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This study tests (a) whether participation and leadership styles vary in different forms of community forestry, and (b) whether the leaders’ styles, members’ psychosocial closeness with the leader, and leaders’ attributes influence people's participation. In a survey of 397 members from 17 forest protection units in three states of eastern India, participation was found to be significantly higher in indigenous community forest management than in crafted and joint forest management. In indigenous and crafted forest institutions, leaders were predominantly participative, which was not the case in joint forest management.Irrespective of forest institutions, participative and charismatic leaders enhanced participation whereas authoritarian and manipulative leaders dampened it. Members perceived more psycho–social closeness to participative and charismatic leaders, and such leaders possessed more personal virtues than their authoritarian and manipulative counterparts.