The Democratic Leadership style, or participatory management, is a form of leadership that actively involves the people being addressed. Democratic leaders often seek feedback and input from their subordinates, encouraging conversation and participation in the decision-making process. This type of leadership style allows for a shared leadership structure, which encourages a collaborative approach and empowers employees. Modeled values and empowering your employees should be the first step toward a democratic leadership style.
However, one of the disadvantages of the democratic leadership style is that some people will inevitably not be happy with the final decision. Shared leadership encourages employee engagement and input, both of which are necessary to improve employee morale and performance. Democratic leadership is about allowing several people to participate in the decision-making process. This increases the likelihood that democratic leaders will be able to make decisions that benefit as many people as possible.
A great example of democratic leadership is Jack Dorsey, co-founder and CEO of Twitter and Square, known for this type of leadership. With the help of a collaborative thought process, democratic leadership is a team effort, and the leader chooses the best solution offered by his subordinates. Democratic leaders foster a team environment, celebrate differences in experience and opinion, and recognize that mistakes are a normal part of the process. If you haven't used this leadership style before, you may need to do a bit of background work before you can effectively address it.
Democratic leadership or participatory leadership or shared leadership is one of the most effective ways to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in the decision-making process.
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