Leadership style is an important aspect of any kind of business, company, or organization. It includes methods of management, motivation, cooperation, control, penalties, and other factors related to the management of employees. Leadership has a direct impact on the company’s profitability and work efficiency, as it affects the motivation of workers. Moreover, it affects the attitude of employees towards the company, superiors, and responsibilities. In turn, the higher the motivation and the better the attitude towards duties and the company is, the more dedication and efficiency, and in the end, profitability will be. Thus, it is necessary to analyze how leadership style affects the job satisfaction and emotional well-being of employees, including considering one’s own example.
Before considering the impact of leadership styles on the workflow, it is necessary to note what types of management exist. The authoritarian style implies centralized power, decisions are made exclusively by the leader or the head of the company (Demirtas, 2020). Under this style of management, employee dissatisfaction can grow since they do not have an influence on the decision-making process. However, in emergency situations, the authoritarian style is effective since discipline is preserved (Nawaz, 2021). Moreover, when making a decision, there will be no difference of opinion, the solution of which will take additional time.
Democratic style implies decision-making by the whole community, which formulates a distributed form of government. It is worth noting that this leadership style is effective in case all members of the company are equally competent in the field of decision-making (Demirtas, 2020). In the liberal style, the leader distributes authority among subordinates according to a free principle, which formulates an increase in creativity and initiative (Demirtas, 2020). The narcissistic style involves ignoring the opinions and interests of subordinates in favor of personal ones. Often this style is destructive because it causes negative emotions in subordinates. At the same time, in contrast to the authoritarian style, subordinates may not feel fear or respect for the narcissistic leader.
Transformational leadership is effective in the aspect of managing employees since it implies imitation by subordinates of the leader. This includes the use of various mechanisms to increase the motivation, efficiency, and return of employees (Afework et al. 2021). Transformational leadership implies changes within the company and the work process, with the help of which their optimization is enhanced. This is an active type of leadership in which the focus is on supporting the achievement of the result and not on the evaluation of the result. Result-oriented leadership implies the achievement of a concrete result in a certain period of time, regardless of internal processes (Demirtas, 2020). Finally, with the toxic style, the community is in a worse position than it was before, that is, it is a negatively effective leadership style.
As one may notice, there are many styles of leadership, each of which has its own characteristics. Moreover, each style affects the motivation and emotional well-being of employees in its own way and is effective or ineffective under certain circumstances. However, in most cases, a narcissistic style will have a negative impact on both employees and the company as a whole since it will negatively affect career development (Sreih, 2020). It is formulated by the fact that the employee does not feel one’s significance in the decision-making process, which thereby diminishes one’s importance (Ward, 2020). In the same way, under an authoritarian style, the employee will experience insecurity and fear of superiors, which will lead to job dissatisfaction and a decrease in motivation.
In turn, the democratic style will have a positive impact on the motivation and emotional state of employees. It is connected with the feeling of each employee as a member of the team and, accordingly, one’s importance. Moreover, it increases the employee’s motivation for development since one’s proposals must be effective (Ward, 2020). It is worth noting that in this case, the employee’s advanced training will occur at one’s own initiative and not by order of the superiors. However, the democratic style of management can be applied in the absence of an emergency and with equal qualifications of employees.
The transformational leadership style is effective for managing a company as it implies support and collective sentiment. As it has been already mentioned, the transformational style includes mechanisms and changes aimed at optimizing the workflow. Moreover, it increases the motivation and commitment of employees since one feels oneself being effective when properly treated. This style positively affects the motivation and emotional well-being of employees, eliminating the possibility of misunderstanding or condemnation from superiors (Broome & Marshall, 2020). Thus, the level of job satisfaction, motivation, and desire for development is growing. Accordingly, the performance indicators of the employee improve, which leads to an increase in profitability and overall activity.
An example of the influence of an effective leadership style on employees can be the fast food chain KFC. This company combines a democratic management style at some stages, liberal and transformational (Adnan, 2019). The democratic style consists of common decision-making at the levels of management and administration of the object. In other words, the head of the department, in some cases, can influence global strategic decisions in the case of the necessary experience and long-term work (Billsberry, 2020). In addition, the network has a rapid career growth, which allows one to become the head of the restaurant in a short period of time. However, this requires demonstrating that one manages the work process better than doing the work.
All this has a positive effect on the emotional well-being of employees who go to work with a sense of responsibility and a desire to achieve results. Moreover, these styles increase the motivation of employees as they feel their commitment to the company (Haden, 2018). Finally, it is beneficial for the company because, under such circumstances, each of the employees will demonstrate the maximum return. It is because everyone knows that effective work will be rewarded, and additional help or activity can lead to a significant increase. Finally, it contributes to team cohesion since competing for promotions has no sense under such conditions.
A prime example of the influence of a successful leadership style can also be Apple. In addition, it shows how much success can be achieved with the right choice of management style. Thus, Steve Jobs combined transformational and liberal management styles, however, one observed strict discipline (Manus et al. 2018). Starting from a garage, the company has grown into a worldwide international corporation with one of the most popular brands (Howell & Wanasika, 2018). At the development stage, it was critical to choose the right management strategy that would contribute to the development of the company. Thus, the transformational leadership style allowed Steve Jobs, after several failures, to achieve success by changing the principles of the workflow.
Further, at the stage when the company was already gaining momentum and had a large staff, it was necessary to strengthen the created foundation. The liberal style meant that a person could switch to another job if one liked it and succeeded (Manus et al. 2018). In this way, employees’ job satisfaction increased as it turned into a creative aspect. Similarly, the motivation of employees enforced, which, due to the transformational style, was kept at a high level. It was achieved through changes within the company, namely establishing high salaries, bonuses, and a prestigious job environment. The future employee knew that he would be provided with everything necessary, so one made every effort to work efficiently.
Finally, Amazon is a prime example of a combination of effective leadership styles as well. It has a similar development principle to Apple, namely starting from a small company and growing into a world-famous corporation (Helmold, 2020). Thereby, one of Amazon’s main leadership styles is the pragmatic model, in other words, having high expectations from its employees and evaluating them highly (Helmold, 2020). It is shown to be effective, as being an employee of the company, one understands that one is a valuable worker. In addition, it increases the motivation and emotional well-being of employees by raising their self-esteem.
However, it is worth noting that in addition to the pragmatic style, Amazon also applies a liberal style. It contributes to more efficient decision-making since anyone can suggest a utility strategy. Similar to the above companies, it improves the emotional well-being of employees. Namely, it allows one to realize one’s career ambitions or professional skills. It does not oblige the employee to be responsible, however it gives one the opportunity to think freely and look at the situation from a different angle (Reeves & Candelon, 2021). Accordingly, the motivation of employees to develop themselves and improve the performance of the company is growing.
Besides, it is worth noting the creed used by the management at Amazon. It is important to understand that the company has approximately 630,000 employees, which implies a significant workload on the management staff. Based on this, in addition to effective management strategies that imply strict discipline and loyalty to employees, it was necessary to develop a concept of work principles. Thus, the company follows four basic principles, namely ”Think Big”, ”Have Backbone”, ”Dive Deep”, and follow a ”Bias for Action” (Johnson et al. 2020). That is, the employee needs diligence, activity, and initiative, which will be rewarded not only with salary and bonuses but also with career growth. Due to this, the authority bodies are able to manage such a significant structure of employees.
In the context of the issue under study, it should also be noted about my own example of employee management. In general, in order to effectively manage and understand employees, one should adhere to the principle of looking at the situation from their point of view (Mitchell, 2018). That is, before each decision, one should try to put oneself in the place of an employee to realize what reaction would be on my part. This method is effective as one can understand what kind of response this or that decision will cause (Naman et al. 2019). In addition, it will lead to a good attitude of the employee to the authorities, which is crucial when working in a management body.
Considering the above mentioned, I was based on the principle of a transformational leadership style, that is, I changed some processes depending on the optimization of the workflow. In the event that an employee experiences difficulties at some stage, it will be more efficient to change this stage in such a way that one can demonstrate performance (Shaw & Keeler, 2018). Moreover, it increased the motivation of employees, as on the example of one, the others understood that they would not experience stress. Further, I tried to build a trusting relationship with subordinates by presenting various information and receiving it from them. All this helped to build a friendly mood in the team, which is an integral part of the management process.
Further, in addition to the transformational style of management, I also adhered to the liberal style of leadership. In other words, I freely distributed responsibilities among employees, depending on their preferences (Hiriyappa, 2018). Surely enough, I paid attention to the skills and talents of the team in order to distribute tasks effectively. However, I tried not to prioritize the duties of one over the other. That is, I tried to show employees that the duties each of them are as important as the rest. It helped to avoid conflict situations and made some of the community members feel less needed and important in the process.
As a result, it had a positive impact on employee and subordinate baseline indicators such as job satisfaction, motivation, and emotional well-being. When one worked with colleagues under my leadership, one understood that one would be provided with everything necessary for successful work. It includes fair distribution of responsibilities, assistance, support, and the ability to regulate workload or activity (Bal, 2020). One was sure that one would not be used as a labor force based on dishonest principles of cooperation. In addition, employees knew that if necessary, they could reduce or increase the workload, depending on the circumstances. Thus, the level of job satisfaction was kept at a high rank among all team members.
The motivation of employees was also at a high level since the conditions necessary for its increase and retention were met. It included fair evaluation of labor and work done, additional incentives, and safe working conditions. The latter is key for employees, as one must be sure of one’s safety and comfort in order to focus on the work process. It implies adherence to all safety standards, easy access to first aid supplies, and support from staff in case of deterioration. Thus, employees were confident in their comfort and positive attitude and, accordingly, were motivated to work effectively.
All this contributed to a high level of the emotional well-being of employees. The team was satisfied with all key aspects of the workplace and process. It included pay, job security, a fair assessment of responsibilities, a good attitude from superiors, and a friendly team. In the case when a person benefits the community and feels that the team needs one and receives a reward for this, an emotional upsurge is observed (Hasson & Butler, 2020). Thus, the level of the hormone of happiness rises, which gives a new impetus to diligent work and improve the company’s activities for the employee.
However, it is worth noting that along with a loyal attitude towards subordinates and a combination of the above strategies, I tried to adhere to discipline. It consisted of fair penalties in case of damage or failure to fulfill one’s duties. I tried to review each incident to make sure the decision was fair. However, the high level of motivation and job satisfaction contributed to the fact that there were almost no such cases. In those situations when it was necessary to impose a fine, the employee fully understood what one had done wrong and was motivated to improve in the future. Thus, it was possible to avoid conflict situations but at the same time keep discipline at a high level.
To conclude, leadership style is a critical aspect in managing a business, company, and people. There are several leadership styles that have their own characteristics and influence on employees. It has been found that an appropriate leadership style has a positive effect on employee motivation, job satisfaction, and emotional well-being. In addition, one established that the management style can be both effective and destructive. For example, the narcissistic model, which implies ignoring employees in favor of the personal of superiors. Moreover, it will cause a negative reaction among employees, which can lead to irreparable consequences for the company. Finally, my personal experience of employee management has been based on a liberal and transformational leadership style that has had a positive impact on the team. It was formulated by focusing on creating effective working conditions and not on evaluating the result, which allowed employees to demonstrate maximum performance.
References
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