How to choose a leadership style that best fits your position.

Among the many options we have to approach a leadership position, how can you find one that fits your personality to deliver effortless results?

By Brenda L Bardaels, September 9, 2023

There are several approaches to leadership to choose from. Choosing one that matches your personality sounds easy, but in reality it is not. Not only are our personalities everchanging as we grow personally and professionally, but so is the work environment in today's workforce that continues to restructure itself after the pandemic. This changes caused a shift in the mentality of employees and what they see as valuable in their job. Many decided to join the Great Resignation in 2022, which had the highest rate of people quitting their job. An estimated 50.5 million people quit their jobs to be exact. This past July, the number was 3.5 million, for people who quit their job.

There are many reasons why people are leaving the security of their income and that varies from retirement, moving out of the area, better opportunities, or toxic work environment. This leaves many leaders wondering if they are responsible for the lack of hiring and retention within their organizations.

Follow these tips to ensure you choose an approach to leadership that matches your personality, and naturally delivers excellent results while fostering a positive work environment.

Tip #1 - Get to know your organization's structure.

What type of environment do you work in? The field in which you work will affect the way you interact and lead your team.

• A hierarchal organization clearly defines leaders from subordinates and is concerned with labor and market needs before employees' needs.

- Military and Government.

-Law Enforcement.

-Church systems.

-Global retail stores.

• Neoclassical Management organization defines leaders from subordinates but takes into account the subordinates' needs.

- Hospitals and Healthcare settings.

-Schools.

-Smaller franchises.

-Manufacturers.

• Modern organizational cultures are concern with the internal and the external changes in an organization and the way these changes affect business operations.

-Automotive manufacturers.

-Tech companies.

-Construction companies.

Understanding your organization's structure will help you decide on the best approach to make the best use of your position and lead from there. Which takes us to the next tip:

Tip #2 - Know your position within your team.

It is important to know where do you fall when it comes to your team. Are you the influencer? the doer? the knowledgeable? the manager? the loner? or even the social?

"Understand this by analyzing what does your team usually call you for. Be realistic about it. Your title does not define your position in a team, it most likely only defines your paycheck."

This is important because you can leverage your position and the positions of your team members. You want to put your effort and your focus on becoming the best at your position within the team. This can motivate others to do the same, thus increasing team efforts, relations and productivity. To adopt a practical approach to understand your position, you must know your field of business.

"Business is usually a team sport. There isn't one great person sitting there directing things. You can't run an effective business like that." – Stephen A. Schwarzman

Tip #3 - Make it personal

What feels natural to you? While you can adopt a certain style to lead, you will not be able to fake it. It will seemed forced and ineffective. Instead incorporate what feels natural to you and make small changes as you progress.

Behavioral Leader - You are set in your behaviors and base your actions on these.

Situational Leader - You look at the scenario to find correlation between behavior and situation. Your choices are dependent on a mixture of factors.

Transactional Leader - You find value in offering incentives in exchange of motivation and performance.

Transformational Leader - You enjoy inspiring and transforming subordinates into their best self.

Servant Leader - You like to put yourself in your employees shoes and provide them with tools and resources to help them achieve better performance.

Strength-Base Leader - You focus on employee strength rather than deficiencies.

Know that there is not a right or wrong answer and you may even have more than one preference. That is okay, there is actually a mix-style leadership approach that benefits many of the non-traditional environments many workers face today.

Tip #4 - Understand your team

Getting to know your team needs will help you be a better leader. Do they need motivation? Safety practices? Better tools or equipment? Is there enough representation and diversity within the team?

It is also important to understand your team at a personal level. This can help you understand their situation outside of work, at home, their hobbies, and possibly hidden skills that may benefit the organization in the long run. Asking about their professional goals is very valid. This can give you insight on how you can support their professional development.

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." – Henry Ford

Check out this activities to gain ideas on how to go about getting to know your team.

Tip #5 - Trial and Error

Evolving to become your best leader self takes time. Start by implementing small changes to the way you behave at work. Keep what works and discard what does not work. Even if you feel that something suits you well, it may not be the best for the team or the organization. In which case, do not give up, simply try a different approach.

Strengthening your leadership style and abilities requires deep self-awareness and the environment in which you perform and it doesn't come overnight. Commitment and action can help you find the best leadership style for you.

Become the leader you wish you had!

Each team is unique and requires a leader to go above and beyond to help them achieve their ultimate goal and to motivate them to be the best team they can be. Order a copy of: Not your Average Leader, today to learn more about leadership styles. Comment below what are other tips that have worked for you!