Leadership Styles & Ways to Identify Right One

Leadership Styles & How to Find Yours

Leadership is an essential skill, whether in business, community projects, or even personal relationships. But leadership is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Different situations and people require different approaches to leadership, and that’s why understanding leadership styles is so important. Every leader leaves a signature on the culture they shape, the teams they build, and the direction they guide. At Cesium Group, we help emerging and established leaders identify their style, not by theory alone, but by aligning it with real-world impact, business outcomes, and personal authenticity.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

Leadership style shapes culture, outcomes, and trust.
Transformational and servant leadership promote engagement.
Autocratic leadership fits structured, time-sensitive contexts.
Identifying your leadership style requires reflection and feedback.
Adapting your style creates better alignment across teams.

The Importance of Leadership Styles

Before we dive into specific leadership styles, it’s important to understand why leadership styles matter. A leadership style is the manner and approach in which a leader provides direction, implements plans, and motivates people. The way we lead influences not only how our teams respond to us but also the overall productivity, morale, and success of our organisations.

Our leadership style can impact everything from decision-making to communication and conflict resolution. It shapes how we interact with others and how we guide them towards common goals. Understanding the different leadership styles helps us recognise our natural tendencies and gives us the opportunity to refine our approach to become more effective leaders. Leadership development & coaching plays a crucial role in this process, providing the necessary tools and training to enhance leadership skills across a variety of styles. This targeted development ensures that leaders can adapt and evolve, fostering a positive and productive work environment.

Understanding leadership styles is also one of the key elements in building a successful commercial team. Effective leaders know how to align team strengths, manage diverse personalities, and inspire peak performance through the right style of leadership.

Exploring Core Leadership Styles

We work with executives, team leaders, and entrepreneurs across industries. The goal? To shape leadership styles that serve the person, the business, and the future. Let’s walk through the most impactful styles.

1. Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership is one of the most inspiring and impactful styles. Leaders who adopt this style are characterised by their ability to motivate and inspire their teams. Rather than focusing purely on tasks, transformational leaders seek to create a vision for the future and encourage their team members to embrace it with passion and enthusiasm.

Transformational leaders are known for their focus on change and innovation. They are forward-thinking and seek to create an environment where individuals feel empowered to think creatively and take risks. They provide a sense of purpose and encourage others to go beyond their self-interests for the good of the team or organisation.

Some key characteristics of transformational leaders include:

Inspiring Vision: They offer a clear, compelling vision of the future and inspire others to work towards that vision.
Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Transformational leaders are often highly emotionally intelligent, which helps them connect with their team members on a personal level.
Encouragement of Innovation: They create an environment where team members feel safe to propose new ideas, try different approaches, and innovate.
Focus on Development: They actively encourage personal growth and development, both for themselves and their team members.

If you find that you’re passionate about inspiring others and creating a shared vision for the future, transformational leadership may be the right fit for you. This style works well when your team is looking for a sense of purpose and inspiration, particularly in times of change or innovation.

2. Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is another highly impactful and people-focused leadership style. In contrast to more traditional leadership approaches, servant leaders prioritise the well-being of their team members above all else. They lead by serving others, focusing on the growth and development of their employees, and empowering them to reach their full potential.

The servant leader’s primary goal is to support their team, and they achieve this by building trust, showing empathy, and encouraging collaboration. This leadership style emphasises active listening, humility, and stewardship, making it ideal for environments where building strong, cohesive teams is critical.

Key characteristics of servant leadership include:

Empathy and Listening: Servant leaders take time to listen to their team members’ concerns, needs, and ideas.
Focus on Growth: They prioritise the personal and professional growth of each individual on the team.
Humility and Selflessness: Servant leaders don’t seek personal glory; they focus on lifting others up and fostering a sense of community.
Encouraging Collaboration: They promote a team-oriented approach and believe that collaboration leads to better outcomes than competition.

Servant leadership is particularly effective in organisations that value collaboration and a supportive work environment. If you find fulfilment in helping others succeed, serving your team, and cultivating a culture of trust and empathy, then servant leadership might be the style for you. It’s a style that works well in schools, non-profits, and any organisation where the people are the heart of the mission.

3. Autocratic Leadership

Autocratic leadership represents a more traditional, top-down approach where the leader makes decisions unilaterally, with little input from team members. This style of leadership is often associated with control, authority, and clear direction. Autocratic leaders expect their instructions to be followed without question and typically maintain tight control over all aspects of the team’s work.

While the autocratic style is often seen as less democratic and less collaborative, it can be effective in certain situations. In environments where quick decisions are required, or when the team needs clear, authoritative guidance, an autocratic leader can thrive. This leadership style is often used in high-pressure, high-stakes situations where decisive action is needed, such as during a crisis or when working in a highly regulated environment.

Key characteristics of autocratic leadership include:

Clear Decision-Making: Autocratic leaders make decisions quickly and efficiently without seeking much input from others.
Strict Control: There is a strong emphasis on maintaining control and order within the team.
Directive Leadership: Autocratic leaders give clear instructions and expect their team members to follow them.
Lack of Input: The team typically has little involvement in decision-making or strategic planning.

If you are naturally decisive, thrive in high-pressure situations, and believe in maintaining strong control to achieve goals, autocratic leadership may suit you. It works best in environments where clarity, direction, and efficiency are crucial.

Finding Your Leadership Style

Now that we’ve explored some of the most common leadership styles, the question is: How do we find our own? Understanding our leadership style starts with self-reflection. We must take the time to assess our values, personality, strengths, and weaknesses. Here are a few steps to help you identify your leadership style:

Assess Your Natural Tendencies: Think about how you approach leadership. Are you more focused on inspiring and motivating others (transformational)? Do you prefer to serve and support others (servant leadership)? Or do you gravitate toward making quick, decisive decisions (autocratic)?
Consider Your Work Environment: Different leadership styles work better in different environments. For example, a transformational style may be best in creative industries, while an autocratic style may work better in industries that require strict adherence to protocols.
Ask for Feedback: Sometimes, it’s hard to see ourselves as others see us. Asking your team, colleagues, or mentors for feedback on your leadership can help you gain insight into how you lead and where you can improve.
Experiment and Adapt: Leadership is not static, and you may find that you adopt a combination of styles depending on the situation. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different approaches and adapt your style as needed.
Continuous Growth: Leadership is a lifelong journey. As you gain more experience, you may refine or shift your leadership style based on new challenges and personal growth.

Conclusion

No leadership style is superior to another. The key is alignment, between who you are, what your organisation needs, and how your team works best. At Cesium Group, we work alongside leaders to bring structure, self-awareness, and strategy to the way they lead. If you’re ready to discover your leadership strengths and refine your impact, contact us through our online form. Let’s unlock the potential that already exists within your leadership.