Picture above taken from britisharmywordpress.com ©BritishArmy
Types of leadership
Have you ever wondered what is the most effective leadership to use when being in charge of your team? Believe it or not there is a lot of theory on different types of Leadership, and can be often taught at PE lessons at early Secondary School (or High School) or Public Services courses.
The job of the leader is to maintain high morale of the team, ensure the completion of the task and make important decisions.
There are 8 different Leadership styles, but let's focus on the ones that suit Airsoft the most.
Authoritarian Leadership is a very direct style where the leader tells the team members what exactly they are to do. It is considered a classic leadership style and is used when a leader wishes to retain as much power as possible and maintain control in the decision-making process. The leader tells other team members what to do without any consultation or negotiation. Team members are then expected to obey orders without receiving any explanation.
Authoritarian Leadership is most effective when the leader has all the information to solve the problem, the team is well motivated and used to working for an Authoritarian Leader, or if they are working to a tight deadline. This leadership style is usually used by the military officers, who are the ones behind all the decision-making. This is because some of the decisions are to be made under great pressure and have to be made fast.
The main disadvantage of this type of leadership is that it can devalue team members by ignoring their expertise and input, or discouraging demonstrations of initiative. This can make hard for the team to work together, or might even result in the team splitting up.
This type of leadership is very good when the issue needs quick solving. For example at skirmishing, when the opponent manages to break through the leader is expected to make fast decision to either defend the area or fall back. Other team members are expected to follow this order without the unnecessary explaining from the leader.
Democratic Leadership is when the leader maintains control of the group, but team members’ opinions and views are encouraged and the leader informs the team about issues which may affect them. In other words, the team members are involved in decision making, but the leader is the one behind the final decision and controlling the rest of the group. The leader also is responsible for informing the team members about factors that may have an impact on them, the team and the project.
The main strength of this style is that the team members feel a bit more in control of the team and themselves. They feel a bit of responsibility, and they are encouraged to speak out. This makes really strong bond between team members and the leader, because team members feel respected by the leader.
However, the main weakness of this type of leadership is that it takes time. When you are at skirmishing then time is crucial and you have to use all the time you have to complete whatever goal of the game is.
This type of leadership should be used on daily basis, where the leader allows the team members to speak out about how the team is ran, what they should focus on improving and when they should go to skirmishing.
Transactional Leadership is similar to authoritarian, however it is less extreme. Leaders use punishments and rewards to motivate the team. Transactional leaders are very common in business, or at sports, where employees or sportsmen/women are awarded for good performance or punished for low performance. This means that the leader actively monitors the work of each individual, people are motivated by rewards and discipline is in place. This type of performance is often used by the military during the daily work. Officers decide the roles and make decisions, and people who do superbly well will be rewarded with either promotion or a medal.
The main advantage of this style is that the team knows what they are doing, and are motivated by the possible awards for completing the task successfully. This means that the team is well disciplined and their job will be of high quality.
However, the main disadvantage of this leadership is that team members have no authority. This means that the leader is responsible for decision making and supervision, which may be annoying for some.
People Orientated Leadership is a style that focuses on participation of all team members, clear communication and supporting as well as developing the individual in order to improve their skills. This style is participative and encourages good teamwork, loyalty and creative collaboration. It helps with work-based problems such as low morale and distrust. This sort of leadership is most effective when training and building your team. At that time you don't have particular goals in mind apart from improving your team's skills.
The main advantage of this leadership is that it focuses on the development of the individual. If the person feels bad, doesn’t believe in the job they are doing, then people orientated leader will get the morale higher by improving confidence.
A disadvantage of this leadership however is that it can focus so much on the well-being of the team that the job they do is put aside
Whichever leadership type you use, there are benefits and consequences. You must choose wisely and give it some thought. Don't hesitate to try it out different leadership styles at your team and choose the most effective one. But make sure your team knows what you're doing.
Have a look at this British Army video. It shows the role of the Platoon Officer in Combat, and is definitely useful to know what your job as a leader of the team is:
The video is taken from: https://www.army.mod.uk/rolefinder/role/81/infantry-platoon-officer
The job of the leader is to maintain high morale of the team, ensure the completion of the task and make important decisions.
There are 8 different Leadership styles, but let's focus on the ones that suit Airsoft the most.
Authoritarian Leadership is a very direct style where the leader tells the team members what exactly they are to do. It is considered a classic leadership style and is used when a leader wishes to retain as much power as possible and maintain control in the decision-making process. The leader tells other team members what to do without any consultation or negotiation. Team members are then expected to obey orders without receiving any explanation.
Authoritarian Leadership is most effective when the leader has all the information to solve the problem, the team is well motivated and used to working for an Authoritarian Leader, or if they are working to a tight deadline. This leadership style is usually used by the military officers, who are the ones behind all the decision-making. This is because some of the decisions are to be made under great pressure and have to be made fast.
The main disadvantage of this type of leadership is that it can devalue team members by ignoring their expertise and input, or discouraging demonstrations of initiative. This can make hard for the team to work together, or might even result in the team splitting up.
This type of leadership is very good when the issue needs quick solving. For example at skirmishing, when the opponent manages to break through the leader is expected to make fast decision to either defend the area or fall back. Other team members are expected to follow this order without the unnecessary explaining from the leader.
Democratic Leadership is when the leader maintains control of the group, but team members’ opinions and views are encouraged and the leader informs the team about issues which may affect them. In other words, the team members are involved in decision making, but the leader is the one behind the final decision and controlling the rest of the group. The leader also is responsible for informing the team members about factors that may have an impact on them, the team and the project.
The main strength of this style is that the team members feel a bit more in control of the team and themselves. They feel a bit of responsibility, and they are encouraged to speak out. This makes really strong bond between team members and the leader, because team members feel respected by the leader.
However, the main weakness of this type of leadership is that it takes time. When you are at skirmishing then time is crucial and you have to use all the time you have to complete whatever goal of the game is.
This type of leadership should be used on daily basis, where the leader allows the team members to speak out about how the team is ran, what they should focus on improving and when they should go to skirmishing.
Transactional Leadership is similar to authoritarian, however it is less extreme. Leaders use punishments and rewards to motivate the team. Transactional leaders are very common in business, or at sports, where employees or sportsmen/women are awarded for good performance or punished for low performance. This means that the leader actively monitors the work of each individual, people are motivated by rewards and discipline is in place. This type of performance is often used by the military during the daily work. Officers decide the roles and make decisions, and people who do superbly well will be rewarded with either promotion or a medal.
The main advantage of this style is that the team knows what they are doing, and are motivated by the possible awards for completing the task successfully. This means that the team is well disciplined and their job will be of high quality.
However, the main disadvantage of this leadership is that team members have no authority. This means that the leader is responsible for decision making and supervision, which may be annoying for some.
People Orientated Leadership is a style that focuses on participation of all team members, clear communication and supporting as well as developing the individual in order to improve their skills. This style is participative and encourages good teamwork, loyalty and creative collaboration. It helps with work-based problems such as low morale and distrust. This sort of leadership is most effective when training and building your team. At that time you don't have particular goals in mind apart from improving your team's skills.
The main advantage of this leadership is that it focuses on the development of the individual. If the person feels bad, doesn’t believe in the job they are doing, then people orientated leader will get the morale higher by improving confidence.
A disadvantage of this leadership however is that it can focus so much on the well-being of the team that the job they do is put aside
Whichever leadership type you use, there are benefits and consequences. You must choose wisely and give it some thought. Don't hesitate to try it out different leadership styles at your team and choose the most effective one. But make sure your team knows what you're doing.
Have a look at this British Army video. It shows the role of the Platoon Officer in Combat, and is definitely useful to know what your job as a leader of the team is:
The video is taken from: https://www.army.mod.uk/rolefinder/role/81/infantry-platoon-officer