To be able to understand what factors influence the choice of leadership style or behaviour, firstly I needed to understand that there are various styles of management and leadership and that there are differences between management and leadership.
In short, management roles are generally focused on the responsibility for things, relying on control and organising work, that is doing things right. Leadership roles involve leading a group of people, inspiring trust and being responsible for people and doing the right things. There are overlaps with the two roles in that both roles work towards accomplishing an objective and motivating the team to get a job done.
Factors that influence a leadership style will vary depending on the leadership style being used. One example of the leadership styles is ‘Lewins’ theory. This explains that leaders can fall into three categories:
Autocratic Leaders
Democratic Leaders
Delegative Leaders
After investigating the background of leadership, and looking into various leadership models, I can see there is no single style which will make someone an effective leader/manager. I have learnt that the most effective leaders are those who have the ability to understand which style is required and interchange between the various leadership styles so they apply the style to suit the current task and staff member. I believe that successful leaders need to be self-aware of how their actions can impact others.
There are many factors that can influence a leader’s style.
The task that needs to be achieved can be one factor. What the actual purpose or objective of the staff member or the team is. A leader needs to be certain that all staff members are confident in what needs to be accomplished. Once the leader has clarified this they are then responsible to guide the team or staff member. When learning about leadership styles I came