Leaders Challenges in Impacting Employees' Job Satisfaction and Work Performance

Leadership style is critical in determining an organization's success or failure. Organizations across industries must ensure they have effective leaders who inspire and motivate employees to commit to achieving organizational goals, resulting in a competitive advantage. They must be able to significantly influence employee job satisfaction and work performance, which are critical factors in an organization's success. Job satisfaction reflects employees' attitudes toward their jobs and organization. Work performance measures how effectively an employee performs work that meets standards. The researcher examined the effects of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles and toxic leadership behavior on employee satisfaction and work performance. A systematic literature review of 19 articles revealed the significant impact of leadership on employee job satisfaction and performance. The study showed that transformational and transactional leadership styles increased satisfaction and performance, often achieving organizational goals. Laissez-faire, typically viewed as a negative leadership style, decreased motivation and employee satisfaction; however, outcomes can vary based on the culture and employees' needs. Finally, toxic leadership behavior decreased employee satisfaction but did not affect work performance. This article revealed the importance of organizations assessing their leadership styles and behaviors to ensure leaders understand their employees' needs and take action to enhance employee job satisfaction and work performance to succeed.