What is your leadership style?
Leading sucks, sometimes…
This post will help you discover the key traits of leadership styles and understand approaches to leading a team and how they impact your success.
Looking back on my journey of leading my team, I was proposed to become an Engineering Lead without much experience in people management. Honestly, I did not know in depth about what leadership style I had used to navigate team challenges in the past.
We will explore different leadership styles together, and I will provide more insights on how each style can be applied in a software engineering context. By the end, you will have a better understanding of your own leadership style and how to leverage it to achieve your goals.
TL;DR
- Leadership style is a combination of behavior patterns, decision-making methods, communication styles, and how leaders influence others.
- Assess your leadership style based on key components such as decision-making, communication, and team management.
- Different leadership styles include Transactional, Transformational, Laissez-faire, Servant, Autocratic, and Democratic leadership.
- Effective leaders can adapt their style based on the situation and the needs of their team.
What is leadership style?#
Leadership style is more about characteristic approaches that a leader normally uses and based on it to guide, influence, and manage their team. In details, it is a combination of the leader’s behavior patterns, decision-making methods, commnucation styles, and how they influence others.
How you can assess your leadership style?#
Based on each key components, you can ask yourself these questions to deeply assess your leadership style, and understand better what you are doing with your team or your direct reports:
| Decision-making |
|---|
| 1. How you makes choices? |
| 2. Who you involve to make decisions? |
| 3. Have you ever delegate to others? |
| 4. What level of autonomy given to team members? |
| Communication |
|---|
| 1. What communication frequency and channels you use? |
| 2. What is your feedback approach? |
| 3. How you sharing information with your team and your direct reports? |
| 4. What are your conflict resolution techniques? |
| Team Management |
|---|
| 1. How you motivate your reports and your squad members? |
| 2. How you manage performance reviews? |
| 3. What are your team development strategies? |
| 4. What are goal-setting processes? |
When answering these questions, depends on the contexts or the situations, you could have different answers. Don’t worries! It is okay as different answers will lead you to different leadership styles. Also, your answers will not always bring you to a single leadership style, you may have a mix of different leadership styles.
Leadership Styles#
In this section, I will share more details of each style (e.g., the definition, how leaders with the style operate, pros and cons, situations) so you can match it with your leadership style.
Transactional Leadership#
Transactional Leadership is a style where leaders focus on the transactions between the leader and their followers. They will communicate about structured tasks and clear roles, where leaders use rewards and punishments based on performance to motivate their team.
Mostly, the leaders will operate by directively setting clear expectations and goals for their team. And to ensure the team is on track, they monitor performance closely and provide feedback based on outcomes.
Pros and cons-wise, this style clarify roles and expectations which can enhance productivity, also effective for managing routine tasks and ensuring compliance. However, it may stifle creativity and innovation due to its rigid structure, and can lead to low morale if team members feel undervalued beyond their outputs.
Examples
Product Manager (PM) sets clear sprint goals and expectations for the team. PM can communicate about what features need to be delivered. At the end of the sprint, depending on the features delivered, PM can know the performance of the team, and adjust the goals for the next sprint. The more clear the goals are, the more better he can know the velocity of the team.
Transformational Leadership#
Transformational Leadership is where leaders use charisma and enthusiasm to inspire followers. The leaders aim to inspire and motivate team members to exceed expectations through visions.
| The 4 I’s of Transformational Leadership |
|---|
| 1. Idealized Influence: Leaders act as role models for their team, inspiring trust and respect. |
| 2. Inspirational Motivation: Leaders communicate a vision for the future, motivating team members to achieve their best. |
| 3. Intellectual Stimulation: Leaders encourage creativity and innovation, challenging team members to think outside the box by providing learning opportunities and welcome different perspectives and ideas. |
| 4. Individualized Consideration: Leaders focus on the unique potential of each team member, providing personalized support and development opportunities. |
Pros and cons-wise, this style promotes high levels of engagement and encourages creativity, leading to innovative solutions. However, it can be less effective in highly structured or crisis situations requiring quick decisions, and may lead to burnout if the vision is overly ambitious without adequate resources.
Examples
Tech Lead (TL) advance an innovative environment by encouraging team members to experiment with new technologies (e.g., Generative AI or Agents AI). Then, TL involves team members in decision-making processes to ensure buy-in and commitment to project goals. TL focuses on personal development by providing opportunities for skill-building and career growth.
Laissez-faire Leadership#
Laissez-faire Leadership is a style where leaders allow team members significant autonomy to make decisions, with minimal direct supervision from the leader. Leaders provide resources but allow teams to self-manage and make decisions independently. They step in only when necessary, usually for guidance or support.
Laissez-faire (/ˌlesāˈfer/) is French for “Let them do (what they want)”.
Pros and cons-wise, this style empowers experienced team members, encouraging innovation, also can lead to high job satisfaction among self-motivated employees. However, it may result in a lack of direction for less experienced team members, and risks misalignment with organizational goals if not monitored effectively.
Examples
Tech Lead (TL) allows team members to choose their own tasks and work independently. TL provides resources and support when needed but trusts team members to make decisions. TL encourages innovation by giving team members the freedom to experiment with new ideas.
The Full Range of Leadership Model (FRLM)
There is a leadership theory called The Full Range of Leadership Model (FRLM) that describes a continuum of leadership styles, ranging from laissez-faire, transactional, to transformational leadership. Leaders can exhibit different styles based on the situation and the needs of their team. By understanding the full range of leadership styles, leaders can adapt their approach to maximize team performance and achieve organizational goals.
Servant Leadership#
Servant Leadership is a style where leaders emphasize serving the needs of the team first, promoting a supportive and collaborative environment. Leaders focus on the well-being and development of their team members, prioritizing team needs over their own authority or interests.
| Traditional Leader | Servant Leader |
|---|---|
| Views leadership as a position of power and authority. | Views leadership as a chance to serve others. |
| Uses power and control to direct and manage team members. | Shares power and control to drive engagement. |
| Measures success through outcomes and results. | Measures success through growth and development. |
| Speaks | Listens |
Pros and cons-wise, this style builds strong relationships and trust within the team, also enhances collaboration and team cohesion, leading to better performance. However, it may struggle with decisiveness in high-pressure situations, and there is a potential for leaders to be perceived as lacking authority if not balanced with direction.
Examples
Engineering Manager (EM) focuses on the well-being and development of team members. EM prioritizes team needs by providing support and resources to help team members succeed. EM creates a collaborative environment by encouraging open communication and feedback.
Autocratic Leadership#
Autocratic Leadership is a style where leaders make decisions unilaterally, with little input from team members. Leaders dictate tasks and processes without consulting the team, maintaining strict control over project execution and timelines.
Pros and cons-wise, this style can be effective for quick decision-making in crisis situations or when clarity is needed, also ensures consistency in task execution across the team. However, it can lead to low morale and high turnover if team members feel undervalued, and limits creativity by not leveraging the team’s insights or expertise.
Examples
Tech Lead (TL) sets tasks and deadlines without consulting the team. TL dictates the technical approach and processes to be followed by team members. TL maintains control over project timelines and deliverables to ensure project success.
Democratic Leadership#
Democratic Leadership is a style where leaders encourage participation from all team members in the decision-making process, valuing diverse opinions. Leaders facilitate discussions where everyone can contribute ideas before making decisions collectively, prioritizing consensus-building while guiding the overall direction of projects.
Pros and cons-wise, this style increases buy-in from team members, enhancing commitment to decisions, also create a culture of collaboration and innovation through diverse input. However, decision-making can be slow due to the need for consensus, and may lead to indecision if there are conflicting opinions without clear resolution strategies.
Examples
Engineering Manager (EM) encourages team members to contribute ideas and feedback on project decisions. EM facilitates discussions to gather diverse input before making decisions. EM prioritizes consensus-building to ensure alignment and commitment to project goals.
So, what is your leadership style?#
After exploring different leadership styles, you can now answer the questions in the beginning to see which style you are following.
Remember, leadership is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and the most effective leaders can adapt their style based on the situation and the needs of their team.
Feel free to share your leadership style and how you leverage it to achieve your goals by mentioning me on X or LinkedIn. I would love to hear your stories and experiences! 🤗