Autocratic Leadership Explained: What is Autocratic Leadership?

Think about the leaders you most admire. These professionals probably have a lot in common, but we would guess there are also significant differences in their leadership styles. Effective leaders don’t all lead in the same way. The best leaders you know might have dramatically different ways of leading. These techniques might fall neatly under one category, or they might be a combination of several defined leadership styles.

In this article, we’ll define autocratic leadership, detail the characteristics of autocratic leaders, explain the advantages and disadvantages of an autocratic mindset, and discuss the future of this leadership style.

What is Autocratic Leadership?

Autocratic leadership is an authoritarian model in which leaders have absolute control. You might summon to mind Napoleon Bonaparte or Queen Elizabeth I: leaders with complete, top-down control over their empires. Autocratic leaders make decisions based on their personal ideas of what is best and typically accept very little input from followers, with the expectation that group members will fall in line with their directives. 

Psychologist Kurt Lewin developed a foundational leadership framework in the 1930s, defining three major leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire. Lewin’s work is the foundation for many later treatises on leadership. In Lewin’s definition, autocratic leaders “make decisions without consulting their team members, even if their input would be useful.”

Although Lewin coined the term, the idea of autocratic leadership has been around for quite a while and it’s a core tenet of classic management theory, which became popular in the early 20th century. This theory posits that consulting groups of subordinates is unnecessary. Instead, the leader makes a decision, and that decision is conveyed in a top-down manner for all employees to follow. 

Autocratic Leadership Styles and Approaches

Author and psychologist Daniel Goleman, who wrote the best-seller “Emotional Intelligence” in 1995, discusses leadership styles and behaviors in his later book, “Primal Leadership.” He defines six emotional leadership styles, two of which cover traits of autocratic leaders. 

According to Goleman, authoritative, or visionary leaders are inspiring, setting out a common goal and expecting teams to find their own way there. Coercive, or commanding leaders, on the other hand, use tight control and the threat of punishment to make sure teams fall in line. These two leadership styles summarize the two approaches to autocratic leadership: inspirational or dictatorial. 

You could also define these two approaches as directing—employees are told what to do and how to do it, with little room for input—and permissive, which provides directives while leaving more room for creativity in the “how.” A third approach to autocratic leadership, paternalistic, bridges the gap between directing and permissive styles. The leader has the final say, but employee wellbeing is his or her primary objective. 

Characteristics of Autocratic Leaders

Wondering if you’ve experienced autocratic leadership—or whether you’re an autocratic leader yourself? There are four key traits of autocratic leaders:

1. The leader accepts limited to no input.
2. The leader makes all the decisions.
3. The leader directs their team’s methods and processes.
4. The leader creates structured and often rigid environments.

Examples of Autocratic Leaders

Many empire builders and leading figures throughout history have been autocratic leaders—including Genghis Khan and Margaret Thatcher— however, we’ll provide two more recent examples of autocratic leadership: Richard Nixon and Elon Musk. 

While Nixon was a complex leader and person, many of his major presidential decisions were characterized by his leadership style. Regarded as a foreign affairs expert, President Nixon often did not trust the advice of others, regardless of their expertise, and relied on his own experience and desires to make decisions, which were then conveyed to his staff and the U.S. military. 

Elon Musk exemplifies the creative side of autocratic leadership. While Musk’s business ventures have been driven by his unique vision, Musk takes very little input and often makes impulse decisions that haven’t been vetted by team members. For example, Musk’s infamous 2018 tweet in which he announced he’d be taking Tesla private got Musk in still-unresolved trouble with the SEC. 

Autocratic Leadership Pros and Cons 

Psychologist Douglas McGregor developed the idea of Theory X and Theory Y in the 1960s. According to McGregor, Theory X leaders are authoritarians who view their subordinates pessimistically and believe that their teams need to be directed, punished or rewarded in order to achieve organizational goals. McGregor’s theory exemplifies some of the drawbacks of autocratic leadership. 

Cons of autocratic leadership

• Degrades trust and morale: Autocratic leadership discourages input, which can make teams feel like their ideas are ignored and they’re unable to contribute.
• Dependent on the leader: Organizational success is entirely dependent on the leader and their ideas, which can endanger the stability of the organization.

Pros of autocratic leadership

• Quick decision making: Because the leader has the final say, decisions can be made and conveyed efficiently, an attribute that becomes handy during a crisis.
• Clearly defined structure: Clear rules and procedures are in place and every employee knows what to do and how to do it, which can benefit rule-followers, who thrive when they’re told what to do. However, this leadership style is only preferred by 21% of employees, according to a 2019 survey by Leadership IQ.

Many of the pitfalls of autocratic leadership come from underdeveloped emotional intelligence, a soft skill you can develop with the help of an organizational leadership certificate.

Future of the Autocratic Leadership Style

Autocratic leadership is often considered the leadership style of the past. When you picture what it means to be a boss, you might pull from TV depictions of bad leaders. Think “Mad Men” or “The Office”: Top-down bosses who don’t accept input or tolerate dissent. 

While there’s a positive side to autocratic leadership, the leader of the future exemplifies high emotional intelligence, demonstrating “soft skills such as communication, creative and collaborative problem-solving and conflict management,” skills that are often incompatible with autocratic styles of leadership. Leadership as dictatorship is in the rear window—the boss of the future has a softer side.