Last updated on January 11th, 2023 at 11:36 am
Adam J Clarke, an experienced leader who founded the payment services financial technology company called Macropay, has been a proven expert in the field of leadership. With years of experience as a chief executive officer under his belt, the Macropay founder shared insights on leadership styles and which one is the best approach for certain teams.
Adam J Clarke Speaks About 4 Leadership Styles
According to Clarke, there are different situations for each company and leaders must determine which type suits their teams to reach their goals and set themselves up for success.
Clarke highlighted that there are several leadership styles that CEOs can consider applying depending on their firm’s needs and situations. This includes autocratic leadership, democratic leadership, laissez-faire leadership, and transformational leadership. Each approach has different pros and cons and, in this article, Adam J Clarke explained how each of them works.
1. Autocratic Leadership
To put it simply, an autocratic leadership is simply a do-as-you’re-told type of situation. It’s also described as an authoritarian style where all forms of decision making is simply made by the leader. While at first glance, an autocratic leadership style seems like an unlikely pick, Clarke recognizes that this type of leadership also has its pros.
According to the Macropay CEO, in chaotic situations where quick decision making is necessary, this type of leadership may work. However, in a broader perspective, prolonged autocratic leadership styles may let employees feel micromanaged and dependent on the leader for everything.
2. Democratic Leadership
A democratic leadership style is the opposite of the autocratic leadership approach. In this type, participation is encouraged and the decision-making is done by consulting team members, giving everyone an opportunity to contribute. This allows engagement between leaders and their team members and has many obvious benefits.
According to Clarke, democratic approaches benefit teams in terms of morale. Being involved in things could bolster a team member’s sense of belongingness and often lead to great results in individual work. However, this approach also has its negatives. Especially in larger groups, it’s inevitable that some may feel left out and not included in the decision-making process.
3. Laissez-faire Leadership
The Laissez-faire approach literally means “allow to do” and may be easily misinterpreted as an apathetic style of leadership. However, that’s far from the truth. This approach focuses on empowering employees and deploying trust that they will be able to independently accomplish their tasks.
Clarke describes this leadership approach as a swift method, allowing employees to make critical decisions without needing the approval of higher ups. However, like all leadership styles, this one face challenges when the employees are not on the same page as the leaders in terms of the overall mission.
4. Transformational Leadership
The last leadership style that Adam J Clarke shared is called a transformational leadership. According to the Macropay top executive, this type of leadership is focused on getting the employees to rally behind a vision.
While a transformative leadership style could inspire loyalty from the employees, it could also have its fair share of challenges when it comes to employees burning out. In order to see a vision to full fruition, it will require employees to work harder, with the mindset that they are growing the business themselves.
