Assess Your Leadership Style: Five Quick and Quirky Questions to Ask Yourself

Leadership – that magical ability to guide a team without leading them into the Bermuda Triangle of confusion. Employers love it, like a cat loves a laser pointer. But what is your leadership style? Benevolent dictator, democratic diplomat, or laissez-faire legend?

Manager training is the biggest gap I see working with small- to midsize companies. In most cases, managers don’t receive any training at all. A lack of formal, consistent manager training leads to poor employee experiences and is the largest contributor to turnover. According to this survey, 42% of new managers developed their management style by observing a previous manager rather than through formal training. No risk in that method, right?

Now, hopefully you know there is a HUGE difference between leadership and management. To level-set, a manager’s focus is controlling resources and optimizing processes, while a leader focuses on inspiring and empowering people to work together towards a common goal. Both are essential, but the balance can be tricky. For this specific article, we’ll focus on leadership (and save management topics for the novel I’m writing).

Here’s some quick and quirky questions to reflect on your leadership style:

Question 1: What IS your leadership style, anyway?

In the modern workplace, leadership greatness doesn’t come from your title - it’s achieved through conscious focus and the hard work of personal and professional improvement, which require a constant increase in self-awareness, leadership competencies and a willingness to continue to grow.

Question 2: What are the most important skills for a leader to have in your industry/organization?

Can you juggle? Dance? Silence a room with a raised eyebrow? Your organization should have stated competencies needed to be a leader, but if they don’t, that doesn’t mean you throw your hands up and say “Oh, well”. Take some time to reflect on the sticky situations you’ve experienced and the skills you needed to navigate them.

Question 3: How Do You Motivate a Team?

Speeches, posters, or pizza promises? Assess your motivational techniques. Cheerleading and pizza parties don’t always work. What says, “Let's conquer this project together"? Think about what has worked in the past and what hasn’t.

Question 4: How Do You Handle Conflict on a Team?

Do you unleash your inner mediator or challenge them to a thumb wrestling match? How do you react when conflicts occur? Because they’re bound to happen. Assess your conflict resolution skills – because thumb wrestling is a legit form of dispute resolution, right?

Question 5: How Do You Delegate Tasks?

Randomly throw tasks like confetti without clarity or analyze strengths like a superhero assembling a dream team? Are you delegating tasks without explaining the WHY behind it? Assess your task delegation prowess – because giving the office introvert a public speaking gig is a recipe for disaster.

As you take some time to reflect on your answers to these five questions, which of these three leadership styles below stand out to you the most? These are the OG leadership styles identified by Kurt Lewin way back in 1939 and obviously, these have evolved over the years and new styles have emerged. But at the end of the day, there are no right or wrong answers and you’ll need to be flexible enough to pull on the style needed most in any specific situation. Think about these as tools for your leadership toolbox.

1. Authoritarian, Autocratic Leadership

"Do as I say, not as I do." Helpful in crises but might drive people away faster than a horror movie marathon.

2. Democratic, Participative Leadership

Set goals, guide discussions, and make decisions while avoiding a slow-motion snail race. Embrace healthy debates but be cautious of too many chefs in the kitchen or decision-making paralysis.

3. The Delegating, "Laissez Faire" Leader

"Let them do as they choose." Empower your team but check in occasionally, or chaos might ensue. Being remote doesn't mean being MIA.

Whether you're herding cats or guiding Gandalf-style, leadership is about finding and embracing your own style that’s most authentic to you. Assessing your style is like solving a Rubik's Cube – challenging, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately satisfying. Go forth, leaders, and may your journey be as epic as a Netflix series – with fewer plot twists.

*Disclaimer: No actual cats were herded in the making of this article.*