democratic leader

What is a democratic Leader?

Taking over from your mighty and powerful dad Mufasa is no small feat, but when you’re Simba, you’re in a class of your own. There is no competition. Just another way of doing things to achieve your goals.

Simba is a classic Democratic leader - he listens and heeds the advice from others (in his case, Nala, Timon and Pumba), keeps them abreast of his decisions and also polls others to encourage collaboration for the greater good. Like other great leaders, one of the key traits of a Democratic leader like you is communication. Without it, you’re stepping away from what makes you stand out.

As a Democratic leader, you place a lot of emphasis and importance on involving team members in the decision-making process, although in the end you do have the final say. This helps with opening and keeping a strong connection between you and your team members.

Democratic leaders like you tend to emphasize values and morality, have an open and honest mind, and enjoy receiving a more diverse set of ideas and concepts. They are also willing to delegate tasks and responsibilities to their team members. They are open to feedback and suggestions and willing to share power and authority with their team members.

It’s important with this style of leadership to be transparent, to set an inviting and equitable environment, to trust your team members, and to be accountable.

You may be King (or Queen) of the Jungle, but you trust and value everyone in your kingdom.

Pros

  • Encourages a more productive, creative, and innovative work environment

  • Applicable to most business models and spaces

  • Builds a stronger, more committed team

  • Increases and highlights company values, as it’s spoken of or referred to regularly

  • Creates strong communication between all team members and leader

  • Fosters honesty in the workplace

  • Increases team knowledge and job satisfaction

  • Helps to quickly understand and prioritize ideas and information

  • Useful for solving complex problems

Cons

  • Decision-making can slow down to a crawl depending on how many people the leader is polling for input

  • Can lead to resentment, especially when some talented team members’ input is implemented more than others

  • Lack of overall expertise by the majority of team members can diminish decision making

  • Not effective for crisis situations or where important decisions need to be made on the fly

  • Can create regular conflict that the leader needs to contend with because of differences of opinions

  • Without clear directions, there can be disorganization

  • Encourages no one to take responsibility for failures

  • Some team members may feel like the leader isn’t pulling their weight because the team is making the decisions for them

elevating your leadership

While being a Democratic leaders does have its advantages, you can see how it can break down if certain areas aren’t attended to.

Here are a few ways you can improve your Democratic leadership style:

  • Communicate rigorously - let your team know the vision for the business and how you see their role in it

  • Be timely in your communication - keep your team up to date at all times, to help them take the actions and make the calls they need to move towards the goals

  • Be open to listening - keep your ego in check when listening to your team members’ ideas

  • Create solid deadlines - one of the biggest breakdowns in this leadership style is a prolonged decision-making process. Create a realistic deadline and stick to it, or you’ll create the practice of dawdling over even the simplest decisions

  • Be transaparent - be honest, give your opinion, and respect everyone’s input. The goal is for the team to work together as one cohesive unit in order to accomplish the project’s goals

  • Ask your team for their committment and ownership - for this style of leadership to work strongly, everyone must feel a certain level of ownership paired with the autonomy of not being micromanaged

This style of leadership does take a lot of communicating and understanding the structure and heirarchy. It also involved being open to any and all input, regardless of who it comes from.

For a Democratic leader like yourself, it’s key to be having regular huddles with your people and trusting that the process works. The moment you stop listening and communicating, then this way of managing and leading crumbles apart.

And of course, if you need support, guidance, mentorship, or just a space to brainstorm to help build your leadership acumen, you can find out how to work with me by smashing the button below. I offer many ways to help you create the leadership you desire to make the impact you know you can make in your life.

Or, you can join THE SPARK: IGNITING NEXT LEVEL LEADERSHIP - a community of all levels of leadership - where you will get tools, peer support and techniques that you can use to shift your thinking and abilities so that you can help grow yourself, your team(s) and your business. It’s for folks like you - fired up, future-forward, and ferocious in your desire to be a stronger and more powerful leader. Click below to join for FREE!