What Kind of Leader Are You? 9 Leadership Types and Their Strengths

Identify your leadership style and utilize your strengths to lead your team successfully.

• There are nine distinct leadership styles, and the one you employ while managing your staff will have a big influence on how successful your business is.
• Each leadership style has its advantages, while some are more frequently seen as desirable than others, such as transformative, democratic, and situational leadership.
• Recognize your leadership style’s advantages and use them to your advantage to inspire your team and communicate successfully.
• The goal of this essay is to help managers and company owners identify their leadership style and play to their strengths.

Your leadership style will have a significant impact on how successful your initiatives are, whether you are in charge of a small team or a huge corporation. The best form of leadership to utilize relies on you and your team, even though there are many different varieties. Tessa Consulting’s founder and CEO, Christie Lindor, gave us an overview of some universal characteristics of a successful leader.

She stated that “effective leaders exhibit the political courage to make difficult decisions and are accountable enough to keep their word.” Effective leaders use transparent communication techniques.

In addition to making difficult decisions and communicating clearly, effective leaders should frequently assess their approach and consider how their subordinates view it. To meet the shifting demands of a team, it is occasionally important to switch up a leader’s guiding principles. 7 Common Leadership Mistakes You’re Probably Making is a related article.

The 9 most common types of leadership

Everybody has a different leadership style. However, experts concur that at least one of these nine different leadership styles applies to the majority of leaders. There are no right or incorrect leadership styles, according to Lindor, so keep that in mind when you consider your own approach.

It all boils down to matching leadership philosophies with the appropriate organizational fit, market, timing, and demands in a way that generates positive results, she added.

Autocratic leadership:

The decision-making process is typically completely in the hands of autocratic leaders. When making decisions quickly or performing tasks in a regular manner, this leadership style may be beneficial.

Bureaucratic leadership:

Bureaucratic leaders still have a tendency to strictly enforce rules and hierarchical positions. In contexts involving safety and healthcare, this type of leadership may be beneficial.

Charismatic leadership:

A charismatic leader inspires their team to follow their example with a contagious presence. They and their teams succeed in business because of their likeability. High-energy workplaces that require a lot of good morale might benefit from this leadership style.

Democratic leadership:

The decision-making process is typically completely in the hands of autocratic leaders. When making decisions quickly or performing tasks in a regular manner, this leadership style may be beneficial.

Laissez-faire leadership:

Bureaucratic leaders still have a tendency to strictly enforce rules and hierarchical positions. In contexts involving safety and healthcare, this type of leadership may be beneficial.

Servant leadership:

A charismatic leader inspires their team to follow their example with a contagious presence. They and their teams succeed in business because of their likeability. High-energy workplaces that require a lot of good morale might benefit from this leadership style.

Situational leadership:

Situational leaders adapt their approaches to leadership based on the demands of their team members and the surrounding circumstances. This style of leadership works in most companies because of its adaptability.

Transactional leadership:

A transactional leader encourages achievement while discouraging failure by using a reward/consequence system. Teams motivated by rewards may benefit from this leadership style.

Transformational leadership:

Just like charismatic leaders, transformational leaders inspire others and provide a supportive work environment. Because it inspires teams to develop trust and accountability, this leadership style is frequently more effective than charismatic leadership. It may work well in groups if the team members are intelligent and enjoy working together.

“The leadership styles that I most admire are servant leadership, which is all about caring for your customers, employees, and the community, and transformational leadership, which is all about developing an agile way of leading and thinking depending on the needs of the organization or marketplace,” said Lindor.

How to identify your leadership style

Choose the leadership style that seems the most real to you after knowing the many sorts of leadership styles.

To achieve this, ponder the following inquiries:

• Which do I value more: relationships or goals?
• Do I favour structure or individual freedom?
• Is it better for me to decide anything individually or as a group?
• Do I priorities short- or long-term objectives?
• Does guidance or empowerment provide motivation?
• What does a positive team dynamic to me look like?

These questions have no right or wrong answers, and many people develop their leadership style via trial and error. Try out various strategies to determine which one is most effective for you and your team. You might also look for a mentor in leadership who can provide guidance on how they honed their approach. Ask others you trust for their opinions as well. Most essential, be true to yourself. Choose a leadership style that complements your talents and seems comfortable to utilize.

Why it is important to understand your leadership style

Self-awareness, in Lindor’s opinion, is the cornerstone of a successful leader. Being a successful leader is simpler when you know which leadership style suits you and your team the best.

To contribute to a team effectively, Lindor stated it’s critical to understand the kind of leader you are (or are not). Knowing your leadership style also aids in selecting the businesses that would best suit your cultural preferences.

You can interact with your team more successfully if you have a solid grasp of your leadership style, according to Norah Nicholls, principal at Deloitte Tax LLP.

As a leader, it’s crucial to remain transparent about your priorities in order to foster agreement on your vision and goals, according to her. It’s critical to foster a culture in which team members are aware of their individual and collective talents.

According to Nicholls, good leaders are able to establish a vision, bring others around to that viewpoint, and demonstrate how everyone can work together to realize that goal. To accomplish that objective, you must utilize your leadership style’s advantages. “You will continue to grow and thrive if you can better grasp your leadership skills and utilize them.”

Daily leadership behaviors that motivate employees

There are leadership behaviours you can display, regardless of your leadership style, to motivate staff and foster success. Being an excellent role model for your team is one example.

Good leadership, according to Nicholls, “requires that you demonstrate to your team that you are always concentrating on developing your own skill set, including technical, leadership, and industry expertise.” Encourage children to learn new talents so they know you care about their development.

They are more inclined to follow your lead and respect your authority when you set a good example for them and express interest in their achievement. To motivate staff, Lindor advised demonstrating sincerity, compassion, and inclusiveness on a regular basis. If you act sincere and are prepared to support your team, when necessary, you may earn the trust of your staff.

Employees prefer to work under bosses they think have their best interests in mind, bosses who will stand up for them and support them, especially in trying times, according to Lindor. No of your leadership style, always keep in mind that if you look after your employees, they will look after you.