What’s Your Leadership Style?
And Why It Might Be Time to Rethink It!
If you’ve ever led a team, chaired a meeting, or even made a tough call during a group project, you’ve already experienced leadership in action. But how you lead and how you adapt that style to the moment is what defines your effectiveness.
Over the years, I’ve seen one truth hold steady: great leaders know their default style but don’t stay stuck in it. Instead, they flex their style. They stretch. They evolve with their teams, environments, and challenges.
That’s why I love drawing from the work of leadership scholar Peter G. Northouse, whose book Leadership: Theory and Practice explores many ways to lead, each with its own strengths and limitations. Whether it’s transformational, servant, situational, or authentic leadership, the theory becomes powerful when we understand how it plays out in our own leadership.
The Case for Leadership Style Awareness
Many leaders operate on gut-instinct. But self-awareness is the starting point of growth.
When you know:
- What style you naturally default to,
- Where that style serves or hinders you
- What alternative approaches are available
Then you unlock new possibilities for leading with intention.
Free Leadership Style Activity
To help leaders explore this, I use a reflection tool grounded in Northouse’s most impactful leadership theories. It includes a short self-assessment, coaching questions, and a space to set intentions. Perfect for a solo reflection or to spark deeper dialogue, either practicing as a coach, or leading the activity with a team.
→ Download the Leadership Style Self-Assessment here
Once you’ve completed the assessment, use your favourite Generative AI tool to create an image that represents your top 3 styles and share it with your team. Ask them to do the same, it makes for a fun team visual or collage of archetypes.
Knowing your style is just the start but great leadership lies in the ability to adapt, align, and grow.
