7 Common Leadership Styles and How to Find Your Own
In your career, you’ve probably encountered some great leaders.
Leaders who inspired you to bring your best to work every day, leaders who knew how to develop your strengths, and leaders who cared about you as an individual.
And I’m willing to bet you also had your fair share of not-so-great leaders.
It’s easy to think that certain leadership styles are better than others, especially when you’ve experienced how each one feels as an employee.
As a leader, you want to give your best for your team. You want to inspire them to grow, to do great work, and to find joy and meaning in their jobs.
And to do that, it’s important to take stock of your own leadership style; how you show up every day to lead the people on your team or in your organization.
There’s no “one size fits all” approach to leadership, and styles can be flexed depending on the situation, organization, or even the individual.
Here are 7 Common Leadership Styles (and the Pros and Cons of Each):
1. Autocratic Leadership
In this style, leaders make decisions without seeking input from their employees, or others affected by a decision. Think of it as a “my way or the highway” approach. Employees are not consulted with prior to making a decision and are expected to adhere to the decision once it’s been made.
Autocratic leaders see themselves as the ultimate authority, having the power not only to decide what a team will do, but also when and how they’ll get it done.
Pro: Decisions are made quickly, which could be useful in a crisis or dire situation.
Con: Employees feel left out, unheard, and constrained.
2. Democratic Leadership
This is the opposite of the Autocratic Leadership Style. In this style, leaders take on a more participative approach, gathering the input and feedback of every employee before making the final decision. Democratic leaders value collaboration and teams working together toward a common goal.
Democratic leaders see themselves as fair and equitable, giving everyone a chance to weigh in before making a decision that impacts their employees.
Pro: Every employee has a chance to voice their opinion on a decision.
Con: Decision-making can be slowed or delayed when trying to get consensus from the group.
3. Bureaucratic Leadership
Bureaucratic leaders go by the book; they have a set of rules to follow and boxes to check when leading others and making decisions. They have hierarchical authority, meaning they get their power from a formal title, rather than their leadership prowess.
Bureaucratic leaders see themselves as the gatekeepers, ensuring that their teams are always doing the right things and conforming to the policies and culture of the organization.
Pro: Teams can feel a sense of stability and know where they stand with this leader.
Con: Innovation and creativity may be stifled in a “we’ve always done it this way” culture.
4. Laissez-Faire Leadership
This is a French term that translates to “let it be,” which perfectly describes this hands-off style. These leaders put absolute trust in their employees to get their jobs done. Opposite of a micromanager, these leaders will provide their teams with the tools and resources necessary to get the job done, but then they’ll step back and allow their employees to make decisions and solve problems on their own.
Laissez-Faire leaders see themselves as the catalyst, allowing employees to grow and develop on their own with little direction.
Pro: Employees feel trusted, respected, and empowered to make their own decisions.
Con: Without direction, employees can feel confused, lost, or frustrated.
5. Servant Leadership
This style of leadership is common in not-for-profit and mission-driven organizations. These leaders prioritize the needs of others over their own. They believe that when employees feel personally and professionally fulfilled, they’re more effective and more likely to produce great work.
Servant leaders see themselves as natural leaders and developers, empowering and growing their employees, while removing the roadblocks that prevent decisions from being made.
Pro: Employees feel empowered, and productivity soars in this positive environment.
Con: Leaders who constantly put their own needs on the backburner can experience burnout over time.
6. Coaching Leadership
This has become a popular leadership style with Millennial employees, who actively seek growth and development opportunities. These leaders focus on identifying and nurturing the individual strengths of each member on their team, to understand how the team can work best together to achieve goals.
Coaching leaders see themselves as cheerleaders, encouraging their teams to learn new skills, lean on each other for guidance and support, and challenge their employees to take on new opportunities.
Pro: Employees gain many opportunities for personal and professional development in their career.
Con: Leaders with intense focus on building the best team could lose sight of smaller issues that pop up.
7. Transformational Leadership
This style seeks to change and innovate an organization’s status quo. They inspire their teams to get creative, find new ways of doing things, and continuously improve business operations. These leaders push their employees outside their comfort zones to achieve challenging goals and deadlines.
Transformation leaders see themselves as motivators, encouraging their teams to think outside the box and develop exciting new solutions to old organizational problems.
Pro: Employees have the autonomy and space to think creatively and innovate.
Con: Change for the sake of change can lead employees to feel disillusioned.
How to Find Your Own Leadership Style
1. Know Yourself
Self-awareness is the foundation for any change we want to make in our lives. Start by understanding your natural strengths and talents. How do these align with these common leadership styles? Is there one style you’re more drawn to?
You can start by journaling about the type of leader you hope to become, reading books about leadership skills, taking personality assessments to discover your style. Try this free and fun Feminine Leadership Style Quiz to identify your feminine leadership style and unlock tips and strategies for developing your personal leadership style.
2. Get Feedback
If you’re not sure what style of leadership you currently use, ask for feedback. Start by asking trusted mentors or leaders to share a story about a time when you were at your best. Listen for themes in the strengths or styles they mention, and write them down.
You can take this exercise up a notch by asking your direct reports for feedback. Ask your team to describe your leadership style, strengths, how you show up for them, and what you can do to improve your leadership style. Create an action plan for how you will continue to improve your leadership style and skills.
3. Consider Leaders You Admire
Finally, if you’re having trouble deciding which style fits you best, think about leaders you admire. Start with the best leader you ever had – what traits did that leader embody? What set them apart from other leaders in your organization? Why do you look up to them?
Write down the strengths, skills, and styles these leaders possess that you want to embrace. Then, think about how you can make the leap from where you are to where you want to be. Is there a training course you can take or a book your leaders recommended? Think about how you can learn more about a particular leadership style and begin to embody those traits.
The Takeaway
There is no one right way to lead, and good leaders keep all of these styles in their leadership toolkit. All of these approaches come with their benefits and drawbacks, and some of them will be more effective in certain scenarios. The key is knowing when and where to use a particular style.
Regardless of which leadership style you embody today, you can always tweak and modify that style to make it your own. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Leadership is all about learning and adapting to what feels aligned with our strengths and experience. Use your intuition to try on a few different styles and see what feels most natural to you.
