Introduction Leadership determines success in organizations. Each leader has a unique leadership style he or she uses to lead or influence others within an organization. Leaders inspire employees to work towards certain organizational objectives (Daft, 2005). They influence change in employees and help organizations to achieve their desired goals. Leadership is the act of providing guidance or inspiration to others. Thus, a leader guides or directs employees towards a particular goal. In the workplace, a manager’s leadership strategies and personal traits define his or her leadership style. Each leadership style is effective for a particular situation and thus, an effective leader should approach each situation with a different style. A leader may adopt two or more of these styles in inspiring others to achieve particular organizational goals. The common leadership styles include democratic (participative), autocratic and laissez-faire (Daft, 2005). Specific personal traits and values define an individual’s leadership style. Comparison of the Leadership Styles Each leader has certain traits that are characteristic of a particular leadership style. The writer’s leadership style is the participative leadership style, which is often regarded as an effective leadership approach in an organizational context. One of the distinguishing traits of democratic leaders is that they tend to involve group members in decision-making (Daft, 2005). Thus, besides providing guidance, participative leaders engage their subordinates and incorporate their input into the final decision. Such leaders seek the views of their staff, but have the ultimate say during decision-making. The involvement of employees inspires and motivates them to become more creative and innovative. In organizations, democratic leaders share their decision-making role with their staff by engaging them in seeking solutions for work-related problems. They gather information from employees, which they rely on to make a decision. According to McNichol and Hamer (2007), the participative approach, compared to the other styles, enhances the productivity of employees for a prolonged period of time as it encourages cooperation and increases staff morale. Moreover, in organizations, a democratic leader formulates a performance evaluation plans that allow employees to evaluate their work. Since performance appraisals are crucial to staff development and organizational success, the democratic leadership style helps organizations to achieve their goals and objectives. Besides encouraging staff participation, democratic leaders allow employees to develop their careers by encouraging career growth and development through promotions and rewards. The democratic leadership style is effective in certain scenarios. It is applicable when organizations want to implement new systems or seek solutions to workplace problems. It is also most effective when the leader wants to involve employees in decision-making or inform them about the issues affecting their performance (Daft, 2005). Leaders should adopt a democratic approach when seeking for ways of enhancing staff job satisfaction and career growth. A complex problem in an organization can be solved throug