Find out what style of leadership defines you and which famous influencers you are most similar to when it comes to managing and working in a team!

At a certain point in your life, you will be compelled to take on a leadership role. Whether through work, school, volunteer, or even within your family, you may find yourself at crossroads on how you to be an influential leader. Leadership can be a difficult thing: there are many different styles and, teams are always dynamic, so it is important to know the different types of styles you can use for the appropriate time and place.

It is also important to understand which leadership style best defines you so that you are able to better articulate yourself and therefore, avoid miscommunications. Moreover, often times we interpret others in the wrong way because we don’t realize that we all have a different style of leading/taking part in a team. Learning these leadership styles will help close that gap and allow you to better understand others.

1. Pace Setting/Commanding

A pace-setting/commanding leadership style is one of authority. This style works best when a leader is very knowledgeable, the team is already motivated and skilled, and results are needed quickly. If used too much, however, team members may start to feel overworked, burnt out, and overwhelmed. To sum up this style in one sentence, it would be to “do as I say, when I say it.”

Bill Gates, on a high level, used this type of leadership style to effectively move Microsoft in the right direction. He knew the vision for his company, had a skilled and motivated team and used these to successfully advance his company to lead in the industry.

2. Visionary/Democratic

“What do you think?” is what a visionary/democratic leader would ask. This style works great when there is a vision, and the team works together to make decisions on how to reach that decision. Team members must be informed and knowledgeable so they can successfully reach the shared goal together. This style does not work in times of an emergency or when time is of the essence.

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple after being away for ten years, he employed this leadership style. Jobs hired other experienced leaders and entrusted them to excel. Jobs encouraged his lead designer Jonathon Ive, and he mentored manufacturing expert Tim Cook, now CEO. He let them make key decisions for their shared vision which helped Apple survive and soar.

3. Affiliative/Coaching

Working to create strong emotional bonds and strengthen skills amongst employees is what the affiliative/coaching style is all about. When team members have potential but need more guidance, this style works best. It allows team members to build the skills and trust (with each other) that they need going forward. If team members are unwilling to learn or grow, and/or they remain closed off to others, this leadership style is inefficient.

Known for her compassion and team mentality, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg leveraged this leadership style to motivate her team towards larger goals. She engaged with all of her employees, going as far as approaching hundreds of desks to introduce herself and ask questions about them. She encouraged debates and is all for the idea of learning and growing together as a team.

Ideally, a good leader employs all leadership styles when appropriate. There are times when you will need to assess whether there is a crisis and execute a commanding style, and there are times where you will need to learn to step back and apply a more affiliative approach. It is not only okay to be more than one style than another, it is, in fact, a mark of an effective leader. What is important is your ability to judge when to use each style, and to know which style suits you best since, naturally, you’ll be using that one the most.