The business world today requires a level of understanding of leadership that is more well-rounded and detailed than it ever needed to be.
If you think about it, it isn’t that hard to see why. There are so many levels to how humans work nowadays and a thorough understanding of what your teams’ and organization needs in terms of the type of leadership that you will embody is crucial in reaching your goals.
When it comes to a democratic leadership style, a diverse range of perspectives that play a part in the decisions made in an organization immediately comes to mind.
Let’s understand what a democratic leadership style is together and take a closer look at its characteristics.
The definition of democratic leadership style is a shared decision-making process amongst team members regardless of rank. With this style, open communication is clearly encouraged and all team members have a say in how strategies are made.
A democratic leader’s role in this is to facilitate collaboration and empower their team members in a way that they are engaged and motivated as opposed to an authoritarian leadership style.
A very clear indication of a democratic leadership style is the distributed power. While this leadership type can lead to longer discussions around certain topics, the inclusivity it provides will also allow for better-informed decisions and a team that is more invested in the outcomes of their decision-making.
There are certain characteristics that you can look out for in order to identify what democratic leadership will look like in the workplace. Here are a few:
Overall, the democratic leadership style will emphasize a collaborative understanding of effort and responsibility.
There is a clear sense of value and empowerment in teams that are led this way, which ultimately helps the wellness of the workspace and the achieving of long-term goals.
As with everything in life, the democratic leadership style also comes with its better and worse sides. Let’s list some for each.
While democratic leadership is a highly effective approach, it is important to remember to always consider your own unique situation and see if it’s actually a good fit for your team and organization.
Understanding how this leadership style can be of use to you and making sure to have a good balance between collaboration and effectiveness is the key to thriving with the democratic leadership style.
Before we end this post, here are our suggestions for tools that you can use if you are a democratic leader:
If you want to have a strong tool at work that can help you include all of your team’s views in your decision-making, Teamflect is the one!
Teamflect will assist you with goal setting, customized tasks and meetings, 360-degree feedback and surveys and so much more. It is an all-in-one performance management solution that will make sure you and your team thrive!
Use Teamflect inside Microsoft Teams today and start leading your team inclusively, and effectively!
2. Miro
If you’re looking for a space to hold all of your planning in one spot then you can use Miro, an online whiteboard tool. Miro helps you organize your thoughts and gives you the sense of working on an actual whiteboard. This is especially helpful if you’re looking to find a tool to help plan wherever you go.
An all-in-one performance management tool for Microsoft Teams