How would you describe your leadership style?

By Stacey Watkinson

Leadership is not just about a job title, it’s a mindset, behaviours and mannerisms, and having the skill to inspire and support others toward a common goal. Whether you’re an experienced executive or an up-and-coming leader, a key question that often comes up in interviews, development programs, and team evaluations is…….

“How would you describe your leadership style?”

It sounds like a pretty easy question to answer, but the response you give can provide a lot of information about how you manage a team of people, how you face challenges, and align with company culture and objectives.

Why Leadership Style is Important

Understanding and being able to convey your leadership style is imperative in today’s dynamic workplaces. It affects everything from team morale to performance and employee retention. For organisations, knowing a person’s leadership style helps to ensure the correct person is given the right role, team, and can uphold the overall company values.

Common Leadership Styles (and What They Say About You)

Here are some recognised leadership styles and what they typically say about you:

1. Transformational Leadership

You inspire and motivate others to thrive. You look to the future, are innovative, and great at driving change and progression.
Best for: Fast-growing, visionary environments.

2. Democratic Leadership

You encourage your team to participate and celebrate collaboration. Decisions are made together, and trust is mutual.
Best for: Diverse skill set teams and creative environments.

3. Servant Leadership

Your team’s well-being and growth are at the forefront of the way you lead. You are an empathetic, humble, and supportive leader.
Best for: Values-driven businesses and mission-led teams.

4. Autocratic Leadership

You prefer to make decisions independently and take a strong control approach. This can lead to quick results, especially in high-pressure situations.
Best for: Crisis management or highly regulated industries.

5. Coaching Leadership

You use mentoring, developing talent, and empowering others through feedback and encouragement as your main focus through leadership.
Best for: Talent development and long-term team growth.

6. Laissez-Faire Leadership

You trust your team to work independently with minimal leadership oversight. You provide support only when needed, and you do not micromanage.
Best for: Highly skilled and self-motivated teams.

How to Identify Your Style

• Listen to feedback: What do your colleagues, team, or direct reports say about your approach?
• Assess your decision-making: Do you ask others’ opinions or act independently?
• Consider your values: What do you prioritise: is it results, collaboration, innovation, or team growth?

You may also find that your style changes depending on the team or situation you are dealing with, and that’s okay. Great leaders adapt while staying true to themselves and their core values.

Why It Matters in Interviews

If you’re asked in an interview to describe your leadership style, your answer should be authentic, but also aligned with the company’s culture. If the interviews is for a new company you have never worked for make sure to do your research on the company itself and of course their values/mission. Use examples to demonstrate how your style has worked effectively in past roles and/or at past companies.

Example:
“I’d describe my leadership style as Democratic Leadership. I believe that decisions should be made together in the best interest of the business and that trust is mutual. In my last role, I found that making decisions as a group improved my teams engagement and the standard of work they produced as it gave them a sense of responsibility.”

If you need more support with your leadership skills including training please reach out to us for more information.