Leadership Styles

Authoritarian

Any form of Government in which relatively few people run the country

Authoritarian states may restrict or prohibit certain actions to suit their own purposes.

Authoritarian leadership can apply to any group situation. It is most often though of when dealing with the Government, but this type of leadership can apply to small groups too.

For example a group of five may have one leader who wants to make all the decisions and does not ask or want the rest of the members to take part in the decision making process.

Authoritarian Leaders

Some well known Authoritarian Leaders include Saddam Hussein, Vladimir Lenin, and Alexander Lukashenko.

Democratic

Democracy means rule by the people. “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.”

Many voting situations in a democratic government are run by majority rule.

This type of leadership style can be applied to many different situations. Groups may use majority rule to decide many of their decisions for projects or other activities.

Democratic Leaders

Some well known democratic leaders include John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, and Hillary Clinton.

Laissez-Faire

A theory that Government should not interfere with decisions made in an open competitive market.

Laissez-Faire is a french word meaning allow to do. Laissez-Faire is a type of leadership style which most

often pertains to the economy and productivity. Laissez-Faire can be applied to group situations which

the leader allows the rest of the group members to do their work. Most often this type of leadership style works best for very skilled and experienced individuals.

Laissez-Faire Leaders

One well known supporter of Laissez-Faire was Milton Friedman

Another strong supporter of Laissez-Faire was Alexander Hamilton