Leadership Styles: Who Am I? Who Should I Be?

There are several common leadership styles that CEOs (and other senior executives) employ to manage their organizations. Identifying which style(s) you use can help clarify what types of people to hire and what skills to learn for optimizing management. Some common styles include:

1. Transformational Leadership: This style focuses on inspiring and motivating employees to achieve their full potential. Transformational leaders set high expectations for their teams, provide support and coaching to help them meet those expectations, and encourage innovation and creativity.

2. Transactional Leadership: This style is more focused on maintaining order and efficiency within the organization. Transactional leaders set clear goals and expectations, monitor progress, and provide rewards or punishments based on performance.

3. Servant Leadership: This style emphasizes putting the needs of the employees first, and empowering them to be successful. Servant leaders prioritize the development and well-being of their team members, and create a collaborative and supportive work environment.

4. Autocratic Leadership: This style is characterized by a strong, centralized decision-making process. Autocratic leaders make decisions unilaterally and expect strict adherence to their directives.

5. Laissez-faire Leadership: This style is more hands-off, with the leader delegating most decision-making authority to their team. Laissez-faire leaders provide guidance and resources as needed, but generally trust their team members to manage their own work.

It's worth noting that many leaders will utilize a combination of these styles depending on the situation and the needs of their organization. Having some level of style flexibility will allow for a greater diversity of employee styles, and thus more creativity and flexibility within the entire business. Also, as a company grows, it may be important to shift styles as the role of CEO changes. Finally, it is imperative to know which personal strengths and weaknesses will make certain styles more effective than others.

Find a good coach to help you navigate this deeply important work.