Before we jump into the deep end…

Introduction

I want to be clear about my leadership style, which will help you know where I am coming from. You know when you go to interviews, and they ask you what your leadership style is? You've probably never given it too much thought aside from, "I'm a leader who is good at what they do." That, in and of itself, isn't an inadequate response; after all, it's not a very straightforward question. You may have lucked up if you've been working for a while. Your job offers good career development or learning opportunities for you to learn these things. Still, you wouldn't have a basis for knowing any of them.

I'm here to say that leadership styles are something people study, research, and implement, and I am one of those people.

Leadership Styles

I am not going to get into the nitty-gritty of each style, but I do want us all to work from the same definitions.

Servant leadership has become popular recently. In its most simplistic form, servant leadership is a leadership philosophy that prioritizes the needs of those who follow their leader.

Another popular style is transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is a leadership philosophy that inspires and empowers the team to go above and beyond to facilitate transformation.

Many people are familiar with this style, even if they do not know it by its government name: Transactional leadership. Transactional leadership is a leadership style that focuses on rewards and punishments as motivators between the leaders and those that they lead.

Lastly, there is authentic leadership. If I had to choose one, this would be what I consider my personal leadership style to be. Authentic leadership emphasizes a leader's self-awareness, transparency, and ethical integrity. It requires leaders to act in line with their values and beliefs, fostering trust and credibility by demonstrating consistency between what they say and what they do.

A Caveat

There are more leadership styles than those listed here, such as ethical, compassionate, pseudo-transformational, benevolent-paternalism, aesthetic, relational, etc. Those I briefly defined are what I have seen out in the world or what friends or family have described to me in their work settings, so those would be most relevant, at least for now.

Why Authentic Leadership

I can probably cite more reasons why I cannot get into servant leadership, transactional leadership, or transformational leadership than I can as to why my style is authentic leadership. However, that does not lessen my belief that out of all of them, this is where I land most comfortably at this time. As I share more about myself and my experiences, maybe you, too, will agree with how I made this choice.

Last Bit

Leadership is a journey; how we approach it says a lot about who we are and what we value. I know my path leans toward authentic leadership because it aligns with how I see the world and the kind of leader I strive to be. But I also know that leadership isn't one-size-fits-all. What about you? What leadership style resonates with you the most? Comment below and share your thoughts. I’d love to hear your perspective!