Which Types of Leadership do You Use

Although there are different types of leadership styles, we can usually define leadership in two distinct categories.

The word “leader” usually brings to mind someone who is a leader of a group or an industry. We might also picture someone who is leading the way in business or in sports. The leader in golf would be someone like Tiger Woods, while Apple is the leading brand in portable music devices.

But contrary to what many people think, leadership is so much more than a person directing a group or leading in sports. Most people who try to lead groups will give orders or even try to trick people into doing what the “leader” wants.

Thanks to the more shady types, people learn to be careful around “leaders.” They’re not interested in letting someone trick or take advantage of them.

Again, there are different types of leadership, but the only worthwhile and long-lasting styles don’t involve tricks and distrust. If your followers get a whiff of any kind of deceit, you’ll lose all your credibility and the power that goes with it.

You need integrity in order to create trust in your followers. They have to believe you’ll do what you say you’ll do. You walk the talk.

One of the most common ways leaders hurt their reputation is by making promises that they can’t deliver on. It’s important to be careful about what you say.

Don’t worry about turning people off with cautious promises. In fact, people will have more confidence in you because they know you’ll only make promises you’ll keep. They will be better followers, because they know you mean what you say.

For example, if you were to promise a subordinate that you are going to give them a raise next year that is a problem.

A raise is often out of your hands, particularly if you don’t know how well the company is going to do this year. It’s better to think about approaching the subject of a raise in regards to your followers meeting sales goals.

Sometimes it can be very inconvenient to keep your promises. Nonetheless, even if they are inconvenient, it will only benefit you to keep them. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to back out of your commitment, you’ll need to apologize and find an acceptable compromise.

All types of leadership can benefit from incorporating integrity. Leaders who demonstrate integrity are a lot more successful.