Leading to Success

Ever been in an interview, and the first question you get it, “Describe your leadership style for us!” What are you saying? “Uhhh…positive?”. You know your capabilities and effectiveness as a leader, now it’s time to communicate that. There are many different leadership styles, and many ways to assess what type of leader you show up as, let’s dive into it!

10 Most Common Leadership Styles and Their Meanings

Coach – Recognizes team strengths, weaknesses, and motivators.
Benefits: Positive and promotes development
Challenges: Time consuming with one-on-ones
Visionary – Progress-focused and inspirational
Benefits: Unite teams, grow company, improve processes
Challenges: Too focused on big picture, missing details of present day
Servant – People first mindset, emphasis on employee satisfaction
Benefits: Boost employee loyalty, productivity, and development
Challenges: Burnout, hard time being authoritative
Autocratic – Focused on results and efficiency
Benefits: Promote productivity through delegation and direct communication
Challenges: Lack flexibility, high stress environment
Laissez-faire – Delegating tasks, little supervision
Benefits: Encourages accountability and creativity leading to higher retention
Challenges: Not effective with new employees, lack of training and attention to detail
Democratic – Asks for input, and considers feedback from the team
Benefits: Employee empowerment, value, and sense of unification
Challenges: Inefficient and costly, always gathering big groups and waiting for feedback
Pacesetter – Focused on performance, set high standards, accountability
Benefits: Push employees to hit goals and accomplish objectives. Promotes high energy environment
Challenges: Stressful environment, always worried about a deadline
Transformational – Clear communication, goal setting, driven by organizational objectives
Benefits: Boosts company morale and retention. Values ethics of organization and team
Challenges: Can lead to team or company wins going unnoticed, overlooks details
Transactional – Goal oriented, provides incentives for wins and disciplinary measures for losses
Benefits: Achieve goals and set a clearly defined structure
Challenges: Company struggles with adversity, style is unmotivating
Bureaucratic – Rule oriented
Benefits: Leads to efficiency, avoid clouding team’s ability to hit goals
Challenges: Does not promote creativity, restricting to employees

As you can see, there are various styles of leadership, that all come with their advantages and disadvantages. It’s important to recognize what type of leader you are, and be mindful and aware of the challenges faced, to ensure you have implementations set to counteract these challenges.

How do I find out what type of leader I am?

Now that you know the different types of leadership styles, it’s time to find out which you resonate closest with! Of course, you can look at the definitions of each and take a guess, but most of the results you will find is whichever style sounds best, which will not be accurate. See below for other effective ways to find out your true leadership style and start developing your approach!

Leadership assessments
Myers-Briggs test
CARES profile assessment
Gallups Strength Finder
Career Coaching or Mentors
Sign up to meet with a career coach or mentor, so you can have a real-life conversation about your approach in the workplace, challenges you face, things that motivate you, and let the coach assess all your information and give you extensive background on what style of leader you are, why, and how to effectively lead your team to success
Professional Development Programs
Join a professional development program to collaborate with other leaders and gain insight on the pros and cons of each style through concrete examples, and activities on how to be the best leader

As a leader, you have a team looking to you for direction and advice on how they can become like you! It’s important to be the most authentic, engaging leader you can, for the positive development of your team and organization.

For more information on leadership, please contact us at DT@diverse-talent.com

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Goal-Setting for Leaders: Embracing 2025 with Purpose

By Greer Campbell • January 8, 2025

As the New Year kicks off, leaders are invited to take time to redefine aspirations for personal and professional growth. Goal setting as a leader helps to push forth an environment of accountability and ambition within teams. By embracing SMART goals ( S pecific M easurable A chievable R elevant T ime-bound) leaders provide strategy and achievable goals that resonate with evolving demands of 2025. If you are finding yourself drawing a blank in beginning the stages of goal setting for 2025, see below for a guide and items to consider adding to your spread: Begin by reflecting on the past year. What went well? What challenges arose? What needs to be discontinued? Identifying achievements and problem areas from the previous year can help in defining where to focus in the new year. This reflective process lays the groundwork for future successes. Connect with different teams and lead discussions to gain all perspectives of previous work, with a clear understanding of past performance and data. Engage your Team. When charting the course for the company’s future, engaging the team in thoughtful dialogue to gather invaluable feedback about ongoing projects and programs helps leaders understand not only what has fueled the organization’s successes, but also what challenges remain. True growth stems not only from pursuing high targets, but also from embracing diverse perspectives and insights from your team. Set Accountability Measures. Once your goals are set, it’s imperative to continue check ins and maintain accountability throughout the year. Scheduling 360 reviews with your teams s not just a procedural obligation, but an essential practice to ensure everyone feels encouraged to receive and give feedback and gain valuable insights that can shape the professional development of the team. Moreover, continuing the refinement of established goals is vital for maintaining focus and direction. As your team engages in regular discussions about their objectives, it facilitates a dynamic process of assessment and adjustment. This ongoing refinement not only ensures that everyone remains aligned with the overall vision but also fosters individual accountability, making each team member a crucial part of the larger mission. Continue your Leadership Education and Professional Development. Continued education is at the forefront for continued success of your individual position and company. Sharpen your leadership skills and ensure you’re up to date on how to effectively lead your team with online or in person programs. Diverse Talent’s DT University is a virtual, 6-session course focused on refining leadership qualities and skills. Meet with a mentor each week and learn through facilitated conversations and workshops to enhance your leadership abilities. For more information, contact us at DT@diverse-talent.com , or visit our website at www.diverse-talent.com .

Mid-Year Business Update

By Greer Campbell • September 4, 2024

The job market, quiet quitting, uprise of the digital age, and the decline of DEI? The professional world moves quickly, and it’s easy to get lost in the conundrum of new news. Here is your mid-year update. AI is Updating…Surprise Surprise Generative AI is updating their experience from transactional to a more personal approach. Individuals use of the internet will change, implementing 2-way conversation and solution focused models allowing users to get a more catered response. These updates will grant users a deeper understanding, and companies a more “human-like” vision of the brand. The New Future of Planning The concept of tradition has been molded, shifted, and completely torn apart in the past decade. Most of these shifts are seen as positive, yet some pose greater challenges than not. The rise of cost of living and cost of consummation has individuals adjusting their priorities. The global pandemic also threw a wrench in the ways of planning, pushing organizations to shift focus on fluidity and flexibility to ensure retention and growth. The Not So Quiet Quitting Quiet Quitting is a term that has been frequently thrown around since the pandemic. Commonly coined by social media, the act of quiet quitting refers to an employee doing the minimum requirements of their job, lacking effort, creativity, and excitement. According to a Gallup survey of workers taken in June 2022, quiet quitters make up at least 50% of the U.S. workforce. This act can be avoided by managers and organizations through regular check ins, employee surveys, and attention to creating a work-life balance. Technology in 2024: Helpful or Overwhelming? Tech advances are happening so rapidly, many feel that it’s become almost impossible to keep up. The advancement of technology is meant to make life easier, however some feel it’s doing the opposite. In addition to user error, technology is also playing a major part in mental health deterioration and wellbeing. The battle for attention, the pull of creativity, and most importantly – the brain rot. Are we letting this go too far?