There are many different styles and approaches to leadership, resulting in it being a much-studied topic across sectors and industries. In this Module, we explore FIVE (5) of the most popular approaches used in restaurants. Autocratic Autocratic refers to a leader who has absolute power and uses it. Whereas employees are asked for their input in a democratic environment, autocratic leaders make decisions without taking input from anyone who reports to them. Employees are not consulted prior to making decisions and are expected to follow whatever instructions the leader gives them. This sort of leadership was very popular in the past, particularly in restaurant kitchens, where chefs lead with an autocratic style. An autocratic leader in a restaurant is "the boss". They will make sure everyone knows they are important and that they make the decisions. In today's world, this style of leadership is not considered conducive to positive work environments. Although this isn't an effective method, it is still practiced by some. Research has shown that autocratic leadership styles can lead to high levels of employee turnover, as well as lower levels of employee engagement and organizational commitment. Transformational Transformational leadership is a style of leadership that, as its name implies, changes and transforms people and organizations. It focuses on emotions, values, ethics, standards, and long-term goals. It includes assessing followers' motives, satisfying their needs, and treating them as full human beings. Transformational leaders do not shy away from striving to change an organization's vision, culture, and strategy, or to promote innovation. This type of leadership inspires followers to go beyond their own self-interests for the greater good of the team and business. In a restaurant, this leader is the one who motivates and inspires followers by describing to them what success will look like and how achieving it will benefit them too. These types of leaders do this by painting an exciting vision of what the future should look like and communicating it in a way that inspires followers to want to change. Transformational leadership is most often charismatic in nature. Transformational leaders often use charisma to have an emotional impact on their followers and to inspire them to do more than they normally would. That said, transformational leaders still need to manage their charisma to ensure they are not seeking submission. Rather, they use their charisma to help them make change through empowering and inspiring engagement in their followers. Transactional A transactional leadership style is based on the idea that the leader-follower relationship is an exchange process between the two. In this style, leaders recognize the needs and desires of their followers. Then, they determine how these needs and desires will be satisfied in exchange for their followers' fulfilling their duties and responsibilities. While followers enjoy rewards such as pay, leaders benefit from getting the work done and helping the business succeed. Transactional restaurant leaders focus on the present and excel at keeping the operation running smoothly and efficiently. This style of leadership can be quite effective but involves a commitment to following "the rules". Unlike transformational leadership (where change is required), transactional leadership promotes stability within the organization. Servant Servant leadership was a term coined by Robert Greenleaf in the 1960s. An ex-Baptist minister, Greenleaf worked for 40 years at AT&T studying leadership, and is most famous for his founding of this leadership concept. Servant leadership flips the original idea of the leader and follower relationship. Instead of leaders showing the way, servant leadership sees the leader serving the follower by supporting their development and success. Servant leadership puts the emphasis on leaders being attentive to the concerns of their followers, empathizing with them, and nurturing them. It is a style of leadership that puts the follower (or employee) first, even before the leader's own self-interest. The idea of servant leadership is reflected in a concept called the service-profit chain (which we will be studying later in the course). The premise of the service-profit chain is that "if you take care of your employees first, they will take care of your customers, and the bottom line will take care of itself." In servant leadership, there is a strong foundation in morals. Some of the characteristics of this leadership style include active listening, expressing empathy, healing, awareness, and stewardship. Greenleaf believed that inherent to servant leadership is a social responsibility to be concerned with the "have nots" and those who are less privileged. Servant leadership has become increasingly popular over the years and is practiced by companies like the Union Square Hospitality Group, Marriott Hotels, and Southwest Airlines. Research has shown that servant leadership is an excellent style of leadership for restaurants and hospitality. Here is a video on servant leadership. As you watch, think about why servant leadership would be good in a restaurant setting. Authentic In name, authentic leadership is relatively new, though it has been practiced for years. This style focuses on leadership being genuine and real. It has evolved and gained momentum in recent years because of the poor public perception of many business and political leaders. Many people have lost faith in their leaders and see them as lying, self-serving individuals. Authentic leadership is based on behaviour that develops from, and is grounded in, the leader's positive psychological qualities and strong moral compass. Bill George is an author who has helped make this leadership style popular. George states that there are five (5) basic characteristics of authentic leaders. These include: 1. They have a strong sense of purpose. 2. They have strong values around understanding what is the right thing to do. 3. They establish strong trusting relationships with others. 4. They demonstrate self-discipline. 5. They have heart-they are compassionate, sensitive, and empathetic to the plight of others. Though no formal research has been done on how effective this style of leadership is in the restaurant business, many industry leadership experts think this may be the most realistic and effective type of leadership for restaurant managers. The following image illustrates George's five dimensions of authentic leadership (purpose, values, relationships, self-discipline, and compassion) and links them to observable characteristics. Compassion Heart Passion H Purpose The Authentic Leader Self-Discipline Consistency Values Behavior Relationships Connectedness