Nov 114 min read

How to determine your leadership style.

"The best leaders are those who have the self-awareness to know their own strengths and weaknesses and the ability to adapt their leadership style to fit the situation." - Dr. Ronald Heifetz, Harvard University. Leadership is not a one-size-fits-all concept. The most effective leaders know how to adapt their style to fit the situation and the needs of their team. In this blog post, we will discuss nine different leadership styles to help you identify the best approach for your development as a leader.

Styles of Leadership:

Management by Wandering Around (MBWA): This style is about being accessible and approachable. Leaders who use this style often spend time interacting with their team members and getting to know them personally.
1. Benefits: These leaders are often seen as involved and hands-on.
2. Risks: Being too accessible may reduce self-accountability and undermine hierarchy.https://youtu.be/2UlY0Vykc_Y?si=wwWylTeRDBEVLkHx
3. Example: The CEO of a small company makes it a point to walk around the office and talk to employees at all levels. She takes an interest in their work and personal lives. Being accessible helps her to build rapport with her employees and create a more positive and productive work environment.
Lead from the Front: This style best suits highly directive leaders who take personal responsibility for the team's results.
1. Benefits: These leaders are often seen as directive and engaged.
2. Risks: Being too present may prevent other leaders from reaching their full potential.
3. Example: A small business owner who works shoulder to shoulder on the sales floor with employees. He models customer service and encourages excellence in their actions.
Lead from the Back: This style allows your team to develop plans, make mistakes, and learn from their experiences.
1. Benefits: These leaders are often seen as empowering.
2. Risks: The organization must communicate effectively to ensure alignment between vision and execution.
3. Example: A manager of research scientists who allows her team to experiment and learn from experience. She provides them with the needed resources but does not micromanage them, allowing the team to be creative and innovative.
Situational Leader: This style involves adapting your approach to fit the situation and your team's needs.
1. Benefits: Leaders who use this style are flexible and responsive to their employees' capabilities and motivation.
2. Risks: This approach relies on the leader accurately accessing employees' needs, capabilities, and motivation.
3. Example: A marketing manager who is very directive with interns but delegates tasks to experienced employees once they are aligned on key responsibilities and deliverables.
Command and Control: This style is best suited for situations where strict adherence to rules and procedures is critical.
1. Benefits: Leaders who use this style can often drive consistent results.
2. Risks: An organization may become limited by the leader's knowledge, skills, and personality.
3. Example: The Front of House manager of a high-end restaurant who sets precise expectations around customer experience and does not accept variations in how customer service is provided.
Collectivist: This style emphasizes group decision-making and shared accountability.
1. Benefits: Leaders who use this style can tap into the knowledge, wisdom, and skills of those they work with.
2. Risks: Gaining consensus among multiple stakeholders can be slow, and groupthink does not always lead to the best decisions.
3. Example: A non-profit executive with a board of volunteers who relies on consensus building to determine organizational goals and objectives.
Transformational Leadership: This style inspires and motivates followers to achieve extraordinary results by helping employees find self-actualization through their work.
1. Benefits: Leaders who use this style are often seen as visionary and charismatic.
2. Risks: The organization can become dependent on the leader, stagnating independent thinking.
3. Example: A regional director who takes over an underperforming territory and compels employees to find personal fulfillment in exceeding customer expectations.
Servant Leadership: This style prioritizes the needs of followers and empowers them to achieve their full potential.
1. Benefits: Leaders who use this style are often seen as supportive and compassionate.
2. Risks: Prioritizing who's needs should come first when stakeholders have competing needs.
3. Example: A Vice President of Franchising who meets one-on-one with direct and indirect reports to understand their obstacles and organizational bottlenecks and then uses that information to prioritize organizational solutions that make it easier for employees to do their jobs.
Authentic Leadership: This style involves leading with integrity and genuineness.
1. Benefits: Leaders who use this style are often seen as trustworthy and credible.
2. Risks: Values-based leadership can potentially alienate some stakeholders in the short term and puts a lot of pressure on the leader to be consistent.
3. Example: A Salon owner who is grounded in her strengths and values and allows them to be her guide for interacting with employees, setting policies, and leading the organization.

Choosing the Right Style

The best leadership style for you will depend on several factors, including your personality, team dynamics, organizational culture, and the maturity of your organization. It is essential to experiment with different styles to find the one that works best for you.

Here are some questions to consider when choosing a leadership style:

What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What are the needs of your team?
What is the organizational culture?
What are your goals for your team?

Developing Your Leadership Style

Once you have identified the leadership style you want to develop, you can improve your skills in several ways.

Read books and articles about leadership.
Attend leadership workshops and seminars.
Shadow or mentor other leaders.
Get feedback from your team and your peers.
Work with an Executive Coach

By developing your leadership style, you can become a more effective leader and achieve your team's goals. Remember, leadership is a skill. You can hone it over time through intentional practice.

Thank you for reading this blog

Dorian Cunion is an Executive Coach and Business Consultant with Your Path Coaching and Consulting. He is a former retail executive with over 20 years of experience in the retail industry. He is a Co-Active coach who focuses on helping professionals and small business owners overcome insecurities, knowledge gaps, and lack of direction. He does this by assisting clients to tap into their values, recognize their strengths, and develop actionable strategies for growth.

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