How do you discover your own authentic leadership style and is there only one style that is truly your personal leadership approach? 

These are questions we often ask ourselves.  

A quick online search on ‘leadership styles’ will give you several different answers. Some articles list five, others six, another one ten and so on. 

How do you know what expert to listen to and what list of leadership styles to use when selecting yours? Is there one style that fits everyone everywhere and always? 

Finding your leadership style can feel both confusing and overwhelming. Here are a few helpful tips: 

1. First, before you read the descriptions of leadership styles developed by others, take some time to reflect upon your own leadership preferences and style. What kind of leader do you strive to be?  What are the values that you lead by? 

2.  Another helpful activity is to think about a leader that you admire. How do they lead? What do they do well? Why do you admire them. How do they make you feel, or the people they lead feel? Note down the specifics. 

3. Once you have gained insight on what kind of leader you currently are, appreciate and strive to be, then ask yourself if the two are aligned and what, if anything, you need to change to be more like the leader you wish to be

4. If the previous exercises left you more confused, then ask your team, peers, coworkers to share with you their perception of you as a leader.  Ask for constructive and honest reflections and to make sure you receive such, your relationships have to have a high level of trust. 

5. Review the ten different leadership styles, the are: 

1. Coach
2. Visionary
3. Servant
4. Autocratic
5. Laissez-faire
6. Democratic
7. Pace setter
8. Transformational
9. Transactional
10. Bureaucratic 

6. Identify the one you feel is mostly what you strive to be and are.  Then describe situations when you lead according to this approach.  When is it a success, when is it a challenge? 
7. Next identify 2 other leadership styles that you think are relevant and appropriate for your organizational and leadership context, including cultural context.  
8. Finally, give yourself a lot of time to practice the different leadership styles in different situations. This will help you learn what approach works best with different people in different situations. 

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership.  Especially when you are working in a global, multicultural context.

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