In response to my last article on Conscious Leadership, I had a lot of comments and questions asking about leadership styles.

I’d like your thoughts on this but to set the ball rolling, I’m briefly discussing autocratic and democratic leadership which are two distinct styles of leadership that differ in their approach to decision-making and control.

Autocratic leaders will often take complete control. This style of leadership could clearly have negative consequences, but can also be very necessary.

I once joined an organisation and soon discovered it wasn’t quite what they had led me to believe. It was in crisis, desperately in need of cash and time was short. Without making swift decisions to turn it around, there may well have been no organisation left to run.

A more inclusive leadership style where the leader involves colleagues in the decision-making process characterises democratic leadership. With this leadership style, the leader encourages a more open communication and collaboration while seeking feedback and input before deciding.

Democratic leaders value the opinions and perspectives of their team members and strive to create a supportive and empowering work environment.

By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different leadership styles, leaders can become more versatile and effective in their role.

I plan to discuss this in more depth in future posts, but please add your favoured approaches and suggest other styles not mentioned here.