Styles of Leadership

Every movement, every organization, every institution, and every project is stabilized and upheld by a leader. Leadership roles are abundant, from the workforce to sports teams, from Universities to Preschool classrooms, from high school clubs to family households, from the President of the United States to the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, members of these institutions all depend on their leaders to provide them direction. Experiences with these organizations have taught me that as varied as leadership positions are, so are the applied leadership styles. Autocratic and transformational leadership are two types of leadership that are profoundly different but share equal capacity to be effective. The separation between the two is apparent in their purposes, the division of power, and the behavior of their followers.

Transformational and autocratic leadership do not achieve the same purpose. A leader who models transformational leadership works to cultivate a beneficial and productive change in the program or team they lead. Just as the name hints, transformational leaders center their leadership on transforming the environment, the narrative, and the overall result of their team or group by working alongside those to who they provide direction. The leaders become the example of the positive change they hope to inspire. In 2020, the church I belong to called a new President to lead in our Allegan location. This calling, or position, gave President Emans authority to lead the church in Allegan, preside over the church’s work in gathering followers of Jesus Christ, care for those in need, and coordinate the use of the church building, finances, and records. President Emans, acting on the changes he felt inspired to create in the routine of Sunday meetings and focus of the members, grounded the church deeper in the work of the Lord. His leadership encouraged the members to live Christ-centered lives and to be more devoted, faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who served all of God’s children with love. He modeled this pursuit of uplifting change he desired to create in our church community by making meals and desserts for struggling families, mowing lawns for the disabled, visiting those who stopped attending church meetings, providing comfort and emotional support for the weary, ministering to those suffering from difficult circumstances, and challenging others to be intentional disciples of Jesus Christ. Being a part of this change brought an eagerness to improve in my life and showed me the support working towards a common goal can provide. Through President Eman’s transformative leadership, the effort and time he dedicated to modeling the change he knew needed to occur helped to develop the remarkable shift that swept our church into a higher and holier place.

The purpose of autocratic leadership is to produce quality and timely results, ignoring any impact the process may have on those who perform under the leader. There is little personal connection between the leader and those who work under their direction, and the leader is less concerned with the group’s well-being. Instead, their focus is on the productivity and efficiency of the team. The former girl’s varsity basketball coach of my high school and current boy’s varsity coach personified the autocratic leadership style. Coach Rock is known for his rigorous practices, straightforward attitude, extreme game expectations, and grueling punishments if his expectations are not met. Often, the boys feel as if any action they take is wrong and could result in being reprimanded. Coach Rock has a legacy of controlling his team with his commanding and unempathetic coaching style. Nevertheless, his leadership has led him to have an elite 18-year coaching career for the varsity girls. Rock’s record includes winning 304 games, which include 10 Conference championships, 8 District wins, and 2 Regional championships. The purpose of transformational and autocratic leadership differs as one focuses on creating beneficial change, often within the institution itself, while the other centers on the efficiency of the group's output.

The division of power appears distinctly different in transformational leadership than in autocratic leadership. Transformational leadership emphasizes how power resides in group unity as the team works towards a shared goal. Although one individual is recognized as the leader, power is shared among the team as they are free to share their opinions and feelings, trusting that their leader will consider their input. The change in my church may have begun with President Emans, but as more members became committed to serving one another and the community, it transformed into a grander shift. Now, every two weeks President Emans holds Branch Council meetings. These are meetings with the leaders of other classes in the church, such as the women’s class leader, the men’s class leader, the Primary teacher, and the young women’s and men’s leaders. As the council discusses topics of concern and planning, President Emans designates time for all of the leaders representing each organization to offer their thoughts and feelings.

In contrast, in autocratic leadership, the power is solely in the hands of one individual leader. This leader makes decisions for the entire group without the influence of the members. This single individual wields the most authority within the institution and has full command over their followers, especially regarding decision-making. Coach Rock holds all of the power in his team. He directs what plays to run, what moves to make, what defense to fall into, and what shots to take. Even though he is not playing the game on the court, Rock guarantees his presence is recognized. Without asking for his assistant coaches or his player's opinion, Rock makes decisions with the expectation that they will be listened to. His followers, or players, act according to what Rock advises, understanding that if they do not, punishment, or sprints, will be ordered at the next practice. The division of power between leaders and those they oversee differs for autocratic and transformational leaders, as transformational leaders grant some power to the team members, unlike autocratic leaders, who keep a strong central power figure in control.

The third aspect that separates transformational leadership from autocratic leadership is the behavior of their followers, or why the followers choose to take direction from their leader. In transformational leadership, the leaders seek to help, motivate, and inspire those who work under their command. The followers trust that their leader cares for them and has their best interests in mind, so they return mutual trust, respect, loyalty, and appreciation. This dynamic is visible between President Emans and the members of the church. We trust that President Emans is aware of our situations and wants to help us grow just as much individually as he wants the church family to grow closer as we draw nearer to our Savior. As a church, we respect President Emans and are grateful for his devotion and commitment, which, in turn, influences our desire to be better.

While transformational leaders are accompanied by loyal followers, autocratic leaders are joined by followers who stay loyal out of fear. Those who work under the direction of autocratic leaders are not connected to the leader and understand that the leader is not looking out for their well-being. They only perform because they fear being abandoned or replaced by the leader. Those being led are not oblivious to the power dynamic of their situation and recognize that because all of the control resides with one individual, their contribution to the project could be filled by another. In the context of Coach Rock’s basketball teams, all past and present players genuinely fear him. Former players on his team have remarked that even when they hear Coach Rock yell at his current team, they panic and freeze. All his players were, and are, afraid of his disappointment and the punishment that would surely follow at practice. Transformational and autocratic leadership are different, as transformational followers are loyal out of respect, but autocratic followers remain loyal out of fear.

Throughout High School, I took on many varied leadership positions in which many people relied on me, and my responsibilities consumed my weeks. To further explain, in my senior year, I became both the High School Student Body President and the National Honor Society President. Learning about transformational and autocratic leadership styles in my Leadership and Communication class changed my approach to leadership and how I connect to those I lead. I will admit that there were instances when I used autocratic leadership, but after applying transformational leadership, I have seen profoundly more success and partnership among my council and officers. Despite being severely different, both leadership styles can be effective. Transformational and autocratic leadership differ when their purposes, power balance, and follower loyalty are compared.