Discovering Your Unique Leadership Style and Its Impact on Your Team

Think of the leaders who have influenced your professional journey. Each one likely had a distinct approach to achieving goals, motivating their team, and bringing their vision to fruition. These diverse styles of leadership can have a profound impact on a company's success. But what exactly is a leadership style? It refers to the methods and behaviors a leader employs to direct, motivate, and manage others. It also affects how they plan, implement strategies, and consider the needs of their team and stakeholders. Understanding your leadership style can help you guide and support your employees effectively, gain insight into your decision-making process, and develop strategies for making sound business decisions.

For instance, if your employees feel restricted and unheard, it may indicate an autocratic leadership style. Each style has its strengths and areas for improvement, so it's crucial to recognize your own and actively work on any shortcomings. Let's explore the most common leadership styles below.

Democratic Leadership

In democratic leadership, decisions are made by considering input from every team member. While the leader has the final say, they value and incorporate each employee's opinion in determining the project's direction. This style promotes inclusivity, collaboration, effective communication, empowerment, and support. It also encourages building trust and emotional intelligence, similar to how decisions are made in corporate board meetings. When employees feel valued and involved in decision-making, it can enhance their motivation and engagement. However, reaching a consensus can be time-consuming and require extensive communication and resources.

Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leadership, also known as authoritarian, coercive, or commanding leadership, is the opposite of democratic leadership. In this style, the leader makes decisions without seeking input from their team. It involves centralized decision-making, top-down communication, minimal delegation, and limited autonomy for employees. This style also places a strong emphasis on hierarchy and status and may resist feedback or criticism.

While this style may be effective in certain situations, such as emergencies or crises that require quick action, it is not sustainable as a standalone leadership style. An autocratic leader can make swift decisions that align with their goals, but it may not always be the best approach, especially in situations where input from others could be beneficial.

However, autocratic leadership can be useful when making challenging decisions that do not benefit from additional input from less experienced team members. It can also compensate for a lack of experience on a team. However, in most organizations, relying solely on an autocratic style can lead to a negative work culture, low morale, and hinder creativity and problem-solving.

For example, a manager who changes work shift hours for employees without consulting them demonstrates an instance of autocratic leadership negatively impacting the team.

Strategic Leadership

Strategic leaders bridge the gap between a company's day-to-day operations and its long-term goals and growth opportunities. This style requires vision, competitive awareness, and adaptability. Strategic leaders prioritize the company's interests and their team's well-being, creating a stable and forward-thinking organization that can thrive in today's constantly evolving business landscape. They consider the bigger picture, ask critical questions, develop and execute strategies, and plan for future growth.

Strategic leadership is beneficial for businesses because it aligns growth plans with how the team is managed. It also fosters open communication and collaboration. By embracing this style, you can become a more effective leader and steer your organization towards long-term success.

Now that you have a deeper understanding of the different leadership styles, take a moment to reflect on your own style and identify areas for growth. As a leader, it is crucial to be self-aware and continually work towards improvement, so you can inspire and guide your team to reach their full potential.

The Benefits of Different Leadership Styles in Business

Leadership styles play a crucial role in the success of a business, and it's essential to understand the various options available. Depending on the company's goals and team dynamics, certain leadership styles may be more effective in promoting accountability, productivity, collaboration, and transparency.

Strategic Leadership

Strategic leadership is a popular style in many companies as it supports multiple types of employees. It involves encouraging visualization, planning, and efficient use of resources, which can motivate employees and contribute to the organization's success.

However, leaders with this style must be mindful of not focusing too much on the future and neglecting present-day issues. To be successful, they must learn to delegate, compromise, communicate effectively, and consistently reach out to their team.

Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders build trust and confidence within their teams, inspire team members, and drive them towards achieving company goals. This style also involves constantly improving and motivating employees to further develop their skills, with the ultimate goal of creating a lasting positive impact and achieving overall success.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Transformational leaders can inspire their teams to think outside the box, leading to updates in business processes that improve productivity and profitability. It also promotes employee satisfaction, morale, and motivation.

Why this leadership style is beneficial for the team:

This style is highly encouraging, as it supports and empowers employees to reach their full potential. When starting with this type of leader, employees may receive achievable goals and deadlines, gradually increasing in complexity as they grow with the company.

Challenges for leaders with a Transformational style:

Leaders with this style must be mindful of individual learning curves and avoid employee burnout by regularly updating benchmarks.

Coaching Leadership

Coaching leaders focus on identifying and nurturing each team member's individual strengths and developing strategies to improve teamwork. This style is similar to strategic and democratic leadership, but it emphasizes the success of each individual employee.

As a coach, a manager with this leadership style may help employees strengthen their skills by giving them new tasks, offering guidance, and providing constructive feedback. They may also encourage team members to learn from their peers and continuously improve their skills and knowledge.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Coaching leaders actively support skill development and empower employees to tackle problems independently. Their strong company culture and mentorship role can contribute to long-term success, even after leaving the company.

Why this leadership style is beneficial for the team:

This style can motivate employees by acknowledging their unique strengths and creating diverse and dynamic teams. It fosters high performance, effective communication, and encourages team members to seek new challenges and continuously improve their skills and knowledge.

Challenges for leaders with a Coaching style

Developing employees with a coaching style can be a time-consuming process, and it may not be effective for every employee. It's crucial for leaders to understand their leadership style and its impact on their team and the business to determine whether this approach is suitable for their organization.

Visionary Leadership

Leaders who adopt a visionary style focus on future and long-term goals. They inspire and guide their team towards a shared vision, encouraging collaboration, emotional intelligence, and teamwork. This type of leader fosters a culture of innovation and change, which encourages individuals to embrace new ideas and approaches.

The Power of Visionary and Situational Leadership Styles

Leadership can make or break a business. Effective leaders have the ability to create a clear path for their employees to follow and execute, while also inspiring and energizing their teams towards growth. This is where visionary leadership comes in.

Why Visionary Leadership Works for Businesses

Visionary leaders have a powerful and persuasive communication style that allows them to inspire their teams towards impactful business growth. By focusing on future growth and forecasting potential roadblocks, visionary leaders can provide their employees with a clear plan of action, boosting confidence during uncertain or challenging times.

The Benefits of Visionary Leadership for Teams

Having a clear vision to work towards can enhance team motivation, productivity, and job satisfaction. A visionary leader provides vision statements and other tools to inspire and engage their employees at work, leading to a more fulfilling and enjoyable work experience.

Potential Challenges for Visionary Leaders

However, one potential drawback of a visionary leadership style is the tendency to overlook day-to-day issues in favor of long-term goals. This can lead to missing potential roadblocks that can accumulate and cause problems in the future. Additionally, hyper-focus on a single goal may limit consideration for other valuable ideas for the business.

The Power of Situational Leadership

Situational leaders are known for their excellent communication skills and ability to involve team feedback in decision-making. They are also quick to analyze market changes and adapt processes, creating strong relationships and helping employees see and feel their value to the business.

Potential Challenges for Situational Leaders

Leaders with a situational style must possess a high level of expertise in all business processes to make informed decisions and be able to pivot quickly. It is essential to strike a balance between long-term goals and immediate needs, a skill that not all leaders possess. Additionally, frequent changes in leadership approach can cause confusion and stress among teams.

Finding Your Leadership Style

There is no one "best" leadership style, and it is important to understand which style works best for you and your environment. While many leaders focus on their own experiences and habits, it can also be helpful to consider other leadership styles in unfamiliar situations.

Physical activity and spending time with others can also help one understand themselves better. Self-awareness is crucial for effective leadership, as it allows a leader to understand their values and areas of struggle. Making quick decisions is a crucial aspect of being a leader, and having a clear set of values can greatly aid this process. Reflection on pivotal moments in life and identifying trends, people, and common themes can also help in understanding one's values.

The Importance of a Mix of Leadership Styles

Many leaders possess a mix of different leadership styles, but at the root of these styles are "action logics." These action logics, as described by leadership experts Bill Torbert and David Rooke, evaluate "how leaders interpret their surroundings and react when their power or safety is challenged." The Leadership Development Profile, a popular management survey tool, is based on this concept and helps researchers understand how leaders develop and grow.

Let's take a look at the six action logics that describe each leadership style. Going through these open-ended sentences can help one better understand themselves and determine which leadership style aligns with their action logic the most.

Strategists

Strategists are highly aware of their surroundings and possess a deep understanding of the structures and processes that drive their businesses. Their ability to evaluate areas for improvement makes them valuable leaders.

Finding the Right Leadership Style for You

Aspiring to be a great leader? It's crucial to master the art of understanding and adapting to different leadership styles. These styles not only impact how you are perceived by your team, but also play a crucial role in the success of your organization.

What Is Your Action Logic? Find Your Perfect Leadership Style

Understanding the 7 Different Leadership Styles and Finding Your Own

Experts Rooke and Tolbert have identified seven different leadership styles, also known as action logics, that individuals may identify with. Each style has its own unique approach, and as a leader, it's important to understand which one resonates with you. Let's explore these styles and see which one best aligns with your leadership style.

Strategist

The strategist believes in building consensus and prioritizing the growth of both the organization and individual employees. This style values collaboration and teamwork to achieve success.

Alchemist

The alchemist focuses on helping employees reach their highest potential and has a strong sense of empathy and moral awareness. They possess the ability to balance both the big picture and small details, ensuring that no department or employee is overlooked.

Opportunist

The opportunist operates from a place of mistrust and control and sees others as potential competition to be bested, even at the expense of their professional development. They may use manipulative tactics to achieve their goals.

Diplomat

The diplomat prioritizes maintaining harmony and avoiding conflict within a team, often conforming to existing norms. They are skilled at diffusing difficult situations and providing the "social glue" within a team.

Expert

The expert focuses on their own pursuit of knowledge and may prioritize it over the needs of the organization and their team. They are highly skilled in their field but may struggle with emotional intelligence and collaboration.

As you read through these styles, which ones stood out to you? It's normal to identify with multiple styles, as most leaders progress through different stages of leadership in their careers. It's essential to note that these action logics are not fixed attributes, but rather developmental stages. As you continue to grow and evolve as a leader, your style will likely change.

Discover Your Leadership Style

Understanding your leadership style is crucial to becoming a successful leader. Whether you manage a large or small team, your approach to leading will have a significant impact on your team's dynamics and ultimately, your company's success. Take some time to reflect and identify which style aligns with your leadership style.

Are you open to growth and change as a leader? Keep in mind that it's important to constantly adapt and evolve as a leader to make a positive impact on your organization and team. Keep striving for greatness!