Corresponding Author: Syaiful Baharee Jaafar, Commerce Department, Polytechnic of Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah, Kulim Hi-tech Park, 09000, Kedah, Malaysia, +604-4033333 1 ASEAN Journal of Management and Business Studies, 3 (1): 01-07, 2021 e-ISSN: 2710-5733 © RMP Publications, 2021 DOI: 10.26666/rmp.ajmbs.2021.1.1 Leadership style: Is it autocratic, democratic or laissez-faire? Syaiful Baharee Jaafar, Noraihan Mamat Zambi and Nor Fathimah Fathil Commerce Department, Polytechnic of Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah, Kulim Hi-tech Park, 09000, Kedah, Malaysia Abstract: The work assigned to employee cannot be completed without clear direction. Therefore, leader's responsibility to provide clear direction leads to the completed task and reduces costs to the organization. Leadership style is essential in inspiring employees to work hard and improve their performance. The purpose of this document is to examine the style of Middle Management Leadership especially, Program Leader. The sample in this study consists of 12 program leaders of Polytechnic of Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah (PTSB), Kedah. The study finds that most program leaders prefer to use a democratic approach. The program leader tends to brainstorm, collaborate and tolerate with another lecturer to achieve the organizational goal. The findings also show that the previous relationship as a lecturer before heading the program influences the leadership style, democratic. Keywords: Leadership style, Autocratic, Democratic, and Laissez- Faire. INTRODUCTION Leadership styles are an essential element of organizational success. To achieve this, the leader had to assume more responsibility in providing direction and job. As such, employees could complete the task and reduce a cost. However, it is challenging to achieve organizational goals if instructional is not clear and misunderstood. The implication of this notion the job, mission cannot perform apart since the cost may increase. A leader who is too strict and not tolerated may exert pressure on employees. However, too linear and tolerant to advance the less severe employee about their work. This indicates that leadership style is very important for achieving of an organizational goal. This shows the other leadership styles have different performance objectives [1] Leadership style can influence employees' motivation for improved performance. This suggests that the leader should be able to adapt the organizational behavior style, including the situation of the employee. Less strictly tends to lead to lower performance because the task cannot be finished. However, too strict and no human duties tend to create an uncomfortable environment where employees do not volunteer to work together to improve their performance. Understanding the leadership style tends to improve the work environment. There are various leadership style practices within an organization, from senior management to mid- management. Top management is accountable to shareholders/stakeholders for linkages to performance. This question suggests that an organization's planning and strategy should be accomplished and result in cost savings. Furthermore, middle managers are responsible for the implementation of strategies with employees. However, some of them manage the position seriously to demonstrate their leadership skills and build a better reputation for top management. The question addressed in this study is how leadership style can achieve goals. The objective of this paper is to examine the leadership pattern. The sample size of this study is 12 program leaders from Engineering and Non- Engineering at Polytechnic of Tuanku Sultanah Bahiyah, Kedah. This study reveals that most of the program's leaders prefer to use democracy style. The Program Leader tends to brainstorm, cooperate and tolerate with another lecturer to achieve the organizational objective. Furthermore, there is a good relationship between middle management (program leader), and staff (lecturer) previously led to their leadership style. The remaining chapters are organized as follows; Section 2 outlines the relevant literature, while developing more fully ideas in past research are most important to the present study. Research design issues