There is more than one way to run a team, the leadership style that you choose will be dependent on the circumstances, your personality, and the group of people you are leading. What’s important to keep in mind is that there is no perfect approach to leadership. In fact, you’ll most likely change styles as situations develop.

What is Leadership Style?

Leadership styles refer to the behaviours that leaders use to interact with their employees. It covers everything including how they motivate, give directions, accomplish goals and empower their team.

Visionary Leadership

The visionary leader moves people towards a shared vision. It’s not about how to get there; it’s about getting your team to understand where you want to go. Try this style when a new direction is needed; for example a launch of a new product, a company diversifying or a brand new Startup. Getting the team to see your vision can be the most motivating thing a leader can do for their staff. Promote independence and allow people to innovate and experiment to get towards a goal.

How to Be Visionary Leader

1. Be inclusive and open to team input. It’s a shared vision and not one person has all the answers
2. Try new things and experiment. Be okay with the possibility of failure
3. Create a companywide goal that the whole team can focus on

Pacesetting Leadership

A pacesetting leader sets goals for their team that they expect will be reached no matter what. They demand a lot from their people and exemplify what is expected of the team.

This style requires care and attention as it can be harmful to your team and is said to work best in short bursts.

Sometimes you may need to expect a lot from your team, whether it’s due to the company going through challenges or deadlines that need to be met. Balance this style with gratitude. You need to make sure your team knows that while you’re asking a lot from them and it’s tough, it’s also only a temporary situation.

How to Become a Pacesetting Leader

1. Recognise efforts from both teams and individuals
2. Make sure they know this is a temporary situation
3. Reward staff for meeting the challenges presented to them

Coaching Leadership

As the name suggests, this style is all about coaching employees to get better at what they do. This style is best suited to leaders who are willing to pass on knowledge and see the benefits of one to one session with staff members.

The idea here is to guide staff rather than micromanage a team every step of the way to ultimately help them become better at their role. Focus on individuals strengths and help them perform in that area.

How to Become a Coaching Leader

1. Check in frequently with each member of your team, and make the time to mentor them
2. Find out what individuals want from their job and guide them towards achieving this
3. Try to schedule monthly one-on-ones where you’ll be able to ask them about their challenges and improve their strengths

Commanding Leadership

Leading with fear.

Most of the time, this style has extremely negative effects on company culture and is highly ineffective. It is a style that will almost certainly lead to high staff turnover.

This style should be only used when in situations of crisis. But even then, it’s likely not the best approach to take as employees will instantly feel insecure at their job and sets a poor culture for the office. It’s generally recommended to avoid using this style altogether.

How to Avoid Being a Commanding Leader

1. Inspire instead of ordering staff and clearly explain the full details of the situation. Make sure staff don’t feel as if their job is being threatened
2. Don’t give them a reason to start looking at other opportunities  
3. Make sure to communicate that it’s only a temporary situation

Unfortunately there isn’t one perfect leadership style. You’ll need to adapt to the situation. Don’t do everything alone. A manager has a team of people all working toward the same goals and targets, delegating work enable your employees to also become leaders.