Leaders and Decisions

In reading Group Communications I learned that there are different types of leaders that can influence a group. The leader is in control of a group in making decisions and having the most influence over group members. The type of leader determines how the group will come together to work at their goals. A good way to understand the different types of leaders is to apply them to some of the world leaders of the past and today.

President Barack Obama leads the United States. He works closely with his Cabinet to determine what direction he wishes the government to move in, as well as, working with leaders in the Senate and House to achieve a desired goal. The United States democracy is a mixture of consultative and participative leadership.

The Queen in a constitutional monarchy leads Britain. She is more of a figurehead than a political leader. Though she has some authority in her land, she does not directly make laws or enforce them showing a laissez’-faire leadership.

Adolf Hitler is a perfect example of an authoritarian leader. He called all of the shots and got hundreds of thousands to follow him on their own free will. Hitler exemplifies dictatorship such as that in North Korea, a communist society. North Korea’s President or “supreme ruler,” Kim Jong-il, makes all decisions for North Korea. Although authoritarian leaders get to the point with decisions, they are one-sided and uninterested in what the people want.

In many of the organizations and clubs I have been in I have noticed that a democratic kind of government has always been shown and has proven to be effective in the growth of each organizations. I have also witnessed that when leaders become authoritarian or fall into a laissez-faire type of leadership, the members become either uninterested or the organization hinders in expansion. 


Every leader has his or her own way of leading a country, a society, or group. Nonetheless, each leader falls into a type of leadership as mentioned in the Group Communications.