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by Eric Douglas

Skillful leadership requires many things. Among them is awareness of your own leadership style – and how it affects other people. Knowing your style, and adjusting it to fit the needs of the situation, is one of the keys to being an effective leader.

This tool describes four different leadership styles. It shows you how to identify your own style, and then provides a chart showing the strengths and weaknesses of each style. Finally, it concludes with two exercises to help you use this information to become a more successful leader.

 

The Starting Point

Everyone has a “natural” leadership style that corresponds to his or her communication style. The Straight Talk® system shows four basic communication styles: Director, Expresser, Thinker, and Harmonizer.

The Straight Talk® survey was developed in 1998 and is used worldwide. It takes a few minutes to complete the survey and learn your style. The entire process is free.

4 Videos About Communication Styles

  • Video #1 – The BIG Secret (It’s All About Style…)
  • Video #2 – How to Identify Communication Styles
  • Video #3 – Modifying Your Communication Style
  • Video #4 – The Straight Talk Toolbox

Watch the Free Video Course

Leadership Styles

Once you’ve figured out your communication style, refer to the chart below for the corresponding leadership traits:

Assumptions of Each Style

Each leadership style makes assumptions about others because of the way that style processes and interprets information.

Situational Leadership

Effective leaders adapt their leadership style to the needs of their organization and the situation they are in. At times they are forceful and directive. At other times they are empathetic and caring. In the box below appear some typical management challenges along with the leadership style best suited to it.

Team Styles

Here are four team styles – again using the Straight Talk® model – and the behaviors that typically accompany each type:

As a leader of a team, you should try to help move the team toward a balanced style of communicating. For example, if a team is paralyzed by indecision, then injecting more of the Director leadership style will get them moving. If a group is acting too quickly, then a Thinker or Harmonize style is appropriate.

Exercises

Here are two exercises to help you build awareness of leadership styles.

Exercise 1

Reflect on 1-2 decisions you made that didn’t work out very well. Then reflect on your leadership style. Think about the actual situation and remember how you performed. What could you have done differently?

Exercise 2

Reflect on a 1-2 decisions made by a team you supervise that didn’t work out very well. Then reflect on your leadership style. Think of the actual situation and remember how you performed. What could you have done differently?

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