Abstract
In the rapidly changing, complex and dynamic environment within which we operate, leaders are critical to organisational success. To understand an individual’s leadership strengths and development we need to look at their leadership preference. Leadership preference looks at an individual’s personality and motivation. This preference to ‘hold the mirror up allows the teachers to understand how the head teachers or principals and authorities perform as a leader in their respective current role. It also predicts how they will be comfortable in future roles as best leader. It’s not about changing their nature. In fact most of the preferences are set by time and any one can become the best leader in the face of extreme circumstances by extreme circumstances. This research work studies whether the teachers’ leadership preference is dominant in a democratic or an autocratic style. This present research work was carried out by Normative Survey Method. 117 samples were drawn by the investigator under ‘simple random sampling technique. The male teachers consist of 56 and the female, of 61. The data was collected by the investigator from two different cadres / levels of teachers from secondary and higher secondary schools at Salem, Tamilnadu, India. The result revealed that nearly 80% of the teachers prefer the democratic leadership style. 10 % of the teachers prefer autocratic leadership style and remaining 10 % of the teachers do not prefer any style towards their leadership pattern or else school teachers prefer a neutral position out of the two leadership preferences.

A17LEADERSHIP PREFERENCE AMONG THE SCHOOL TEACHERS WITH RESPECT TO SELECTED VARIABLES