Leadership Styles of Senior and Middle Level Managers: A Study of Selected Firms in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

The paper identifies the leadership styles with of senior and middle level managers and their relationship withthe financial performance of the selected fast moving consumer goods firms in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. A corelational descriptive research design was used. Data about leadership styles was collected from senior andmiddle level managers through two instruments: the Multi Factor Leadership Questionnaire 5X and theLeadership Styles Scale. Mean, t– test, Pearson correlation and ANOVA was used for data analysis. Resultsreveal that there is no significant difference in the leadership styles of senior and middle level managers,managers of high performing firms use transformational leadership style and there is a significant relationshipbetween leadership style and financial performance. It is thus suggested that firms should train their managers touse transformational leadership style.