Do you sit back and let your team take initiative, or do you like to steer the ship?
You’ve probably heard of “autocratic,” “servant,” and “transformational” style leaders, but before you assign yourself to one of these buzzwords, Management Professor Amy Colbert says the 30,000-foot view is to think of leadership styles as a dichotomy of control—how much you let your team decide versus how much you take the reins. To figure out which end of this dichotomy you’re on, think about how you approach the work of leading.
What's your leadership style?
Colbert says that leaders are responsible for three main priorities: achieving goals, building relationships, and driving change. Leaders often have a style that comes more naturally to them, and it affects how they approach these priorities.
For example, a leader may achieve goals using either a directive or empowering style. To build relationships and increase team cohesion, a leader may take a hands-on approach or be a supportive coach. When driving change, leaders can inspire others with their singular vision or collaborate to create a future together.
Advice on how to evolve your leadership style
Be yourself
Colbert encourages leaders to stay within their strengths as much as possible.
"Try to put yourself in roles where your strengths are relevant," she says.
"Doing so will allow you to lead effectively and build up goodwill with your team so that they’re patient with you when you come upon a challenge. Alternatively, find collaborators who can nurture the team in a way that you might not be able to. It’s okay to stick with your style and find people who complement it.”
But can you learn to exhibit styles that don't come naturally?
Yes, you can. Read on to learn a few good reasons to try.
What if your job needs a certain type of leader?
No one style is better than another, but some might not be the right fit for a company or team.
"We all have certain tendencies that come from our personalities and our pasts, which may become magnified once we’re put in leadership positions,” Colbert says. “But they aren’t cages that you can’t break out of.”
She suggests dipping into different styles when called for.
"Choose behavior necessary for the situation,” she says. “For example, in a crisis, a team needs a strong leader who can quickly guide next steps. When times aren’t so fraught, empowering your team can create fantastic results. The same goes for different phases of a project. Set a clear direction at the outset, and then let your team interpret details within their own positions.”
It can also depend on your team. “In an employee’s first job out of college or in a new industry, they may not want to define their role or initiate new programs. They’re just trying to figure things out and demonstrate competence,” Colbert says. “The opposite is also true—if you inherit a well-oiled machine, don’t slow them up with too much unnecessary direction.”
"Empowerment is often talked about as an ideal, but can be taken too far," cautions Colbert.
The chaos-bringer she speaks of is the “laissez faire” approach. A leader may feel like they’re empowering their team, but if they’ve gone too far, the team may feel like they aren’t providing needed direction.
How can you get it right?
"This comes up a lot in my MBA classes,” Colbert says, “‘How much should I empower my team?’ You have to analyze the situation. It’s good to recognize that sometimes being directive is the compassionate choice when your team is overloaded or green.”
Style flexing
Taking a different approach doesn’t always have to be defined by what is best for the company. A leader might also want to emulate a style because they admire it in a mentor or want to prioritize the well-being of the team.
According to Colbert, many styles can be used to achieve a leader’s goals, but they may have to stretch into a different style when the situation calls for it.
So how do you emulate a leadership style?
"In the Iowa MBA program, where I teach leadership and personal development, we talk about habit building. Say you would like the trust and community a hands-on leader with good relationship skills creates but don’t know how to get there. Identify specific behaviors and plan them into your schedule," Colbert says.
"For example, you might set reminders to check in with your team about non-task related things, even if it feels awkward at first. Don’t create a one-on-one on their calendars quarterly for a ‘friendly chat’ because it won’t feel like it’s coming from a place of caring. Try incorporating it into your weekly routine as an experiment, and soon it may become habit.”
"I'm also a big fan of reflecting," she says. "If you’re trying to stretch into a new leadership style, make sure to spend time reflecting on how well you’re doing.”
Actionable Tips:
- On your commute home, try leaving yourself voice memos about how well you led that day/week.
- Start a “done list” of instances that helped create a good, functioning, cohesive team. So much more satisfying than a to-do list!
We also underestimate how much situations cause us to behave in ways that aren’t our typical style, Colbert says. For example, stepping into a new leadership role is often stressful. It may be a while before you’re not overwhelmed and can truly feel yourself (and your style) at work. “Daily or weekly reflections help you make sure that you are the leader you want to be and the one your team needs.”
Problem solvers
Leadership isn’t all sunshine and raises—it comes with responsibility and a healthy dose of conflict resolution. Tippie experts weigh in on workplace quandaries from The Bear, Downton Abbey, Seinfeld, and Ted Lasso.
Level up
Challenges evolve as you move up the ladder and sometimes people get promoted because of their fantastic outcomes—not necessarily because they’d be great managers.
"I have led various teams and been a leadership researcher for years, and I still need an occasional booster,” Colbert says. "Things like leadership trainings help me to remind myself ‘Oh yeah, that was the strategy I used to build that skill into my style.’”
If you’d like to level up your leadership skills, check out Tippie’s lifelong learning opportunities—whether that’s the online Iowa MBA, graduate certificates, custom executive education classes through the Tippie Leadership Collaborative, or lunch-hour listens to alumni webinars or our new Tippie Leads podcast.
The bottom line
No matter your style, we want to see you succeed.
This article appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Tippie Magazine.