What type of leadership would focus on establishing a clear objective first and allowing teams to develop methods freely?

The focus on establishing a clear objective while allowing teams the freedom to develop their own methods aligns well with free-rein, or laissez-faire, leadership. In this approach, leaders provide a clear goal or target but empower their teams to take the initiative and be creative in how to achieve it.

This type of leadership is characterized by minimal direct supervision, fostering an environment where team members can utilize their expertise without feeling constrained by the leader's specific directives. Such a setting encourages innovation and personal responsibility, as team members take ownership of the processes they choose to implement to reach the established goals.

Conversely, transactional leadership tends to emphasize structured tasks and reward systems, whereas participative leadership involves more collaboration and consensus-building in decision-making. Autocratic leadership, on the other hand, is about making decisions unilaterally, with little to no input from team members. Thus, free-rein leadership distinctly stands out as it stresses autonomy in the execution of tasks while adhering to a defined objective.