Autocratic leadership

Practical author leadership has always been associated with dictatorial regimes that some nations of the world have led. It has been found that these leaders have had the lowest popularity ratings. This is partly due to the fact that their actions have negatively affected the way of life of citizens.

Some consider that leaders who show characteristics of this type of leadership can be considered as enemies of their subordinates and colleagues. Clearly it can be seen that all decisions have a remarkably dictatorial nature, their indications are orders and also limits are set on freedom of opinion.

Due to the lack of freedom of expression, this leadership presents serious deficiencies regarding the performance of the people under its charge. It is also important to mention that all decisions and responsibilities are in charge of the leader, so everyone will depend on him in their entirety.

As a result, in groups where there is leadership of this type, each of its members does not have the ability to make decisions for themselves. This means that there will be a lack of independence therefore the possibility of failing in certain personal aspects. There are several notable consequences, some that can be classified, psychological emotional fragility and low self-esteem are described .

What is autocratic leadership?

Autocratic leadership is defined as one that is characterized by the notable participation of a person who assumes all responsibilities and functions. In addition, this same person will begin to give orders to people who are in his charge, all power will be concentrated in this same individual.

A single person may have the full freedom and powers to be able to carry out actions that ultimately do not take into account the needs of others. It is a leadership in which the leader is the only one capable of influencing and changing aspects that, however, some people may not agree. It is a situation where you are not allowed to give opinions or you will actively participate without limitations.

Leaders belonging to this classification consider that subordinates are not capable of making important decisions. They take any action that allows them to take control so that subordinates are obedient to their orders. It seeks to establish a relationship of dependency that is applicable to all areas of a person’s life.

Those who have exercised this role in their respective professions or activities often show excessive self-confidence . It could be said that these leaders possess attributes and knowledge that have allowed them to position themselves in this position. Due to his ability to address other people in a direct way, all of his orders are generally carried out. However, it is not always possible to count on people capable of facing difficulties where they can make adequate decisions and also solve difficulties successfully.

It is about leadership that has both advantages and disadvantages. These leaders usually show only interest in delegating many of their functions , all decisions that have been made under their own criteria avoid being influenced by third party opinions. In some cases, they may avoid releasing important information so that their actions are not judged.

What are its basic characteristics? 

This classification of leadership presents a series of characteristics that are easy to identify, it is also important to mention which are the competencies that it possesses . The main characteristics of the people who are in charge of leading through its implementation are described below:

• They are leaders who have high self-esteem , they also show a strong character, which means that they are not easily influenced. Due to this quality, all your decisions are only passed in considerations that making criteria is more important, personal needs could prevail over that of others.
• They show a high tolerance for frustration , despite having unexpected results this will not prevent them from continuing with their plans. Although they may face some failures, they will learn from these experiences.
• They have a high understanding of what it means to have responsibilities , so all their actions and decisions will be focused on fulfilling them.
• They tend to have a lot of knowledge learned from experience, they focus on preparing themselves to be able to lead more effectively. It turns out to be a critical factor because the plans they are going to design are going to be made up of strategies that will surely bring the expected results.
• They are leaders who have quick response capacity , this is possible even when you are facing difficulties.
• They can manage even if there is a stressful environment caused by the tension generated by their orders. Despite creating a hostile environment among subordinates, these leaders will remain willing to continue at the same pace of work .
• They are people who show tolerance to pressure, they usually have a high performance even when a lot of demand is being worked.
• Usually have good skills for communication , they are employed in order to impose their criteria.
• There is a high disposition and ability to make the right decisions , these are made through a deep analysis of each situation. With maturity, decisions are made that take into account the possible risks that are being assumed, this suggests that they are individuals who have confidence in their decisions.
• They maintain the independence of their criteria , this means that some risks that have been assumed were carried out through a personal perspective. As a negative factor, this implies that the needs of others are not being taken into account.

Practical examples 

There are several examples of autocratic leadership that clearly express what the powers that these leaders possess consist of. One of the simplest could be emergency situations such as fires or traffic accidents. In both cases, a person is required to take charge of order and direct the actions that allow evacuation and help those who need it.

The same happens within the labor field, some industries, pharmaceuticals or also where food products are produced; it requires the guidance of an autocratic leader. The personnel working in these companies must have the necessary knowledge to be able to carry out the work, however, each of the procedures will be monitored by one person. This ensures that the margin of error is significantly reduced .

Other specific examples are described below, where the management of some important leaders for the history of mankind is described. These characters have left an important mark in each of the areas where they carried out their work. Their actions confirm that it is their use decisions and actions had both positive and negative consequences . They are as follows:

Adolf Hitler

This is perhaps the most popular example of autocratic leadership , mention is made of his management in the presidency of Germany during the period of World War II. It has been recorded that their decisions were taken without taking into account the needs of the citizens. As a consequence, during this period, the population had to experience situations that have affected their personal lives.

Since he assumed the position of the presidency, a situation would begin to arise where all citizens had to adapt to the conditions that he was creating. Their official orders could make important changes in the way of life, this means that in some cases part of the population was forced to leave their homes and even the country.

The racial and ethnic problems were just some of the highlights management problems. Some consider that this leader only focused on promoting hatred and also rejection towards German citizens whose origins were in groups such as Jews. Consequently, the country that suffered a notable decline in its economy, in the same way, the nation’s foreign policy had to face several problems due to the lack of confidence it was showing towards other nations.

Mention can also be made of the trials carried out against those citizens who were considered to have acted against the law. These received sentences that were based on direct orders from the dictator, unofficial executions were also part of this management. These are just a few of the events that occurred during this period.

Fidel Castro

The Latin American leader has been in power in the Cuban nation for more than half a century. From the decade of the sixties it would begin to carry out important political and social changes in the nation, this meant the establishment of a before and after for the citizens. His role in the presidency has meant the pursuit of a complex political plan framed by communism.

Some consider that this nation has had significant conflicts and negative economic consequences for the population. According to various studies, it has been determined that this is one of the most impoverished nations in the region. The foreign policy implemented by this regime has meant that the population lives restricted from a large part of the basic services.

The authoritarianism of the government has caused even part of the population to have been forced to leave the country by illegal means. The lack of access to jobs that provide them with a living wage, has made most of the citizens live in poverty . Therefore they depend on the government, complex systems have been implemented where access to food and services such as the internet is limited.

Advantages and disadvantages 

As in other classification, this leadership can identify positive and negative factors . These aspects must be balanced to determine whether it is possible to implement this leadership in certain situations. Here are the main advantages of autocratic leadership:

• The members of a team are exempted from their responsibilities. Usually these leaders are the ones who are responsible for the consequences of the decisions and actions taken .
• All decisions are made quickly , this is partly due to the fact that the opinion of a third party is not allowed and personal criteria are followed. This or effective and ideal in situations considered critical.
• There is usually high performance in the work during a short period of time, this is because all the participants carry out the tasks assigned under direct orders . Each employee or manager will be focused on completing the work that has been assigned.
• There is greater control over the entire work process , this means that there is a smaller range to make mistakes. The leaders will always be informed of all the actions and results that are being obtained.
• It is usually considered efficient leadership when it comes to doing jobs for a short period of time. This is especially important when there is a high job turnover.
• Plans are usually followed whose objectives are clearly defined , in the same way it happens with each of the actions described in them. Leaders are able to clearly show what orders they are giving, there is no room for confusion.

The factors and elements that are considered to be the disadvantages of this leadership typology are described below. It is important to mention some of the possible sequences , which do not always give positive results. They are as follows:

• Some leaders show that they have a biased view of reality , their points of view are not adapted to current conditions. When it comes to making important decisions, the opinions of collaborators and third parties are not taken into account. This supposes the possibility of not paying attention to what needs to be attended to.
• There are difficulties in motivating people to continue with their work. This has a negative impact on the final results due to the fact that work teams are put in the background. The initial positive impact gradually increasing to the point that each collaborator lacks information and reasons to continue.
• There are deficiencies to be able to make use of freedom to make decisions, the collaborators of autocratic leaders cannot participate making full use of their faculties. In the lack of freedom may adversely affect the fulfillment of specific objectives.
• The subordinates and people who are in charge of these leaders often show low self-esteem . This occurs because they are not valued for their knowledge and skills, they tend to show the common characteristics of people who feel underused or despised .
• Subordinates show they have low commitment , because they must continually comply with the orders given by the leaders, in the workers the interest in obtaining good results decreases notably.
• Limits are established for the freedom of innovation and creativity , leaders limit all the capacities of collaborators and subordinates.
• The work environment in these situations tends to negatively affect the mental state of the participants. As a consequence, efficient results are obtained from the activities carried out in the long term.
• Each individual begins to show clear symptoms of stress and anxiety , as a result there is a general low productivity.