Adaptive leadership is a concept that suggests a leader should be flexible enough and to adapt to changes. They are comfortable with the idea of not having control of everything. They create an environment where people feel safe to take risks, experiment, learn from their mistakes, and take shared responsibility for the organization's success. It’s about creating an agile team that can respond quickly and effectively to rapid changes in the business environment. Adaptive leaders must be able to identify and confront challenges as they occur.

Transformational leaders inspire followers to transcend their self-interests for the good of the organization and are capable of having a profound and extraordinary effect on followers by being visionary, inspirational, raising the aspirations of followers, and shifting the motives and values and goal of followers. They challenge the status quo and push for creativity and innovation. They lead by example and have high moral and ethical standards.

Participative leaders actively seek and involve other people's contributions in decision making. Agile teams are designed to be self-managing, meaning they collectively decide how to accomplish the work rather than waiting for directions from managers. This style of leadership can result in more effective and efficient practice, as it fosters ownership, engagement, and a greater understanding of team decisions.

Distributed leadership in Agile means that everyone in the team takes responsibility for the tasks. The leadership role is not fixed on one person and can be swapped based on the requirement of a particular scenario. Team members step up in situations where they can bring the best value. This creates an empowered and engaged team culture. Also, by avoiding a 'single point of leadership failure,' distributed leadership increases the resilience and effectiveness of the team.

Transactional Leadership is a leadership style in which leaders promote compliance by their followers through both rewards and punishments. In an Agile context, transactional leadership often involves setting clear goals and providing specific direction for tasks. This type of leadership can be effective for achieving specific, short-term goals but is often criticized for encouraging a lack of creative thinking and intrinsic motivation. However, in an Agile environment, elements of this leadership style can be used effectively in coordination with other styles for better results.

Situational Leadership proposes that leaders choose the best course of action based on situational variables. It involves leaders being flexible and adaptable, modifying their leadership style based on the maturity and skill-level of the individuals or groups they are seeking to lead. This skill is particularly important in an Agile context due to the fluid and change-intensive nature of Agile projects. Leaders need to have the flexibility to adjust their leadership style in order to accommodate to the unique needs of their team and project at any given time.

Charismatic Leadership style involves a leader who uses their charisma to motivate, inspire and influence their team. These leaders inspire enthusiastic support and are very energetic in driving others forward. In Agile environments, charismatic leaders can use their personal charm and passion to inspire their team members, promote collaboration and communication, and drive the team towards a shared vision. However, as charismatic leaders often drive teams with their personality and personal beliefs, the team may become overly dependent on them.

Emergent Leadership is not appointed or inherited, but rather emerges over time due to the individual's skills, behaviors and qualities that make others trust their leadership. In Agile, leadership should be seen as a role and not a title, and therefore it can, and should, emerge from different team members at different times. This style values and promotes self-organization, one of the key principles in Agile, as it allows for the leader to emerge naturally depending on the needs of the project or team at any given moment.

Coaching Leadership involves leaders guiding the team through coaching, mentoring, and facilitating techniques. Instead of prescribing solutions, they help team members to navigate problems and find solutions themselves. This style allows teams to learn from their experiences and cultivate problem-solving skills. It's an excellent fit for Agile environments where continuous learning and adaptability are vital. A coaching leader fosters a learning environment that encourages team members to highlight issues, experiment, and continuously adapt.

Democratic Leadership, also known as shared leadership, is about getting team members involved in decision making. This type of leadership encourages openness, fairness, and participation while making collective decisions. It's beneficial in Agile environments where the collective wisdom of the team is valued. It motivates team members by giving them a say in the direction of their work, promotes team bonding, and can lead to higher quality decisions as a diverse range of perspectives are considered.

Laissez-Faire Leadership, also naively referred to as 'hands-off' leadership, involves providing teams with resources and advice, then allowing them to manage their own work. While this type of leadership may seem uninvolved, it encourages autonomy and self-organization, skills highly valued in Agile environments. Laissez-Faire leaders trust their teams to perform and provide support when asked. This type of leadership is most effective when the team is experienced, self-motivated, and capable of self-management.

Autocratic Leadership is a style where the leader makes all the decisions without seeking the input of their team members. While this might seem contrary to Agile principles, there are situations in an Agile project where autocratic decisions may be beneficial, specifically in situations where quick decisions are needed due to tight deadlines or during times of crisis. Autocratic leadership, despite being less participatory, can ensure quick action, clarity, and decisiveness.