want to live a creative life that we control. Entrepreneurship is just the tool we use to do it.

Successful leadership starts with an attitude of providing service to the goals and dreams of customers and colleagues.

The goal of servant leadership is to lead with integrity, honesty, and professionalism at all times.

Workers who have "buy in" often deliver quality products, as well as customers who become highly devoted.

Many companies understand the importance of developing leadership skills but do not quantify the value of their investment.

Evaluation of leadership development can include:

• Participant feedback that includes set targets.
• Assessing the extent of behavioral change. Perhaps by a feedback exercise at the start of the program and again 12 months later.
• Monitoring of participants' career development after the training.
• Monitor the business impact. It might include cost savings or increased sales. Or, comparing the average productivity of participants' teams before and after a training program.

Popularly known as LBJ, Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th President of the United States, taking office after John Kennedy's death.

Born in 1908, with a simple family, LBJ graduated from Texas State University and Georgetown University, working independently while at school, where he developed several characteristics such as his ability to persuade.

Lyndon Johnson was a professor and entered politics in 1937 as a member of the House of Representatives. Later, he was chosen senator and in 1961 assumed the vice-presidency of the Kennedy's Government.

From Lyndon Johnson's visionary leadership, we can mention some factors that stand out:

• Establish a Future Image and Master the Power of Narrative: When we speak of "visionary", we speak of establishing a vision for the future, having ideas. The vision must be passed on correctly, through stories and narratives that will facilitate the understanding of all;
• Know When to Raise Everything: The Civil Rights Act had the purpose of making a radical change in the status quo of the United States, and the chance of failure was great. But Johnson knew this was the time to make that change.

• Be resilient, always seek to overcome adversity and move on;
• A good leader can get the best ideas from the worst situations;
• Have determination, because in times of crisis it takes strength to reach your goals;
• Great leaders can arise from different realities;
• Understand your strengths and weaknesses and get the best of them;
• Be ambitious. Just like the leaders studied, you need to chart out a plan for big flights;
• In crises, a great leader has the opportunity to retreat, reflect, rebuild and reappear even stronger.

Abraham Lincoln, assumed the 16th President of the United States on March 4, 1861.

Lincoln had a simple origin and had to leave his studies to work in the farm with his father. But in his eagerness to learn, he became self-taught and had to study on his own.

Thus, he became a lawyer, a Federal Deputy, took part in the founding of the Republican Party and was elected President.

In early days as a politician, his tactic was simply to observe and understand how the dynamics of the assembly worked.

However, he had his term finished early when he was assassinated in 1865 while watching a theater play.

Great leaders are shaped by crises and challenges. And Lincoln went through adversities from his poor childhood to episodes of deep depression.

During the civil war, he needed to unite a divided country, because the South wanted the separation of the North. And allied to this, the issue of slavery was an emerging problem.

That is why, it was up to Lincoln to lead the nation toward peace and unification and articulate in government how to secure the freedom of slaves by abolishing slavery. And such a transformation has brought learning as we shall see now.

What allowed Lincoln to know that it was the right time to implement such a transformation?

• Know when to change direction: You must understand that if something is flawed and does not happen as it should, a new direction must be taken;
• Gather information: Conducting research, getting as much information as possible, and asking the right questions is very important to reflect and strategize from there;
• Prevent obstacles: As a leader focused on transformation, it is critical to predict the opposing viewpoints and how they can aggregate or disrupt your strategies.

The idea that teaching and leadership must have ethical and moral purposes should be a key consideration for educational leaders and they need to challenge unethical and immoral policies and practices wherever they find them.

Courageous, ethical and authentic leadership action is called for.

“The most fundamental and important truth at the heart of Extreme Ownership: there are no bad teams, only bad leaders.” - Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, Extreme Ownership

You can only lead by example. There’s no other effective way to inspire people. 

• Expect from others what you expect from yourself. Never ask for something you're not doing.
• When things go wrong, try to stay calm. Life is nothing but a series of solved problems. 
• When you screw up, admit it. There’s no place for your ego.
• Be clear about your values and rules. People must take you seriously.
• Respect others and don’t try to change them. It’s impossible to change people. You can only change yourself. 

Focuses on fast decision making, short-term goals, and the empowerment of individuals. 

And it has expanded to include general leadership skills like acting on a shared vision, leading change, and sharing decision-making.

Theodore Roosevelt's learning of management difficulties stand out in this matter, and from his behavior we can learn that:

• Calculate risks and understand the correct time to get involved: always pay attention to the scenario and how it is behaving, so that, when it is necessary to act, you already have the plans defined;
• Have a crisis management team: During the coal strike, Roosevelt gathered 7 expert professionals to assist in resolving the situation. In critical moments, having a high performance team is key to finding the best solutions and achieving the best result.

Being a member of a wealthy family, he had a privileged education, graduating from Harvard and Columbia University. When he was 25, he outlined a 4-step plan so he could become President of the United States.

This way, at just 31 years old, he had already completed the first two steps. He was Senator in New York and later Secretary of the Navy. Franklin still tried the election as Vice President, but was defeated.

In 1928, he reached the third step: to be governor of New York. This achievement allowed him to reach the top of his planning in 1932, becoming the 32nd President of the United States.

Jocko Willinck’s idea of Extreme Ownership says in every situation, rather than choose to be a victim and blame others for your suffering, you decide to take responsibility for whatever happens to you.

Even you think that the odds were stacked against you, that you were objectively a victim and suffered unnecessary consequences, you must train yourself to think about what you could have done better to possibly prevent a specific incident from happening.

• Practice "radical transparency". Include your employees in the decisions that directly affect them. Ask them for feedback on proposals or share essential news with them before it becomes public.
• Study how your team works as a whole. The success of one person influences the success of others.
• Seek mentorship and ask for guidance.
• "Manage up". Don't wait for your boss to create a plan for you based on what they think you can do. Instead, position yourself for your next role. Ask yourself how you are innovating your current role.

Great leaders find the balance between business foresight, performance, and character.

They have vision, courage, integrity, humility and focus along with the ability to plan strategically and catalyze cooperation amongst their team.

Researchers have studied managerial derailment — or the dark side of leadership — for many years. The key derailment characteristics of bad managers are well documented and fall into three broad behavioral categories:

• “moving away behaviors,” which create distance from others through hyper-emotionality, diminished communication, and skepticism that erodes trust;
• “moving against behaviors,” which overpower and manipulate people while aggrandizing the self;
• “moving toward behaviors,” which include being ingratiating, overly conforming, and reluctant to take chances or stand up for one’s team. 

You'll need to have more than a LinkedIn profile to become a thought leader. You'll need to have proven your experience and understanding in a field in tangible ways to show to others that you are a voice to listen to.

You don't have to be Steve Jobs to become a thought leader. You can start researching and developing yourself in your current field. You can start writing articles and sharing them with others to get opinions, build a following on social media, and slowly begin proving yourself as an expert in your field.

1. Success is also dependent on luck.
2. Don’t let your ego get in the way of making the best possible decision.
3. Anything that reminds you that you’re not the center of the universe is a good thing.
4. Hold onto your awareness of yourself, even if the world tells you how important and powerful you are.

These type of leaders ensure that they are the ones to impose expectations and define outcomes. Although it is efficient there are some disadvantages: 

Advantages

• Mistakes Reduced
• Creates consistent results
• Reduced time in making decisions

Disadvantages

• Lack of creativity and innovation
• Group input reduced
• Reduces synergy

Successful leaders share 9 behavior patterns: 

1. Identify your hidden desires, dreams and potential

2. Reject negativity. Direct your energy to actions that trigger hope

3. Consider the future implications of your actions

4. Improve difficult situations, even when they are not your responsibility

5. Achieve your biggest dreams through incremental steps

6. What you hate shapes your character as a leader, so choose wisely

7. Forget fairness; give back more than you receive

8. Stop telling self-aggrandizing stories; practice humility instead

9. Don’t let your fear of others’ reactions control you

Good leaders can build you up or drag you down. At work, leaders can make the difference between a good job or a lousy job.

That is why leadership is considered an art form. Leadership is not something everyone can do well, and it takes practice to create an atmosphere where people are inspired to do their best work.

• In trying to improve our game, a firm sense of self is a compass, but when we want to change our game, a too rigid self-concept can prevent us from moving forward.
• In global business, we often work with people who don't share our cultural norms. They may have a different expectation for how we should behave than what feels authentic.
• In today's world of connectivity, how we present ourselves is a critical aspect of leadership. We have to carefully curate a persona and that can clash with our private sense of self.

1. Pacesetting leader - “Do as I do, now”: expects and models excellence and self-direction. 
2. Authoritative leader - “Come with me”: mobilizes the team toward a common vision.
3. Affiliative leader - “People come first”:  works to create emotional bonds that bring a feeling of belonging.
4. Coaching leader - "Try this": develops people for the future.
5. Coercive leader - “Do what I tell you”: demands immediate compliance.
6. Democratic leader - “What do you think?": builds consensus through participation.

Hiring, according to top corporate leaders, should not just be the standard job interview, which has become predictable and routine, but something creative and challenging.

One has to find new ways to find out how a person thinks, taking them out of their ‘seat of comfort’. Allowing candidates to speak their mind, or providing them challenging situations to work on can be a better indicator of their employability.

People need to be valued. Great leaders make people feel that they are at the heart, that they're part of making things happen.

• Vision: Creating a shared vision is the leadership part of servant leadership;
• Implementation: Helping people implement that vision is the servant part of servant leadership.

Agile leaders are servant leaders.

• Know yourself: Ask yourself, "where do you fall on the leadership style spectrum?" If you are unsure where you fall under, keep track of your actions and behavior during various interactions.
• Experiment with various styles: When you begin to have an understanding of where you fall in the spectrum, constantly practice new behaviors to make it feel more familiar and less awkward.
• Read the room: Assess their behaviors and actions before deciding on an approach.

Leader should always have agililty which enables them to make quick decision under uncertain circumstances.

The future of work will always be uncertain and ambiguous. Future events will bring new challenges. Organizations now will only thrive in the future under the supervision of leaders who can make sense of uncertainty.

An oversimplified understanding of what it means to be transparent can prevent your growth and limit your influence. When we feel out of our comfort zone, we can often use authenticity as an excuse for sticking with what's comfortable.

For example, a promotion into a leadership role can leave you feeling unsure of yourself. If you believe in superficial transparency, you may disclose all your insecurities to your company, and in the process, lose credibility with people.

Successful leaders don’t take careless risks; they take risks thoughtfully, diligently and cautiously

• Pay attention to what bothers you – Your inner voice might be telling you something.
• Overcome negativity
• Don’t ignore persistent dreams
• Analyze your fantasies – Perhaps they’re saying something is missing from your life.
• Confront obstacles and fears
• Don’t let envy confuse you
• Pay attention to symptoms – Is your body trying to communicate something to you?
• Seek community
• Pray

These type of leaders transfer something in exchange for their employees work. That could be extra money or an employee benefit.

Advantages

• Motivation increased if tasks are mundane
• Employees feel rewarded

Disadvantages

• Lack of creativity and innovation
• No empathy
• Creates more followers, not more leaders

Is a leadership philosophy that is built on the belief that the most effective leaders strive to serve others, rather than accrue power or take control. 

The authoritarian leadership style:

• The authoritarian style of leadership requires leaders to have total decision-making power and absolute control over their subordinates. Servant leadership upends the top-down power structure.

Similar leadership styles:

• Ethical leadership urges leaders to show respect for the values and dignity of their subordinates. Servant leadership's emphasis on taking responsibility for the needs and desires of others.
• Participative leadership style requires leaders to involve subordinates in setting goals, building teams and solving problems but keep the final decision-making in their own hands. Servant leadership includes some of these elements.

• Listening. A servant leader seeks to identify the will of a group and helps to clarify that will.
• Empathy. A servant leader assumes the good intentions of co-workers and does not reject them as people.
• Healing. Understand part of their leadership responsibility is to help make whole employees whose sense of self is precarious.
• Awareness.
• Persuasion. Servant leaders rely on persuasion not positional authority or coercion, to convince others.
• Conceptualization. Balancing between thinking big and managing everyday reality.
• Foresight. The ability to understand the past and see the present clearly to predict how the future will unfold.
• Stewardship. CEOs, staffs and trustees all have a responsibility to hold the institution "in trust" for the greater good of society.
• Commitment to the growth of people. Feel a responsibility to nurture the growth of employees.
• Building community. Find ways to build community in their institutions.

The traditional model of the leader-hero who saves the day knows it all, is the smartest person in the room, and is too often driven by power, fame, glory, or money is not appropriate in today’s environment.

People today expect a different kind of leader. Here are five attributes that characterizes leaders who are able to unleash the kind of human magic you see at work at some of the most high-performing companies.

1. First, be clear about your purpose.
2. Second, be clear about your role.
3. Third, be clear about whom you serve.
4. Fourth, be driven by values.
5. Finally, be authentic.

Is a management style in which leaders are genuine, self-aware, and transparent. 

An authentic leader is able to inspire loyalty and trust in her employees by consistently displaying who she/he really is as a person, and how she/he feels about her employees' performance. 

Authentic leadership is the single strongest predictor of an employee's job satisfaction.

Not every leader is benevolent. Many leaders have insight, initiative, influence, and impact but their lives and legacies are tainted by a lack of integrity.

A great leader must have a life integrated with the highest values so the impact of his/her leadership is positive.

True leadership doesn't happen when we're in charge; it happens when we take care of those in our charge.

"Leadership requires two things: a vision of the world that does not yet exist and the ability to communicate it.” - Simon Sinek

Because leaders value innovation, they are focused on the future and how they can improve it. They have a dream and direction that motivates and inspires others.

• Directing is for employees requiring a lot of specific guidance to complete the task. 
• Coaching is for employees who need more than average guidance to complete the task, but with above-average amounts of two-way dialogue. 
• Supporting is for employees with the skills to complete the task but who may lack the confidence to do it on their own. 
• Delegating is for employees who score high on motivation, ability, and confidence. 

• Digital investors: Executives who embrace the VC mind-set, uncover opportunities, educate, invest in talent and ideas, forge partnerships, conduct the transition to a digital model and build an ecosystem that fosters innovation.
• Digital pioneers: Business and function leaders who can reimagine and lead into the future, shape new and different business models, and lead a winning digital strategy
• Digital transformers: Leaders who can manage people through radical change and transform the business

Instead of being a dictator and employees followers, a true servant leader serves the employees as well.

A leader makes sure each team member has the resources and support necessary to learn and grow.

Of all of these traits, humility is the most essential and rare. Leaders who embody it get vulnerable with their people, admit their mistakes and learn from them. They're able to contain their egos and think in terms of "we."

Because they are secure in themselves and have human fallibility, they are able to freely share their power. This makes them much more influential as a result. True humility empowers others.

Leaderships is one of the most misunderstood responsibilities in business.

Many people confuse leadership with rank or authority.

These type of leaders focusing on giving tasks to their team. It can be effective, but team members will need to be competent.

Advantages

• Creates a positive working environment
• Can take advantage of your employee's skills

Disadvantages

• Hard to adapt to change as people have specif task designated to them. 

Without the benefit of an external perspective we get from experimenting with new leadership behaviours, habitual patterns of thought fence us in.

• Learn from diverse role models. We should view authenticity not as an intrinsic state but instead as the ability to adopt elements you have learned from others' styles and behaviours.
• Work on getting better. Setting goals for learning helps us experiment with our identities without feeling like a fraud. It motivates us to develop valued attributes.
• Don't stick to who you are as a leader. Instead, embrace how your style changes over time and keep editing it.

Place a higher value on team spirit than achievement. When you concentrate on spirit, you gain long-term success.

When we get busy, we often overlook the subtle shifts in ourselves. Or we become so focused on the work that we don't realise when we move away from what we truly value.

Being the best leaders we can be require us to identify our values and then live and lead according to them. When you understand what is important to you, what energizes you, what you believe in, and where you want to be, you can make decisions confidently.

Great leaders have a clear, exciting idea of where they are going. They are excellent at strategic planning.

While a manager gets the job done, great leaders tap into the emotions of their employees.

Learn to listen.

As young people, you want to be the top dog, you want to lead.

Learn to understand, you may not have the qualities, knowledge, skills and experience as to someone who is older and has experience.

Use this time to step back, LISTEN, LEARN and GROW your skills for the future to have effective leadership skills.

To get the work done, virtual leaders may become more directive because they feel a loss of control. It is difficult to monitor employees’ work remotely. To compensate, they over-rely on providing structure and direction to monitor and control.

Paradoxically, this more directive approach is the opposite of what is needed for effective virtual leadership. Instead, research suggests it is more important for virtual leaders to empower employees and promote self-leadership. Although leaders certainly need to provide structure and direction, they also need to learn how to let go.

A great leader recognizes that trust, transparency, inclusivity, and respect are essential pillars upon which a vibrant company culture is built. 

They understand that it’s not enough to build culture, it needs to be protected and maintained. A great leader also needs to make difficult decisions and hold everyone, including themselves, accountable. 

Bad leaders harm individuals, teams and the organization. To improve your workplace, develop your own leadership, then hire and grow the best leaders at every level. 

Talking excessively does not make you a leader. 

Telling people what to do does not make you a leader.

Inspiring through your actions and taking care of those around you makes you a leader. 

Being silent is just as important as communicating. 

Leadership is about listening and formulating a strategy for your team after everyone has shared their knowledge and opinions. 

Leaders eat last.

Born in New York in 1858, Theodore Roosevelt lived in an opposite reality to Lincoln. Son of a rich family, descendant of Dutch, Theodore studied at Harvard and had all the support of his family during his trajectory.

As a politician, he participated in the New York Assembly and was Director of the city's Police Department and also governor of the state, until in 1900 he was elected as Vice President alongside William McKinley.

• Providing direction, when someone is new to a task;
• Providing coaching when someone gets discouraged;
• Supporting the a person's continued development as they gain competence in the task;
• Moving to a delegating style, when the direct report demonstrates self-reliance on the goal or task.

• Rethink the organization’s leadership model to include the concepts of innovation, growth, inclusion, teamwork, and collaboration.
• Identify the likely digital leaders in the organization: Determine who can be the investors, pioneers, and transformers. 
• Train potential leaders to understand the opportunity. 
• Ensure accountability.
• Promote younger people into leadership faster.
• Foster risk-taking and experimentation through leadership strategy. 
• Move beyond traditional leadership training: Focus on leadership strategy, emphasizing culture, empowerment, risk-taking, knowledge sharing, exposure, matrix management, and building talent as guides.

Leadership isn't about the position you hold or the authority you command; it doesn't matter if you're a manager, a CEO, or the president. It's about leadership qualities and leadership skills you can develop in any role you take on in life.

You can be a leader in whichever role you're in and whichever context: Home, school, work, or community.

These type of leaders take a democratic approach. The essence is to involve team members in all decisions. 

Advantages

• Increases employee motivation and job satisfaction
• Increases employee creativity
• High levels of productivity achieved

Disadvantages

• Communication failures can happen
• Can be time-consuming

Leadership theories try to explain how and why certain people become leaders. Some theories focus on leaders' characteristics, while others attempt to identify behaviours that people can adopt.

Previously, debates on the psychology of leadership suggested that these were inherent skills. However, recent theories propose that while certain traits may help natural leaders, experience and situational variables also play a vital role.

Leadership is knowing how to get the most out of a team, identifying the right set of goals to complete and setting direction. In business this is also known as “vision” as it’s more about knowing what is important then how to achieve it.

Good leadership assembles a competent team who share the vision regarding the goal, makes informed adjustments to it and mediates conflicts. All this while observing the ever-changing motivating forces of each team member, motivating, delegating and, when appropriate, interfering.

Psychologist Kurt Lewin developed his framework in the 1930s, and it provided the foundation of many of the approaches that followed afterwards

• Autocratic leaders make decisions without consulting their team members, even if their input would be useful.
• Democratic leaders make the final decisions, but they include team members in the decision-making process.
• Laissez-faire leaders give their team members a lot of freedom in how they do their work. They provide support with resources and advice if needed, but otherwise they don't get involved.