Leaders have existed since the dawn of mankind, and leadership has been examined since the dawn of academia. A leadership type or style is the way a person uses influence to lead other people. Research has identified a variety of leadership styles based on myriad factors. The most appropriate leadership style depends on the interaction of the leader, the followers, and the situation. There are countless leadership types and styles, the most common of which will be reviewed in this introductory article and in subsequent entries in this volume. The common leadership styles include bureaucratic, democratic, transactional, autocratic, coercive, authoritative, pacesetting, affiliative, coaching, laissez-faire, transformational, servant, cross-cultural, agile, ethical, collaborative, visionary, and authentic. The history of leadership styles and approaches to leadership studies will also be discussed in this article.