10 Common Leadership Styles (+ How to Find Your Own)

February 9, 2021
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/10-common-leadership-styles
At some point in your career, you may take on a leadership role in some capacity. Whether
you’re leading a meeting, a project, a team or an entire department, you might consider
identifying with or adopting a defined leadership style.
Most professionals develop their own style of leadership based on factors like experience and
personality, as well as the unique needs of their company and its organizational culture. While
every leader is different, there are 10 leadership styles commonly used in the workplace.
In this article, we will cover the 10 most common leadership styles and provide examples and
common characteristics of each to help you determine which leadership style you most identify
with.
The importance of developing a leadership style
In an Indeed survey, 55% of employers cited asking about leadership skills in an interview as the
most accurate evaluation of a candidate’s ability to succeed in a role.¹ As you develop leadership
skills, you’ll likely use different processes and methods to achieve your employer’s objectives
and meet the needs of the employees who report to you. To be effective as a manager, you might
use several different leadership styles at any given time.
By taking the time to familiarize yourself with each of these types of leadership, you might
recognize certain areas to improve upon or expand your own leadership style. You can also
identify other ways to lead that might better serve your current goals and understand how to
work with managers who follow a different style than your own.
Common leadership styles:
1. Coach (motivational)
2. Visionary (progress-focused and inspirational)
3. Servant (humble and protective)
4. Autocratic (authoritarian and result-focused)
5. Laissez-faire or hands-off (autocratic and delegatory)
6. Democratic (supportive and innovative)
7. Pacesetter (helpful and motivational)
8. Transformational (challenging and communicative)
9. Transactional (performance-focused)
10. Bureaucratic (hierarchical and duty-focused)
Types of leadership styles
Here are 10 of the most common leadership styles:
1. Coaching style
2. Visionary style
3. Servant style
4. Autocratic style
5. Laissez-faire or “hands-off” style
6. Democratic style
7. Pacesetter style
8. Transformational style
9. Transactional style
10. Bureaucratic style
In the next section, we'll look at each leadership style in detail in including benefits, challenges
and examples of each.
1. Coaching leadership style
A coaching leader is someone who can quickly recognize their team members’ strengths,
weaknesses and motivations to help each individual improve. This type of leader often assists
team members in setting smart goals and then provides regular feedback with challenging
projects to promote growth. They’re skilled in setting clear expectations and creating a positive,
motivating environment.
The coach leadership style is one of the most advantageous for employers as well as the
employees they manage. Unfortunately, it’s often also one of the most underutilized styles—
largely because it can be more time-intensive than other types of leadership.
You may be a coaching leader if you:
 Are supportive
 Offer guidance instead of giving commands
 Value learning as a way of growing
 Ask guided questions
 Balance relaying knowledge and helping others find it themselves
 Are self-aware
Benefits: Coaching leadership is positive in nature. It promotes the development of new skills,
free-thinking, empowerment, revisits company objectives and fosters a confident company
culture. Leaders who coach are often seen as valuable mentors
Challenges: While this style has many advantages, it is more time consuming as it requires one-
on-one time with employees. This may be difficult to obtain in a fast-paced environment with
time-sensitive priorities.
Example: A sales manager gathers their team of account executives for a meeting to discuss
learnings from the previous quarter. They start the meeting by completing an assessment together
of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats regarding the team’s performance. The
manager then recognizes specific team members for exceptional performance and goes over the
goals achieved by the team. Finally, the manager closes the meeting by announcing a contest to
start the next quarter, motivating the salespeople to reach their goals.
Read more: Coaching Leadership: How to Become a Coaching Leader and When to Use
This Style
2. Visionary leadership style
Visionary leaders have a powerful ability to drive progress and usher in periods of change by
inspiring employees and earning trust for new ideas. A visionary leader is also able to establish a
strong organizational bond. They strive to foster confidence among direct reports and colleagues
alike.
This type of leadership is especially helpful for small, fast-growing organizations, or larger
organizations experiencing transformations or corporate restructuring.
You may be a visionary leader is you are:
 Persistent and bold
 Strategic
 Risk-taking
 Inspirational
 Optimistic
 Innovative
 Magnetic
Benefits: Visionary leadership can help companies grow, unite teams and the overall company
and improve outdated technologies or practices.
Challenges: Visionary leaders may miss important details or other opportunities because they’re
so focused on the big picture. They also may sacrifice the resolution of present-day issues
because they are so future-oriented, which could leave their team feeling unheard.
Example: A teacher starts a group at work for colleagues who want to help resolve anxieties and
issues students have outside of school. The goal is to help students better focus on and succeed at
school. He has developed testing methods so they can find meaningful ways to help students in a
quick, efficient way.
Read more: 14 Traits of Visionary Leaders
3. Servant leadership style
Servant leaders live by a people-first mindset and believe that when team members feel
personally and professionally fulfilled, they’re more effective and more likely to produce great
work regularly. Because of their emphasis on employee satisfaction and collaboration, they tend
to achieve higher levels of respect.
A servant leader is an excellent leadership style for organizations of any industry and size but is
especially prevalent within nonprofits. These types of leaders are exceptionally skilled in
building employee morale and helping people re-engage with their work.
You may be a servant leader if you:
 Motivate your team
 Have excellent communication skills
 Personally care about your team
 Encourage collaboration and engagement
 Commit to growing your team professionally
Benefits: Servant leaders have the capacity to boost employee loyalty and productivity, improve
employee development and decision-making, cultivate trust and create future leaders.
Challenges: Servant leaders can become burnt-out as they may put the needs of their team above
their own, they may have a hard time being authoritative when they need to be and the
organization's goals may be at risk if the servant leader is only focused on the needs of their
immediate team.
Example: A product manager hosts monthly one-on-one coffee meetings with everyone that has
concerns, questions or thoughts about improving or using the product. This time is meant for her
to address the needs of and help those who are using the product in any capacity.
Read more: Servant Leadership: Definition, Tips and Examples
4. Autocratic leadership style
Also called the authoritarian style of leadership, this type of leader is someone who is focused
almost entirely on results and efficiency. They often make decisions alone or with a small,
trusted group and expect employees to do exactly what they’re asked. It can be helpful to think
of these types of leaders as military commanders.
This leadership style can be useful in organizations with strict guidelines or compliance-heavy
industries. It can also be beneficial when used with employees who need a great deal of
supervision—such as those with little to no experience. However, this leadership style can stifle
creativity and make employees feel confined.
You may be an autocratic leader if you:
 Have self-confidence
 Are self-motivated
 Communicate clearly and consistently
 Follow the rules
 Are dependable
 Value highly structured environments
 Believe in supervised work environments
Benefits: Autocratic leaders can promote productivity through delegation, provide clear and
direct communication, reduce employee stress by making decisions quickly on their own.
Challenges: This style of leadership can cause stress to the leader by bearing all the weight of
decision making. The lack of flexibility and rigidness, as well as the lack of interest in hearing
the ideas from others, can cause resentment on the team.
Example: Before an operation, the surgeon carefully recounts the rules and processes of the
operation room with every team member who will be helping during the surgery. She wants to
ensure everyone is clear on the expectations and follows each procedure carefully and exactly so
the surgery goes as smoothly as possible.
Read more: What is Autocratic Leadership?
5. Laissez-faire or hands-off leadership style
This leadership style is the opposite of the autocratic leadership type, focusing mostly on
delegating many tasks to team members and providing little to no supervision. Because a laissez-
faire leader does not spend their time intensely managing employees, they often have more time
to dedicate to other projects.
Managers may adopt this leadership style when all team members are highly experienced, well-
trained and require little oversight. However, it can also cause a dip in productivity if employees
are confused about their leader’s expectations, or if some team members need consistent
motivation and boundaries to work well.
You may be a laissez-faire leader if you:
 Effectively delegate
 Believe in freedom of choice
  Provide sufficient resources and tools
 Will take control if needed
 Offer constructive criticism
 Foster leadership qualities in your team
 Promote an autonomous work environment
Benefits: This style encourages accountability, creativity and a relaxed work environment.
Because of this, it can also increase employee retention.
Challenges: This style does not work well for new employees, as they need guidance and hands-
on support in their early days. This method can also lead to a lack of structure, leadership
confusion and employees feeling a lack of support.
Example: When welcoming new employees, Keisha explains that her engineers can set and
maintain their own work schedules as long as they are tracking towards and hitting goals that
they set together as a team. They are also free to learn about and participate in projects outside of
their team they might be interested in.
Read more: Laissez-Faire Leadership: Definition, Tips and Examples
6. Democratic or participative leadership style
The democratic leadership style (also called the participative style) is a combination of the
autocratic and laissez-faire types of leaders. A democratic leader is someone who asks for input
and considers feedback from their team before making a decision. Because team members feel
their voice is heard and their contributions matter, a democratic leadership style is often credited
with fostering higher levels of employee engagement and workplace satisfaction.
Because this type of leadership drives discussion and participation, it’s an excellent style for
organizations focused on creativity and innovation—such as the technology industry.
You may be a democratic/participative leader if you:
 Value group discussions
 Provide all information to team when making decisions
 Promote a work environment where everyone shares their ideas
 Are rational
 Are flexible
 Are good at mediation
Benefits: Under this leadership style employees can feel empowered, valued and unified. It has
the power to boost retention and morale. It also requires less managerial oversight, as employees
are typically part of decision-making processes and know what they need to do.
Challenges: This leadership style has the potential to be inefficient and costly as it takes a long
time to organize big group discussions, obtain ideas and feedback, discuss possible outcomes and
communicate a decision. It also can add social pressure to members of the team who don’t like
sharing ideas in group settings.
Example: As a store manager, Jack has hired many brilliant and focused team members he
trusts. When deciding on storefronts and floor design, Jack acts only as the final moderator for
his team to move forward with their ideas. He is there to answer questions and present possible
improvements for his team to consider.
Read more: What is Participative Leadership?

7. Pacesetter leadership style

The pacesetting leadership style is one of the most effective for driving fast results. These leaders
are primarily focused on performance. They often set high standards and hold their team
members accountable for hitting their goals.
While the pacesetting leadership style is motivational and helpful in fast-paced environments
where team members need to be energized, it’s not always the best option for team members
who need mentorship and feedback.
You may be a pacesetter leader if you:
 Set a high bar
 Focus on goals
 Are slow to praise
 Will jump in to hit goals if needed
 Are highly competent
 Value performance over soft skills
Benefits: Pacesetting leadership pushes employees to hit goals and accomplish business
objectives. It promotes high-energy and dynamic work environments.
Challenges: Pacesetting leadership can also lead to stressed-out employees as they are always
pushing towards a goal or deadline. The fast-paced work environment fostered under this style
can also create miscommunications or a lack of clear instructions.
Example: The leader of a weekly meeting recognized that an hour out of everyone’s schedule
once a week did not justify the purpose of the meeting. To increase efficiency, she changed the
meeting to a 15-minute standup with only those she had updates for.
Related: How to Demonstrate Leadership Skills at Work
8. Transformational leadership style
The transformational leadership style is similar to the coach-style in that it focuses on clear
communication, goal-setting and employee motivation. However, instead of placing the majority
of the energy into each employee’s individual goals, the transformational leader is driven by a
commitment to organizational objectives.
Because these types of leaders spend much of their time on the big picture, this style of leading is
best for teams that can handle many delegated tasks without constant supervision.
You may be a transformational leader if you:
 Have mutual respect with your team
 Provide encouragement
 Inspires others to achieve their goals
 Think of the big picture
 Places value on intellectually challenging your team
 Are creative
 Have a good understanding of organizational needs
Benefits: Transformational leadership values personal connection with their team, which can
boost company morale and retention. It also values the ethics of the company and team instead of
being overly focused on achieving goals.
Challenges: Since transformational leaders look at individuals, it can cause team or company
wins to go unnoticed. These leaders can also overlook details as they are big picture thinkers.
Example: Reyna is hired to lead a marketing department. The CEO asks her to set new goals and
organize teams to reach those objectives. She spends the first months in her new role getting to
know the company and the marketing employees. She gains a strong understanding of current
trends and organizational strengths. After three months, she has set clear targets for each of the
teams that report to her and asked individuals to set goals for themselves that align with those.
Related: What Does Leadership Mean?
9. Transactional leadership style
A transactional leader is someone who is laser-focused on performance, similar to a pacesetter.
Under this leadership style, the manager establishes predetermined incentives—usually in the
form of monetary reward for success and disciplinary action for failure. Unlike the pacesetter
leadership style, though, transactional leaders are also focused on mentorship, instruction and
training to achieve goals and enjoy the rewards.
While this type of leader is great for organizations or teams tasked with hitting specific goals,
such as sales and revenue, it’s not the best leadership style for driving creativity.
You may be a transactional leader if you:
 Value corporate structure
 Micromanage
 Don’t question authority
 Are practical and pragmatic
 Value goal-hitting
 Are reactionary
Benefits: Transactional leaders facilitate the achievement of goals, through short-term goals and
a clearly defined structure.
Challenges: Being overly focused on short-term goals and not having long-term goals can cause
a company to struggle with adversity. This style stifles creativity and is unmotivating to
employees who are not incentivized by monetary rewards.
Example: A bank branch manager meets with each member of the team bi-weekly to discuss
ways they can meet and exceed monthly company goals to get their bonus. Each of the top 10
performers in the district receives a monetary reward.
Read more: What is Transactional Leadership?
10. Bureaucratic leadership style
Bureaucratic leaders are similar to autocratic leaders in that they expect their team members to
follow the rules and procedures precisely as written.
The bureaucratic leadership style focuses on fixed duties within a hierarchy where each
employee has a set list of responsibilities, and there is little need for collaboration and creativity.
This leadership style is most effective in highly regulated industries or departments, such as
finance, healthcare or government.
You may be a bureaucratic leader if you:
 Are detail-oriented and task-focused
 Value rules and structure
 Have a great work ethic
  Are strong-willed
 Have a commitment to your organization
 Are self-disciplined
Benefits: This leadership style can be efficient in organizations that need to follow strict rules
and regulations. Each person in the team/company has a clearly defined role which leads to
efficiency. These leaders separate work from relationships to avoid clouding the team's ability to
hit goals.
Challenges: This style does not promote creativity which can feel restricting to some employees.
This leadership style is also slow to change and does not thrive in an environment that needs to
be dynamic.
Example: Managers at a Department of Motor Vehicles office instruct their employees to work
within a specific, defined framework. They must take many steps to complete a task with strict
order and rules.
How to choose and develop your leadership style
As someone who is interested in the leadership path or looking for more structure in their
leadership approach, it can be helpful to choose a leadership style that feels authentic to you.
Some questions you may ask yourself when trying to determine which style is right for you
include:
 What do I value more—goals or relationships?
 Do I believe in structure or freedom of choice?
 Would I rather make a decision on my own, or collectively?
 Do I focus on short or long-term goals?
 Does motivation come from empowerment or direction?
 What does a healthy team dynamic look like to me?
These are just a few examples of questions to ask yourself while reading through leadership
styles to help you decide which style you relate most with. To develop your leadership style
consider these strategies:
 Experiment. Try out varied approaches in different circumstances and pay attention to
the outcome. Be flexible in changing out your approach.
 Seek a mentor. Speaking with a leader with more experience than yourself can offer
great insight into how they developed their style and what worked for them.
  Ask for feedback. Although sometimes hard to hear, constructive feedback helps you
grow into a successful leader. Seek feedback from individuals you trust will give you an
honest answer.
 Be authentic. If you are trying to perfect a leadership style that is in opposition to your
personality or morals, it will come across as inauthentic. Try to choose a leadership style
that’s in alignment with your strengths and work to further improve it.
While a certain leadership style may be impactful in a specific job—for example, autocratic
leaders tend to do well in a military setting—the best leadership is using a blend of these styles.
Knowing what style to enforce in workplace situations comes with time, practice and emotional
intelligence. Remember, most leaders borrow from a variety of styles to achieve various goals at
different times in their careers.
While you may have excelled in a role using one type of leadership, another position may require
a different set of habits to ensure your team is operating most effectively. By understanding each
of these leadership types, and the outcomes they’re designed to achieve, you can select the right
leadership style for your current situation.
 11 EFFECTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT
SKILLS
Have you ever found yourself using the phrase, “There just aren’t enough hours in the
day”? Everyone feels this way from time to time, whether you’re a working parent, busy
entrepreneur, student or any other human in our fast-paced world. Now think about it
this way: Everyone has the same amount of hours in the day. So what separates the
Warren Buffetts and Sheryl Sandbergs from the rest of us? The answer is time
management skills.

There are many things in life that are outside of your control, but how you spend your
time is not one of them. Using your hours to work toward the outcomes you value the
most will help to not only bring you success, but will also sustain that feeling of
fulfillment that comes from accomplishing your goals. The first step toward learning how
to improve time management  is realizing that it’s a mental game that anyone can
master.

HOW TO IMPROVE TIME MANAGEMENT

To make the most of your time and achieve the life that you dream of, you must create a
mental shift in how you think about time management. Stop thinking of time as a
resource that’s out of your control. It’s true that there are only a limited number of hours
in a day, but you can develop time management skills to focus your attention on what
really matters. Use these 11 ways to improve time management to allow your brain to
zero-in on your highest-value outcomes without getting swept up in distractions.

1. ALIGN YOUR FOCUS

“Where focus goes, energy flows,” says Tony. The first step is getting clear on what it is
you really want, and then aligning your ultimate goals with the actions you need to take
today. If the tasks that you need to complete aren’t aligned with what truly matters to
you – your core values – then you’ll never find the time to do them. This is the
methodology behind Tony’s Rapid Planning Method – by focusing on an outcome, you
develop the motivation and organization needed to meet your goals.
What do you consider your ultimate goals? If you’ve listed many things, take pause. An
endless list of goals is the same as having no goals. Ask yourself: What actions produce
the most value? What outcomes address your true wants in life? Once you have a
direction to move in, you’ll get a better sense of what actions deserve your attention and
which ones don’t.

2. USE CHUNKING

Better time management skills start with zeroing in on what you really want – whether
that’s strengthening your relationship, accelerating your career, starting your own
business or living a healthier lifestyle. From there, create smaller goals that all “ladder
up” to your desired end result. 

Tony says, “Most of your stress is because you’re thinking about too many things at
once.” If you’re facing an overwhelming number of tasks around an outcome, remember
that you can create better to-do lists by chunking all related tasks into smaller groups so
that they are easier to manage and tackle. That way, you can better visualize and
identify the steps you need to take to reach your goal.

Tony explains the power of chunking and how it helps direct your focus toward what
matters.

3. DETERMINE YOUR PRIORITIES

How do you know where to direct your energy in order to see the results you want? How
do you know if you’re truly working toward your core values? Conduct a core values
audit: track your activities for two weeks, taking note of which core values your actions
connect with, and audit yourself with a keen eye as you evaluate how to move closer to
your goals.

Once you have several weeks of progress written down, take an objective look at how
you’ve been spending your time. Eliminate any activity that’s not connected to your core
values and goals. Replace these activities, like checking social media too frequently,
with something that serves your ultimate plan, like cooking healthy meals or regularly
exercising. After several weeks of practice, you’ll find you don’t miss the time-
consuming tasks you eliminated.

4. SET SMART GOALS

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and anchored within a
Time Frame. Be clear with the outcome you plan to achieve and designate the time
needed to reach your goal. Rather than just telling yourself you want to lose weight this
year, set a clear goal: one pound per week, or five pounds per month. Don’t forget to be
realistic. If you tell yourself you’re going to go from middle manager to CEO at your
company, that’s an incredible goal to set, but realize it might take longer than six
months.

By being specific with your outcomes, and having clarity on what they are and why you
want them, you can have the laser-guided focus you need to achieve them. Not only
that, but you’ll feel a greater sense of fulfillment when you do hit your objectives.

5. LEARN TO SAY NO

One crucial element of learning how to improve time management is getting comfortable
with saying “No” to things that don’t help you reach your goals. When you say “no” to
something that isn’t really adding value to your life or supporting your core values or
goals, you are saying yes to something else that is: time to be with family, exercise or
even much-needed sleep.

If saying no to something seems hard, think about a time when you reluctantly said
“yes” to something and later regretted it. In the end, you either did the task begrudgingly
even though you didn’t have the time or resources to do it, or you flaked out because
you were overcommitted. Saying no in the first place is a lot easier – and saves you
time to focus on what really matters to you.

6. MINIMIZE DISTRACTIONS

Think of minimizing distractions as another way of saying “no.” So what’s distracting

you? Email? Texts? Social media? Whatever it is, say “no.” Eliminate the distraction and
the stress that comes with it. Block websites if you have to. Put up an “Away” or “Do Not
Disturb” notice on your accounts. Your time is yours, so take control of your workspace
and time so you can be productive.

Often we allow ourselves to lose focus and be interrupted as a crutch when we’re
experiencing uncomfortable emotions like boredom, frustration or lack of interest. These
are learned, addictive responses – and we can learn to overcome them and change our
behavior by employing effective time management skills instead of backing down when
a task becomes challenging.
 7. CUT BACK ON INSTANT ANSWERS

If you have trouble saying “no,” one of the best ways to improve time management is to
stop answering immediately. Think about it: Too often people ask us to do something
and we instantly say yes. Then we have a commitment we’re stuck with. Instead of
answering right away and providing a response you’ll later regret, step away from the
email or tell the person you’ll need to think about it.

Try not instantly committing for one month. Instead, take time and ensure that you
commit only to tasks or activities that support your core values and goals. If something
someone asks you to do doesn’t align with those values and goals, be bold and politely
decline. At the end of the month, assess: How much time did you save? How much
more fulfilled do you feel with what you did accomplish?

8. HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE

All the time management skills in the world are worth nothing if you don’t hold yourself
accountable. Suppose that you want to strengthen your relationship with your partner,
and you decide to use an hour of your day to give that person the attention they
deserve. But as you’re sitting there, your phone vibrates in your pocket. What do you
do?

Instead of checking your phone, stay committed to your targeted outcome – a healthier,
more passionate relationship with the person you love – and give your partner the
attention they deserve. By staying focused on your end goal, and letting the phone
conversation wait for an hour or more, you’ll attain the outcome that speaks the most to
your core values – and gives you more fulfillment than checking your phone ever could.

9. USE THE 20-MINUTE RULE

You know the feeling when you’re “in the zone”? You’re unstoppable. What if you could
“get in the zone” whenever you wanted? With the 20-minute increment block, you can.

Get your mind ready; let yourself know you’re about to focus on something important.
Prepare to tackle the task and set an alarm for 20 minutes. Until your alarm rings, give
that task everything you’ve got, without any distractions. When the alarm goes off,
decide whether you’re going to put the task down or finish it. Take a small break, then
get back to that task. Repeat the process until the task is complete.
Working on your tasks in these 20-minute chunks helps you pull yourself into the zone
as needed, instead of hoping to fall into it by chance. Over time, you’ll be able to slip
into this mindset on your own, without the aid of a timer.

10. OUTSOURCE

Want to be the best, most efficient version of yourself possible? Outsourcing tasks is a
critical skill that every successful entrepreneur and Fortune 500 CEO has to master,
and so do you. When you can delegate tasks, do it.

Think of it this way: If you’re too focused on completing a giant list of menial tasks every
day, you’ll be unable to focus on your larger goals and core values. It’s also worthwhile
to remember that by delegating whenever possible, you help yourself grow because you
give yourself space to take on the newest, most challenging tasks yourself, and can
delegate someone else to handle the smaller, everyday items on your to-do list.

11. TAKE A BREAK

If this seems counterintuitive – it isn’t. The world’s most successful people know the
importance of occasionally checking out. Warren Buffett plays bridge and practices
ukulele in his spare time. Oprah Winfrey meditates. Simon Cowell climbs trees and
watches cartoons! The point is, sometimes the best thing you can do is give your brain
a break from the task at hand.

Whether you take a vacation to Hawaii or a lunchtime walk around your office building,
taking a break gives your brain a chance to “reboot.” It actually increases creativity and
focus and leads to better problem-solving. If you’re wondering how to improve time
management and you feel you’ve tried everything, step away for a minute or two. You’ll
return with renewed concentration and vigor.

Effective time management skills are at the heart of a happier, more fulfilled life
because you’ll be able to focus and achieve the outcomes that drive your passion.
Imagine that intense feeling of peace that comes with being fulfilled with what you’ve
achieved; this feeling is in your grasp, as long as you commit to reclaiming your time
and working toward your ultimate purpose. With the right time management framework,
and excellent time management skills in place, you no longer have to imagine that state
– you can attain and li