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Leadership Traits Every Counselor Should Have

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Leadership Traits Every Counselor Should Have

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Far from simply setting up student schedules and administering placement and academic evaluation tests, school counselors are leaders who can have a huge impact on the acceleration and the enhancement of learning. They must possess the ability to negotiate, persuade others their ideas are worthwhile, and collaborate with principals and other school officials.

School counselors have many responsibilities, including counseling students, working with teachers and parents, referring students to outside agencies, participating in student welfare and learning support communities, and evaluating and improving their own school counseling program.

Listening

First and foremost, a school counselor needs to be a good listener. Often, they have several students they work with and may get very few chances to converse with them in a one on one setting. "The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood," said Ralph G. Nichols. "The best way to understand people is to listen to them."

To listen effectively, counselors must be fully in the moment, not thinking of their "to do" list but rather giving their full attention to the issue at hand. Reflecting back to the person, your perception of what they said helps show understanding, and lets them make corrections. The counselor must also keep an open mind, being careful not to make any judgments until they have heard the entire story. ¹

Being Empathetic

Often a part of listening, putting themselves in the shoes of the person speaking, whether that is a student or another school official, helps counselors truly understand the underlying issues.

"Without the ability to understand what the student is experiencing, a counselor cannot truly do an effective job," says Helen A. Hatridge, past president of the Missouri School Counselor Association. "Empathy leads to good listening and a better ability to help the client come up with solutions. It also helps the student feel more comfortable and willing to open up to a counselor." ²

To be more empathetic, it is essential for a counselor to put aside their viewpoint. At the same time, they need to validate the student's viewpoint, which does not always mean agreement. Instead it means acknowledging their right to have an opinion, and that they have valid reasons for it. Asking how that person thinks a situation should be handled or what they would do opens up an even deeper understanding. ³

Building Relationship

It takes time for a counselor to build a relationship with any student or even their peers. However, through listening and being empathetic, that process can be accelerated.

To feel free to talk to a counselor, a student must often "break the ice," and needs to feel trust, comfort, and acceptance. Students need to accept that the counselor is a professional caregiver, and someone they can turn to without fear of judgement.

A counselor who develops this trusting relationship with students can get a lot more done, An understanding of the kid culture and what they care about can go a long way toward providing that environment of trust and understanding.

Performing Assessments

Assessment skills are essential for any school counselor in a number of areas. From academic and skills assessment to personality testing and career advisement, the ability to discern the intersection of talent and desire is essential to offering good counsel.

Assessment also includes determining if a student has special needs and interpreting test and non-test data to decide where the student should be placed, and what programs will most benefit them.

Regardless of the reason for assessment, the steps often include, but are not limited to the following:

Choosing what tests should be administered and when.

Scheduling, preparing, and administering tests.

Scoring tests or sending them out to be scored.

Advising students, teachers, parents, and other staff on test score interpretation.

Evaluating the testing process, results, and subsequent recommendations.⁴

Assessments involve some testing but must also be combined with listening, empathy, and the relationship that has been built to determine how testing outcomes relate to personality, desires, and the goals of the student.

Coordinating Efforts and Activities

Efforts and activities can fall into a couple of different categories. A counselor will have to coordinate Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for students, and other student specific plans as well. Along with coordinating individual student plans and interacting with teachers and other school officials, the school counselor often coordinates other activities and projects as well.

In many cases, the school counselor is in charge of parent newsletters, school announcements, managing social media accounts, and other community outreach and event planning efforts.

The ability to coordinate and manage these efforts and activities requires strong leadership and organizational skills. Teaching these skills to students by allowing them to take responsibility for their own educational goals and other efforts enables a counselor to show leadership by example.

Exercising Authority

In order to be able to implement programs, direct student activities and coordinate tasks, a counselor must exercise a certain amount of authority.

This means first of all that the counselor must be granted the authority to handle certain tasks by other school officials such as principals and administrators. The more their authority is validated by their actions, the more the counselor will be perceived as a leader by parents and students alike.

Secondly, the school counselor must be willing to wield the authority they have been granted, taking charge of tasks and situations, setting expectations, and holding those responsible to deadlines.

The counselor must also know in any given situation when to cross the line from friend to professional. If a student is being abusive or abused, a more professional response is ethically and legally mandated. It is the counselor's obligation to take charge and follow through, ensuring that student safety comes first.

Being Flexible

If one thing is certain in the field of education, it is that things will change. Interruptions, schedule changes, new programs, and new responsibilities all interrupt a counselor's daily routine.

Student needs and the needs of the school overall often take priority over scheduled meetings. Parent phone calls, staff concerns, talks in classrooms, and unexpected counseling needs can all be disruptive.

A successful counselor should:

Leave gaps in their day for unscheduled needs.

Use good time management techniques.

Set reasonable boundaries. Know what is worthy of an interruption, and what can wait.

Communicate clearly. Inform students, parents, and faculty of schedules and boundaries.

By remaining flexible, a counselor can better manage the stress inherent in the job and be more responsive when needs arise unexpectedly.

Having a Sense of Humor

Being able to see things from the side of humor has a number of advantages. It lets students see that the counselor is human and can not only laugh at situations but laugh at themselves as well.

This is frequently one of the biggest assets in building student trust and developing a relationship with them. It is often how those students relate to adults, whether through jokes or humorous anecdotes that illustrate a point the counselor is trying to get across.

Humor is also a stress reliever. Being able to see the humorous side of interruptions and other daily situations allows a counselor to relax and keep anxiety from taking over many scenarios.

It takes a combination of many leadership traits to make a school counselor effective. They must use listening skills and offer empathy in order to build relationships. A counselor must also perform assessments and coordinate activities and educational efforts. These duties mean they must remain flexible and exercise authority when appropriate.

Not one of these traits alone is enough, and no one is equally adept in all of them. They are taught and can be learned in a Master of Arts in Counseling with an emphasis in school counseling like the one offered by Wake Forest University. This graduate degree will prepare you for a career as a school counselor in almost any setting.
Sources: 1 2 3 ⁴ American Counseling Association, Assessment Skills for School Counselors Mind Tools, Empathy at Work Education World, School Counselors Reflective On What Makes Them Effective Fast Company, 5 Ways To Improve Your Listening Skills

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Leadership Traits Every Counselor Should Have

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Far from simply setting up student schedules and administering placement and academic evaluation tests, school counselors are leaders who can have a huge impact on the acceleration and the enhancement of learning. They must possess the ability to negotiate, persuade others their ideas are worthwhile, and collaborate with principals and other school officials.

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https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2156759X19852617

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https://journals-sagepub-com.easydb.angelo.edu/doi/10.1177/2156759X18772988#articleCitationDownloadContainer

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Using these 4 key skills, you can improve your emotional intelligence and increase your success at work, school, and in your relationships.

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Try this 40 question assessment to find out your emotional intelligence (not scientifically validated).

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The Global Emotional Intelligence Test uses 40 questions which are derived from, the Global instrument, which contains 158 items. These are based on Goleman's four quadrant Emotional Intelligence Competency Model (2002). Click EI Capability Assessment here for more details. Short EI quizzes such as this are meant to be fun, and to give you a guide to which EI areas you are doing well in and those which perhaps you need to focus on for development.

This Test, is a forced-choice psychological test which requires you to choose Instructions for the FREE EI Test one statement in each pair of statements that describes you best. For each pair of statements, select the statement that best applies to you. Do not over-analyse the questions, or try to think of "exceptions to the rule." Be spontaneous and choose the statement that comes closest to the way you are.

Occasionally there will be questions that ask you to make a close call between two choices. This is because the Test is trying to distinguish between specific areas. If a question is very close and you can't decide which statement applies to you best, you can come back to it after you have completed the other questions.

The Test usually takes about 10 minutes to complete. At the end of the test, click on the Score Test button, and wait for the computer to generate an EI profile of your scores. If you have answered honestly and accurately, your scores will reflect your capability level within each of the EI quadrants.

We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the results of this Test - only that it can help you begin your journey of self-development!

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Emotional Intelligence Test - Global Leadership Foundation

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Free emotional intelligence test developed by Global Leadership Foundation

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3 Essential Elements of Educational Leaders

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3 Essential Elements of Educational Leaders

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People normally think of educational leaders as principals, superintendents, and higher education thought leaders in our schools, communities, and even businesses. However, educational leadership exists outside of the classroom, too, whenever someone in a position of influence works to guide teachers, students, parents, or policymakers toward a common education-related goal.

Karen Reiss Medwed, PhD, assistant dean of academic and faculty affairs at Northeastern University's Graduate School of Education, provides an honest description of what it means to commit to a career in educational leadership-a career that embraces lifelong learning, hands-on experience, and inclusivity. She shares more about the three tenets of the field below.

Download Our Free Guide to Earning Your EdD

Learn how an EdD can give you the skills to enact organizational change in any industry.

Three Elements of Educational Leadership

1. Lifelong Learning

Reiss Medwed says that a personal commitment to lifelong learning is vital to succeeding in an educational or organizational leadership role. She defines a lifelong learner as, "someone who understands that learning is a continuous process and someone who is going to bring their context into that experience." Making lifelong learning a personal priority gives educational leaders the authenticity to share its value to others.

Whether your role is as a classroom leader, educational professional, non-profit coordinator, or corporate trainer, it's important to understand that every stakeholder you will interact with is a part of a learning network in their own classrooms and organizations. By modeling the love of lifelong learning, it influences others to value that trait, as well.

Reiss Medwed shares that part of the working in the educational field requires accepting that no matter your title or role, you must continue to improve and develop throughout your career.

"Each of us is always a learner...we're constantly going to be learning new things," she says. The nimbler the learner, she adds, the better.

2. An Ecosystem of Experiences

Reiss Medwed says that educational leaders should practice critical thinking, empathy, collaboration, and flexibility in a variety of work environments-and with a variety of people-in order to engage, lead, and effect change in a meaningful way.

For this reason, she says, Northeastern University emphasizes experiential learning as a core tenet of their EdD program, offering students the chance to practice these leadership skills in real-world situations that mirror the environments they'll work in after they graduate.

"Experiential learning is a critical quality for leadership today," Reiss Medwed remarks. She also stresses that increased self-awareness and an understanding of tools such as design thinking-two skills that come out of hands-on learning exercises-are essential ways to get "everyone to the table" when trying to effect change.

3. Inclusivity

The third aspect of educational leadership is one that's becoming more prominent in classrooms and companies everywhere-inclusivity. Reiss Medwed explains more about what inclusivity means for today's leaders and what their role will be in bringing a more diverse perspective to learning:

"We speak a lot about inclusive prosperity, which is a way of looking at the world and saying, ' How do I go about doing this in my organization so that everyone has an equitable seat at the table?' I think that the language of inclusivity speaks to the organizational level of educational leadership because you're trying to track that the improvements and the advances that you're bringing are going to serve the broadest possible population and that you're not going to be advancing one side without bringing everyone else along with you."

Leaders intuitively know that being inclusive is the right thing to do, but it also has a positive correlation to the success of organizations. A recent McKinsey & Company study revealed that surveyed companies in the "top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians." This success metric was consistent for gender diversity, as well, as the top quarter in this group was 15 percent more likely to perform better than their respective industry medians.

As workplaces acknowledge the benefit of focusing more on diversity in hiring, there is an opportunity to recognize diversity in thought and experience among the teams already working in an organization. Recognizing and being inclusive of the strengths of your internal workforce, rather than continually pursuing external talent, can strengthen an organization. An equipped educational leader will know the best ways to bring people with all types of backgrounds and experiences together.

The Value of Educational Leadership

It's easy to see how the embrace of lifelong learning and the noble pursuit of inclusive prosperity can change the classrooms and companies that educational leaders work in, but can it be a worthwhile pursuit beyond your day job? Reiss Medwed shares that there is a value in earning a doctoral degree that extends past the offices in which we work:

"An educational leader or organizational leader who is coming to their work with an understanding of inclusive prosperity (or social justice) is carrying with them some deeper insights into the ways in which all of our organizations are connected one to the other," she says. "This interconnectedness is one way to make bigger changes in the world each day."

One of the most effective ways to become adept at educational leadership principles is through a Doctorate of Education, and the program at Northeastern University is helping students achieve their most ambitious goals.

"We are developing scholar-practitioners which means students are experienced educators who already are in the field and are looking to change problems on the ground. As students are moving through their coursework and learning new knowledge and skills they are able to implement that within their organizations," shares Sara Ewell, associate teaching professor for Northeastern's EdD program.

The program artfully combines classroom learning with the experiential practice needed to meet learning communities where they are to provide the best outcomes for leaders and those they lead.

Is a Doctor of Education Degree Right for You?

Those considering a degree in educational leadership are equipped to lead as instructors in traditional schools, but there are also professional opportunities that extend far beyond those more "traditional" roles.

Reiss Medwed says that anyone interested in pursuing a more rewarding career should not look at the requirements of a doctoral program as a checklist of qualities that make you "right" or "wrong" for the program. Instead, she says that prospective students should ask themselves if they have "the passion and the drive" to thrive as an educational or organizational leader. Common traits of a future professional in this field include an insatiable curiosity to explore and learn, along with a desire to go out and change the areas in education that need improvement. Educational leaders aren't generally satisfied unless they are working to promote positive transformation in their learning communities. Reiss Medwood elaborates:

"All of us have questions that we keep asking ourselves and are those nagging questions that keep us up at night. 'How do I change this and make this better?' Someone who has that question-and it just won't go away-would make an excellent candidate for this type of program."

Reiss Medwed's says ideal doctoral candidates have the desire to find and establish a valuable solution for the problems they wish to change. She also believes that the following qualities signify a good candidate for a career in educational leadership and an eventual doctorate degree:

A passion for uncovering the answer to new questions they encounter

A willingness to be a novice and start something in an area in which they're inexperienced

The self-regulation to carve out time on a week-to-week basis for the three years of the program

Reiss Medwed explains more about the personal drive that many students bring with them to the classroom, as well.

"You have to have a problem that you want to solve. You have to have something that you want to change for the better. You want to be passionate about that transformation. You have to be willing to know that you're going to do things as a doctoral candidate in research that you've never done before in your field," she explains. "And no matter where you are in life, you have to be able to know that you're going to have to give yourself the time you need to actually learn something new. If you're ready to do those things, you're ready to get your doctoral degree."

Certain Advice for Uncertain Change Agents

Even the most qualified students have concerns about their candidacy for the rigor of a doctoral program, but Reiss Medwed insists that being self-aware about your learning is the key to success-during their schooling and even after the degree program is finished. She cautions students not to think of a doctorate as a means to an end, but to consider it the next step in their lifelong learning journey.

If you fit the criteria for a lifelong learner and want to change the world, Reiss Medwed also gives this sage advice to those who still fear they aren't poised to succeed:

"Don't look over your shoulder [at other well-known professionals who are] getting a doctorate and therefore decide that you're not worthy. Too many of the right people don't come in and get their final degree. If you're wondering if your problem is real enough-if you're really going to be a good change agent-then you're probably the right person to be going after this degree."

What change do you want to see in the world? How can a Doctorate in Education make it happen?
To learn more about earning your EdD to advance your career in educational leadership, download our free guide below.

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3 Essential Elements of Educational Leadership

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People normally think of educational leaders as principals, superintendents, and higher education thought leaders in our schools, communities, and even businesses. However, educational leadership exists outside of the classroom, too, whenever someone in a position of influence works to guide teachers, students, parents, or policymakers toward a common education-related goal.

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https://globalleadershipfoundation.com/deepening-understanding/emotional-intelligence/

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Imagine the leaders that inspire you. Each is likely unique, with a different style they use to meet goals, motivate, and animate their teams. There are many different styles of leadership, and each can have a different impact on a company.

In this post, we'll cover the most common types of leadership, how they influence business, and give tools to help you figure out what styles are best for you.

Start reading, or jump to the section you're looking for:

Why It's Important to Know Your Leadership Style

Knowing your leadership style helps you provide adequate guidance and feedback to employees, and better understand your thoughts, how you make decisions and strategies you can consider implementing when making business decisions.

It can also help you understand how your direct reports see you and why they may give you specific feedback. For example, if employees feel stifled at work and don't have many opportunities to speak their minds, they may be telling you that you're an autocratic leader who can benefit from changing their style.

Knowing your leadership styles may help you improve with limited feedback. Each leadership style has its pitfalls, allowing you to proactively address areas of improvement. This is critical because some employees might hesitate to speak up, even in an anonymous survey.

Ready to find out your leadership styles? Check out the most common styles below.

1. Democratic Leadership

Also called: Participative or Facilitative Leadership

Democratic leadership is exactly what it sounds like - the leader makes decisions based on each team member's input. Although a leader makes the final call, each employee has an equal say in a project's direction.

Democratic leaders often have the following characteristics:

Inclusive

Collaborative

Effective communicator

Empowering

Supportive and empathetic

Trust-building

Emotionally intelligent

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This leadership style resembles how leaders often make decisions in company board meetings.

For example, a democratic leader might give the team a few decision-related options in a company board meeting. They could then open a discussion about each option. After a discussion, this leader might consider the board's thoughts and feedback, or they might open this decision up to a vote.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

The democratic leadership style is one of the most effective because it encourages everyone to participate in all processes, share their opinions, and know that you will hear them. It also encourages employees to be engaged because they know you will hear their feedback.

Team members feeling like they have space to participate can also increase employee empowerment, motivation, and participation.

Potential challenges for leaders with a Democratic style:

Reaching a consensus can take considerable time, resources, and communication with a democratic style. It can also impact decision-making because some team members may not have the right expertise to make critical decisions.

Featured resources:

2. Autocratic Leadership

Also called: Authoritarian, Coercive, or Commanding Leadership

Autocratic leadership is the inverse of democratic leadership. In this leadership style, the leader makes decisions without taking input from anyone who reports to them.

Autocratic leadership is typically characterized by:

Centralized decision-making

Direct and top-down communication

Minimal delegation

Limited autonomy for team members

Emphasis on hierarchy and status

Resistant to feedback or criticism

This style is most useful when a business needs to control specific situations, not as a standalone leadership style. For instance, it can be effective in emergency or crisis situations where quick and decisive action is necessary.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Autocratic leaders carry out strategies and directives with absolute focus. So, when a situation calls for it, an authoritative leader can make a quick best-fit decision for a business without needing to get additional input (helpful on a case-by-case basis).

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This type of leadership is most effective when a company makes difficult decisions that don't benefit from additional input from others who aren't fully knowledgeable on the subject. Responsible parties can make a decision and give employees a clear sense of direction, and it can also make up for a lack of experience on a team.

Potential challenges for leaders with an Autocratic style:

Most organizations can't sustain such a hegemonic culture without losing employees, which can significantly lower morale and creative problem-solving.

An example of authoritative leadership gone bad could be when a manager changes the hours of work shifts for employees without consulting anyone.

Other challenges with autocratic leaders include:

Intimidation

Micromanagement

Over-reliance on a single leader

3. Laissez-Faire Leadership

Also called: Delegative or Hands-off Leadership

If you remember your high-school French, you'll accurately assume that laissez-faire leadership is the least intrusive form of leadership. The French term "laissez-faire" literally translates to "let them do."

Leaders who embrace it give nearly all authority to their employees and don't often interject unless the situation calls for it.

Some key characteristics of laissez-faire leadership include:

Limited guidance, direction, and feedback

Minimal interference and control

High autonomy and freedom

Empowerment and trust

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Laissez-faire leaders make employees accountable for their work. This gives many employees an incentive to do their best work.

This type of leader often creates a more relaxed company culture. This makes it a good model for creative businesses like ad agencies or product design. It's also a good fit for a business with a highly-skilled team.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

In a young startup, for example, you might see a laissez-faire company founder who makes no major office policies around work hours or deadlines.They might put complete trust in their employees while they focus on the overall workings of running the company.

Because of this high level of trust, employees working for laissez-faire leaders feel valued. They get the information they need and use their resources and experience to meet business goals.

Potential challenges for leaders with a Laissez-Faire style:

Although laissez-faire leadership can empower employees by trusting them to work however they'd like, there are downsides. It can limit team development and pose a challenge for new or inexperienced employees who would benefit from guidance as they get ramped up. Roles and responsibilities can also become unclear, and it can build a culture of working in silos where people might work autonomously rather than as a cohesive group.

This style can lead to overlooking critical company growth and learning opportunities, so keeping this leadership style in check is important.

Featured resources:

4. Strategic Leadership

Strategic leaders sit between a company's primary operations and its growth opportunities. This form of leadership requires vision, competitive awareness, and adaptability.

These leaders accept the burden of executive interests but also ensure that working conditions are stable for everyone else.

Strategic leaders aim to guide their organization toward its long-term goals. By utilizing this leadership style, you can create a forward-thinking, agile, and adaptable organization that can thrive in today's dynamic business landscape.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Strategic leaders tie plans for growth and strategy to how they manage a team. They ask questions, develop and execute strategies, and consider future growth. This approach supports popular business goals like:

Accountability

Productivity

Collaboration

Transparency

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This is a desirable leadership style in many companies because strategic thinking supports many types of employees at once.

Strategic thinking supports many employees at once, so it's a desirable style for many companies. It encourages visualization, planning, and making the most of existing resources, and it can motivate employees.

Potential challenges for leaders with a strategic leadership style:

Leaders who work strategically might take on too much and risk thinking too far into the future of possibilities while missing critical present-day issues. It's important to learn how to delegate with this leadership style and share the weight of decision-making.

Compromise, communication skills, and consistent outreach are also essential.

Featured resources:

5. Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders gain the trust and confidence of their teams, encourage team members, and lead employees toward meeting company goals.

Transformational leadership also always improves upon the company's conventions and motivates employees to grow and further develop their skills.

Ultimately, the goal of a transformational leader is to create a lasting positive impact, uplift their team to achieve their full potential, and drive success for the organization.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Transformational leaders can inspire their teams to think in new ways. This can help companies update business processes to improve productivity and profitability. It can also help with employee satisfaction, morale, and motivation.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This is a highly encouraging form of leadership where employees are supported and encouraged to see what they're capable of.

When starting a job with this type of leader, all employees might get a list of goals to reach and deadlines for reaching them. The goals might begin quite simple, but as employees grow and meet their goals, leaders will give them more tasks and challenges to conquer as they grow with the company.

Potential challenges for leaders with a Transformational style:

Transformational leaders can lose sight of everyone's individual learning curves in place of the company's goals. Employee burnout can also become an issue, so it's important to work with your team to update benchmarks.

Featured resources:

6. Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership is based on reward and punishment to motivate and direct the behavior. These managers set specific rules and standards, and they closely monitor their employees' performance. They tell employees they can expect rewards if a goal is met. However, they may require more 1:1s or check-ins if people aren't meeting goals.

This leadership style is concerned with maintaining the status quo and ensuring that predetermined goals and standards are met. It also assumes that teams need structure and monitoring to meet business goals and that they are reward-motivated.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This style is popular in enterprise companies as it focuses on results, existing structures, and set systems of rewards or penalties. This leadership style also recognizes and rewards commitment.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

Transactional leaders can offer helpful clarity and structure of expectations, which can help employees feel safe because they understand expectations. Employees also have a clear view of what they get in return for meeting business goals.

Potential challenges for leaders with a transactional style:

This style is more about using rewards to motivate and less about building relationships with employees, coaching, and developing team morale. Keeping a diverse team engaged can be hard if only some are reward-motivated, and it can lead to low creativity and fear of punishment.

7. Coaching Leadership

Also called: Conscious Leadership

A coaching leader focuses on identifying and nurturing the individual strengths of each member of the team and developing strategies that will enable teams to work better together.

This style is similar to strategic and democratic leadership, but it emphasizes individual employees' success.

A manager with this leadership style might help employees improve on their strengths by:

Giving them new tasks to try

Offering guidance

Meeting to discuss constructive feedback

They might also encourage one or more team members to expand on their strengths by learning new skills from other teammates.

Coaching leaders focus on building trust and establishing strong relationships with their team members. They foster an environment of open communication and psychological safety that encourages individuals to share ideas, seek feedback, and work together toward common objectives.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Coaching leaders actively support skill development and independent problem-solving. They meet ambitious business goals by creating a strong company culture and add to a business's long-term vision as valuable mentors, often even after leaving a company.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This leadership style can motivate employees as they feel supported on the team. It recognizes that each employee is unique and can build diverse and exciting teams where each employee offers something different.

This leader focuses on high performance, with employees that can communicate well and embrace unique skill sets to get work done. They also encourage team members to seek new challenges, learn from experiences, and continuously improve their skills and knowledge.

Potential challenges for leaders with a coaching style:

It can take a lot of time to develop employees with a coaching style, but mentoring isn't effective for every employee.

Featured resources:

8. Bureaucratic Leadership

Bureaucratic leaders follow the rules. Unlike autocratic leadership, they might listen and consider the input of employees, but they might reject input that doesn't align with company policy or past practices.

Some key features of bureaucratic leadership include:

Centralized decision-making

Strict adherence to rules and procedures

Clear chain of command

Limited autonomy

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This style works best for larger, older, or traditional companies that are successful in their current processes. This leadership style works for these businesses because they want to maintain existing business models and processes because their current strategies are successful, and trying something new that doesn't work could waste time and resources.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This leadership style can be challenging for some, but it has many benefits. It lowers the risk of favoritism and replaces it with central duties, job security, and predictability.

This clear and efficient leadership style can lead to high levels of creativity for some employees.

Potential challenges for leaders with a bureaucratic leadership style:

Employees might not feel as controlled as autocratic leadership, but there can be a lack of freedom in how much people can do in their roles. This approach can shut down innovation and is not the right fit for companies chasing ambitious goals and quick growth.

Featured resources:

9. Visionary Leadership

Also called: Affiliative Leadership

Visionary leadership focuses on future and long-term goals. They aim to inspire and guide their team towards the achievement of a shared vision.

This type of leader encourages collaboration, emotional intelligence, and teamwork. They also foster a culture of innovation and change, encouraging individuals to embrace new ideas and approaches.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Visionary leaders can create a clear plan for employees to follow and execute. They are powerful and persuasive communicators, which helps them energize teams toward impactful business growth.

As the focus is on future growth, visionary leaders can forecast potential roadblocks and outline action plans, giving employees increased confidence during uncertainty or challenging times.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

Teams can do more and enjoy their work more if they have a vision to work toward. This type of leader offers vision statements and other tools to inspire and motivate teams to engage at work.

Potential challenges for leaders with a visionary style:

Visionary leaders can skip over day-to-day issues to focus on long-term ideas, missing roadblocks that could build up and cause problems in the future. Another common challenge is hyper-focus on a single goal, which can impact consideration for other ideas that may be just as valuable to the business.

Featured resources:

10. Pacesetting Leadership

A pacesetting leader sets ambitious standards and expects employees to meet those goals in the exact manner they've laid out. These leaders expect productivity and high-quality outputs from employees, and they may step in to ensure things are done correctly and on time.

Some characteristics of a pacesetting leader include:

High performance standards

Leading by example

Results-oriented

Preference for speed and efficiency

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This type of leader sets ambitious goals with a clear and focused effort, so employees know exactly what is expected of them. For example, pacesetting sales leaders set and exceed ambitious quarterly sales cadences.

These leaders might also work alongside their team and push performance, boosting team morale.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

Skilled and experienced teams often thrive under this kind of leader. They use the abilities of motivated and competent team members and make meeting goals feel urgent and exciting.

It can also be gratifying for team members to see their leader working hard alongside them.

Potential challenges for leaders with a pacesetting style:

Pacesetting leaders can sometimes create a high-stress workplace environment if goals are unrealistic, which can overwhelm and demotivate teams. This can impact engagement and lead to burnout, where people struggle to meet goals and perform as expected.

Focusing on goals can also stifle creativity and diversity of thought, so employees don't feel they can use their expertise to suggest alternative goals or strategies.

Featured resources:

11. Situational Leadership

Situational leaders change their management style to meet the needs of the situation or team. It suggests that effective leaders must adapt their leadership style to match the readiness and development levels of their team members

This leadership style involves analyzing specific situations, assessing the competence and commitment of individuals, and adjusting the leadership approach accordingly. It is proactive and recognizes that change is the only constant.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This leadership approach can motivate employees and ensure that people aren't stuck working in a way that doesn't make sense for the situation. It's also valuable for startups or businesses requiring frequent changes and flexible talent and support.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

Situational leaders are great communicators and use team feedback to make decisions. They also analyze market changes and can quickly evaluate and update processes to ensure success. This can create strong relationships and help employees see and feel their value to the business.

Potential challenges for leaders with a situational style:

Leaders need a high level of expertise in all business processes and functions to make decisions, and they must be able to pivot quickly. It's important to remember long-term goals and meet immediate needs; not every leader can do this effectively.

It can become confusing and stressful for teams if a leader's approach changes too often, as they won't know what to expect.

Featured resources:

Deciding Between Different Leadership Styles

There's no single "best" leadership style, so figuring out what is best for you and your environment is essential.

How to Understand Your Instinctive Leadership Style

Leaders need good instincts, and many leaders focus on their own experiences and habits as they develop a leadership style. As you start your path toward leadership, you may want to keep notes. Write down how you would handle specific situations or problems.

Doing this can help you be a confident and capable leader, but if you notice things aren't going as expected, you may want to reconsider your approach.

Your instincts and habits will always impact the way you lead. But if you find yourself in situations that you're unsure how to respond to, you may want to look at other leadership styles.

For example, if you're an extrovert with a shy member on your team, you may want to work on active listening. If you're an introvert leading a team of outgoing people, you may need to learn new ways to nurture, support, and inspire your team.

Can you change your leadership style?

While it may take some time and effort, you can always change your leadership style and improve your processes.

The first step to making changes is recognizing the need for change. Whether this comes from direct employee feedback, noticing that goals aren't being met, or people seeming to experience burnout, identifying this is the first step.

Next, you need to prepare yourself for changes. For example, your leadership style may be effective for your team, but you might have a more challenging time connecting with stakeholders. In this case, you wouldn't want to throw out your current style, but you'd want to identify what is and isn't working. Then, get curious, and begin the work of adjusting the way you lead.

How to Choose the Right Leadership Style for You

There are many ways to find a leadership style that works for you. Because of this, it can be tough to know where to begin. If you're not sure what leadership styles will work for you, these steps can help.

1. Get to know yourself.

Everyone has a unique path to self-discover. Some take risks and try new things and others prioritize quiet time, writing exercises, and listing strengths and weaknesses.

Another path to learning about yourself is through physical activity and spending time with other people. However you go about it, getting to know yourself is an important first step toward being a leader.

2. Outline your values and challenges.

Knowing yourself will help you understand what's important to you and where you struggle. Being a leader means working quickly and making decisions quickly, so having your values mapped out can be extremely helpful.

As you write out your values, look at pivotal moments in your life to date. Then, look for trends, people you're drawn to, and common themes. If your list is long, group similar ideas together.

Having an outline can help you see how you react, your strengths and weaknesses, and a base for your core values.

3. Watch leaders you respect.

Observing leaders you respect can also help you define your leadership style. As you watch them in meetings, client conversations, and presentations, take notes of what you like.

Another approach is to view their actions with specific leadership styles in mind, helping you figure out what their approach is and whether it will work for you.

4. Try different leadership styles.

A hands-on option is to try out different leadership styles. You can create an outline of what interests you and review your notes before your next meeting to see how you can incorporate it into your interactions.

5. Find a business coach or mentor.

Working with a business coach can also help you hone your leadership style.

A mentor can be someone in your workplace you respect and would appreciate feedback from, whether it's another leader or a colleague you respect. You can also check out this guide on how to find a business coach.

6. Ask colleagues and leaders for feedback.

Another way to find the best style for your needs is to ask other colleagues, leaders, and team members for feedback.

The best approach for this strategy is to plan out what you want to ask and why so you get the feedback you need. Think about how people might respond and also set clear guidelines and expectations.

When you get feedback, make sure to listen carefully. You'll gain valuable information about your strengths and weaknesses that will help you understand where you need to improve and the style that will help you improve.

7. Complete a leadership style assessment.

Leadership assessments are helpful tools for leaders, for yourself as an individual, and to assess your teams.

A leadership quiz can make it easier to understand your strengths and skills. It can surface habits and qualities you might not be aware of and give you a clear direction for growth.

If this is something you want to try, the leadership assessment below is a great place to start.

Leadership Style Assessment

Leaders carry a mix of the leadership styles mentioned above. At the root of these styles, leadership experts Bill Torbert and David Rooke say, are what are called "action logics."

These action logics assess "how [leaders] interpret their surroundings and react when their power or safety is challenged."

That's the idea behind the Leadership Development Profile, a popular management survey tool. Created by professor Torbert and psychologist Susanne Cook-Greuter - and featured in the book, Personal and Organizational Transformations - the survey uses a set of 36 open-ended sentence completion tasks to help researchers better understand how leaders develop and grow.

Below we've used open-ended sentences to outline six action logics that describe each one. Review the sentences, see how they resonate with you, and figure out which leadership style upholds based on the action logic you most align with.

1. Individualist

The individualist is self-aware, creative, and primarily focused on their actions and development as opposed to overall organizational performance. This action logic is exceptionally driven by the desire to exceed personal goals and constantly improve their skills.

Here are some things an individualist might say:

Individualist 1: "A good leader should always trust their own intuition over established organizational processes."

Individualist 2: "It's important to be able to relate to others so I can easily communicate complex ideas to them."

Individualist 3: "I'm more comfortable with progress than sustained success."

2. Strategist

Strategists are acutely aware of the environments they're in and have a deep understanding of the structures and processes that make their businesses tick. Still, they're also able to evaluate what could be improved.

Here are some things a strategist might say:

Strategist 1: "A good leader should always be able to build a consensus in divided groups."

Strategist 2: "It's important to help develop the organization as a whole, as well as the growth and individual achievements of my direct reports."

Strategist 3: "Conflict is inevitable, but I'm knowledgeable enough about my team's personal and professional relationships to handle the friction."

3. Alchemist

Rooke and Tolbert describe the alchemist as highly evolved and effective at managing organizational change. They differ from other action logics in their unique ability to simultaneously see the big picture and minute details. No department or employee gets overlooked with an alchemist leader.

Here are some things an alchemist might say:

Alchemist 1: "A good leader helps their employees reach their highest potential, and possesses the necessary empathy and moral awareness to get there."

Alchemist 2: "It's important to make a profound and positive impact on whatever I'm working on."

Alchemist 3: "I have a unique ability to balance short-term needs and long-term goals."

4. Opportunist

Opportunists are guided by a certain level of mistrust of others, relying on a facade of control to keep their employees in line. "Opportunists tend to regard their bad behavior as legitimate in the cut and thrust of an eye-for-an-eye world," Rooke and Tolbert write.

Here are some things an opportunist might say:

Opportunist 1: "A good leader should always view others as potential competition to be bested, even if it's at the expense of their professional development."

Opportunist 2: "I reserve the right to reject the input of those who question or criticize my ideas."

5. Diplomat

Unlike the opportunist, the diplomat isn't concerned with competition or assuming control over situations. Instead, this action logic seeks to cause minimal impact on their organization by conforming to existing norms and completing their daily tasks with as little friction as possible.

Here are some things a diplomat might say:

Diplomat 1: "A good leader should always resist change since it risks causing instability among their direct reports."

Diplomat 2: "It's important to provide the 'social glue' in team situations, safely away from conflict."

Diplomat 3: "I tend to thrive in more team-oriented or supporting leadership roles."

6. Expert

The expert is a pro in their given field, constantly striving to perfect their knowledge of a subject and perform to meet their own high expectations. Rooke and Tolbert describe the expert as a talented individual contributor and a source of knowledge for the team. But this action logic does lack something central to many good leaders: emotional intelligence.

Here are some things a diplomat might say:

Expert 1: "A good leader should prioritize their own pursuit of knowledge over the needs of the organization and their direct reports."

Expert 2: "When problem-solving with others in the company, my opinion tends to be the correct one."

Which Leader Are You?

So, which action logics above felt like you? Think about each sentence for a moment.

Now, check out which of the seven leadership styles you embrace on the right based on the sentences you resonated with on the left.

The more action logics you agree with, the more likely you are to practice a mix of leadership styles.

For example, if you agreed with everything the strategist said, this would make you a 66% strategic leader and 33% democratic leader. If you agreed with the third statement and everything the alchemist said, this would make you a 50% transformational, 25% strategic, and 25% democratic leader.

Keep in mind that these action logics are considered developmental stages, not fixed attributes - most leaders will progress through multiple types of leadership throughout their careers.

Learn Your Leadership Management Style to Become a Better Leader

Whether you manage a big or small team, your leadership style heavily impacts how your direct reports see you and how your team works together to achieve your company's goals. There are many different styles of leadership, so choosing one that works for you can make you a more effective leader.

If you want to be a leader that makes a difference, you'll need to keep growing and embrace change. Are you ready to get started?
Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Leadership Styles: The 11 Most Common & How to Find Your Style [Quiz]

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Learn about 11 types of leadership styles, and the traits they carry. Choose the leadership style for you and test to find out what type of leader you are.

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Leadership in education can play an integral role in creating a positive school culture. It can also influence student learning and achievement. Effective school leadership is increasingly viewed as the key to far-reaching education transformation. With the right leadership approach, education heads can turn an average school into a successful one. Here are effective leadership styles in education that will prepare you to lead for impact.

Instructional leadership

The OECD report, Improving School Leadership suggests that effective school management generally comes from engagement in instructional leadership. There's a growing body of evidence which shows that schools with instructional leadership outperform others. This coaching style of leadership concentrates on student learning outcomes by improving teaching quality. To realise this goal, school leaders adopt the responsibility for the professional development of teachers.

Instructional leadership involves the practice of planning, evaluation, coordination and improvement of teaching and learning. According to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, instructional leaders define the school's mission, manage the instructional program, promote high expectations and provide incentives for teachers and students.

Working directly with teachers, instructional leaders evaluate teacher performance and help advance their skills through mentoring and coaching. Becoming an instructional leader entails time spent solving pedagogical problems, taking action to improve teachers' instruction, as well as holding teachers accountable for improving their instructional skills. This pursuit to improve learning within the school community requires leaders to have an in-depth understanding of pedagogy and practice themselves.

Transformational leadership

Taking a collaborative approach, transformational leaders empower their school teams to have a say in decision-making processes and enable collective goal-setting. Through role modelling, these leaders create a culture of innovation and improvement and a shared sense of purpose. This sets the foundations for growth and success.

Transformational leaders are able to influence school outcomes by outlining high-performance expectations, developing people through individual support, building productive relationships and providing instructional support. According to researcher Bernard Bass, the four attributes of transformational leadership are defined as idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualised consideration.

Transformational leaders instil trust, admiration, loyalty and respect - which inspires teacher motivation, morale and performance. The influence exerted by transformational leaders has been described as " the generating of feelings." Using charisma, compassion and emotional intelligence (EI), transformational leaders are able to monitor and manage not only their own emotions but those of others as well. This gives them the ability to energise their teams and drive successes.

Studies have shown that transformational leadership has a direct impact on teacher performance, with teachers willingly taking steps to improve their classroom practice. The findings also show that transformational leadership increases teacher job satisfaction and strengthens their commitment to professional growth. The result is improved student outcomes and lasting progress across the school system.

Constructivist leadership

This type of leadership is about facilitating the learning process, rather than directing it. At the core of the constructivist approach is that learners control their own learning, not teachers. Acknowledging that every learner understands, processes and gives meaning to lessons through their own reality, constructivism places a priority on customised teaching approaches that take into consideration individual learning needs.

School leaders who embrace the constructivist model shift the focus within their school, from knowledge as a product to knowing as a process. Instruction and curriculum design under their leadership encourages the sharing of big ideas and challenging other's perspectives. The classroom is seen as a place where ' inquiry and co-construction dominate.' Constructivist leaders expect teachers to engage in reflective practices and processes with their students and peers. The purpose of reflection is to challenge previous assumptions about teaching and learning and to rethink and reframe student participation.

Constructivist leadership is about immersing teachers in a culture of learning and enabling them to take risks. It's not about dictating to teachers on how to deliver instructions - it's about educating teachers that we are all learners.

Servant leadership

This participatory style of leadership pushes the ego aside and considers the needs of others, rather than focus on self-interest. The philosophy behind servant leadership is that a "great leader must first serve others and that this simple fact is central to his or her greatness: true leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a desire to help others." School leaders who practice servant leadership maintain high expectations; however, they also help teachers and students to develop their skills to improve their performance. These leaders instil the desire for improvement while maintaining a focus on both results and relationships.

The former president of the Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership identified the ten characteristics of servant leaders as: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualisation, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community. Servant leaders are able to cultivate high-performance teachers by removing barriers, providing resources and opening communication channels with the whole school community.

Sharing the power in decision-making, servant leaders motivate and persuade their school community to fulfil their long-standing vision. By engaging with teachers and students on what the school's future should look like, servant leaders can implement structural changes that keep an eye on the bigger picture. Research shows that in the long-term servant leadership creates a positive and productive school environment.

Strategic leadership

Strategic leadership is based on long-range planning. Through analysis, evaluation and monitoring, strategic leaders assess current school performance and take the necessary steps to improve future results. These leaders not only set the direction of the school by having an organisational vision, they create frameworks, set up interventions, allocate resources and maintain systems for reforms to take place.

There are seven guiding principles of strategic leaders. Rather than focussing on day-to-day issues, strategic leaders are future-orientated and prepare for an uncertain destiny. These leaders base their decisions on evidence and research. Drawing on data that demonstrates school learning outcomes, strategic leaders will respond with the most suitable approach - whether that's staff training, reviewing policies and procedures, or fostering a culture based on achievements. Innovation is at the heart of a strategic leader's mission - they're always looking for ways to improve the school environment - whether that's relationship building, embracing diversity or creating partnerships with parents. Strategic leaders invest in partnerships across the school community and use the power of collective thinking to build a values-based school were transparency, ethics and accountability are the cornerstones of their leadership.

Studies show that using strategy as a tool to manage an educational organisation is at the heart of developing successful schools in the long term. Aligning organisational structures, processes, culture and people behind a strategic focus is critical to this success.

Why does leadership matter?

Great school leadership is the bedrock for great schools. Evidence suggests that effective leadership is essential to creating a learning environment where every student has access to high-quality education. Teachers who pursue postgraduate education in leadership will be able to support effective teaching and learning strategies, keep pace with transformation across the education industry and inject new thinking into schools.

Find out more about learning these skills and more by studying a Master of Education with ECU Online.

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5 Effective Leadership Styles in Education | ECU Online

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Leadership in education can play an integral role in creating a positive school culture. It can also influence student learning and achievement. Effective school leadership is increasingly viewed as the key to far-reaching education transformation. With the right leadership approach, education heads can turn an average school into a successful one.

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View guidelines for writers
March 2017

Getting Personalization Right

"Have it your way" may be a catchy slogan, but how does it work in education? This issue will delve into the various ways educators define student-centered learning and what it looks like in schools. Articles will explore differentiation, project-based learning, "school of one," and customized learning using computers. To what extent is personalization possible in a standards-oriented education environment? How can technology best aid student-centered learning? Tell us how you've seen personalization done well-and not so well. We're interested in what the research says about the benefits of student-centered learning as well as stories of schools that have reimagined their instruction, schedules, and structures to give students more choice.
Deadline: CLOSED
April 2017

Differences, Not Disabilities

All too often students are defined by their disability-a label affixed to their IEP, student records, and, over time, their identity. A growing movement seeks to shift the paradigm from "learning disabilities" to "learning differences." This small semantic change signals a shift in acknowledging that no two brains are the same, so no two students learn in the same fashion. We're interested in research into the science of various learning differences as well as articles on skills-based strategies that help students learn. Instead of labeling ADHD, autism, or dyslexia as deficits, how can we use all students' strengths to help them learn? How can approaches like Universal Design for Learning meet the unique needs of all? Tell us how you have embraced learning differences and the effect it has had on student achievement and school climate.
Deadline: CLOSED
May 2017

Lifting School Leaders

A great school depends on great leadership-from administrators and from teacher leaders. This issue will look at what it takes to develop and support outstanding leaders throughout a school. Articles will address such topics as the qualities and skills today's school leaders need; strengths and weaknesses of current leadership preparation programs; and how practices like internships, coaching, and teams can support new leaders. How can we reduce principal turnover? Help new principals hit the ground running? Evaluate school leaders in ways that support growth? How are teacher leaders taking on various roles, such as peer evaluator, coach, advocate, PLC facilitator, and curriculum developer? What kinds of job-embedded supports benefit leaders?
Deadline: CLOSED
Summer 2017 (Digital Only)

Gearing Up for Change

To some degree, change is a constant in K-12 education-but it seems particularly prevalent right now. Rapid advances in technology, evolving instructional and assessment priorities, expanding options for curriculum resources, shifting student demographics, a new federal education law, and a new presidential administration-all of these are putting tremendous pressure on educators to prepare for and adapt to change. So how do you do it? As our readers take time to think ahead to the coming school year, this special online-only issue of Educational Leadership will feature best practices and personal reflections on how educators can both gear up for and proactively lead change in their schools. How can school leaders successfully implement new policies or instructional requirements? How can they bolster staff morale amid organizational change or outside pressure? How do teachers prepare to take advantage of new technology resources? What specific innovations, whether in the curriculum or in your approach to instruction, are you or your school planning for the next school year? What's next in education, and how are you or your staff getting ready for it? Share your stories and advice.
Deadline: CLOSED
September 2017

In Sync with Families

When it comes to helping students succeed, schools can't do it alone. But gaining family support and involvement can present challenges in today's busy and often partitioned world. This issue will explore successful partnerships between schools and families and other initiatives to strengthen the role of families, especially families who have traditionally felt estranged from schools. As families become more diverse, what can schools do to help all members feel welcome and empowered? What kinds of family supports and guidance are most useful? What new kinds of communication, including revamped report cards, interactive conferences, and online tools, are schools developing to build ties with families? And when conflicts occur, how can educators defuse tensions and make sure all sides feel their voices are heard and respected? Articles will focus on specific challenges and the solutions developed to address them.
Deadline: April 3, 2017
October 2017

Unleashing Problem Solvers

Talk about a life skill! When schools foster students' ability to analyze key features of a problem, envision various approaches, marshal resources, and shape a solution, they give them competencies that feed achievement in many disciplines and areas of life. Whether it involves designing a new product or process, inquiring into environmental problems, applying mathematical concepts to real-world issues, or using technology to wrestle with a community challenge, problem solving is considered a key 21st-century skill. This issue will look at how educators can support and develop problem solving in learning-and what challenges they face in attempting to do so. How can activities that encourage innovation and design thinking be integrated into the curriculum? What does it look like when students apply learning to real problems in the school or community? Articles on STEM-related initiatives are especially encouraged.
Deadline: May 1, 2017
November 2017

Citizens in the Making

Are U.S. schools falling short in preparing young people to participate in democracy? The question has deep resonance today. This issue will look at why civic literacy matters and how some educators are working to upgrade curriculum and instruction in this traditional but crucial area. How can schools help young people acquire the knowledge, dispositions, and skills that are essential for responsible citizenship in areas such as history and government, scientific literacy, and communication? How can educators meet the challenges created by information overload and the echo chamber of the Internet? How can schools teach students to apply critical thinking and background knowledge to analyze information about current events? How are schools promoting values like curiosity, empathy, and respect for diverse perspectives? We welcome articles on making civics education engaging; teaching students to reflect on their own values and beliefs; and using service learning, place-based learning, and other approaches to empower students.
Deadline: June 1, 2017
December 2017/January 2018

Mental Health in Schools

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in five youths ages 13-18 experiences a serious mental health condition, and of chronic cases of mental illness, 50 percent begin by age 14. Yet, on average, it takes 8-10 years from the onset of symptoms until intervention. How can schools play a stronger frontline role in identifying potential issues and helping affected students thrive both academically and socially? This issue will look at conditions affecting children and teens, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, and addiction. It will also explore the effects of trauma and stress on students. What staffing and training challenges do schools face in supporting students with mental illnesses? How can educators help students succeed in school despite adverse childhood experiences? Articles will explore specific solutions for schools, including screening, training for teachers, working with parents and families, and partnerships with local hospitals and health clinics.
Deadline: July 5, 2017
February 2018

Measuring What Matters

How can schools move beyond conventional assessment approaches and develop more expansive methods that gauge both deep understanding of content and whole-child development? The question is particularly pressing in light of new criteria for student-progress measures under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. This issue will explore how educators are rethinking "assessment." What key skills and dispositions-like persistence, critical thinking, self-regulation, and the ability to empathize and communicate with others-should schools be measuring? How can educators do a better job of measuring the skills and capabilities that employers say students will need? We welcome articles on international assessment models and alternative methods like performance-based assessments, digital portfolios, computer-adapted testing, and authentic presentations. Submissions looking at research on the potential of new assessment approaches, as well as implementation challenges, are also encouraged.
Deadline: September 1, 2017
March 2018

Leading the Energized School

You can tell as soon as you enter the school building-and even more when you go into the classrooms. Certain schools exhibit a positive energy that is instantly recognizable: Students are actively engaged, teachers are enthusiastic, administrators are making things happen, and parents are happily lingering. The mood is bright and welcoming. But how do schools get this way, and what effect does it have on student learning? This issue will explore how school leaders cultivate vibrant school cultures that combat initiative fatigue and maintain high staff morale despite the many, often conflicting, demands on schools today. Articles will examine critical aspects of school climate like communication, teacher hiring and support, collaboration, trust, community engagement, diversity, facilities, and curriculum-focusing on what levers leaders have to drive change, what resources they can turn to, and what common barriers exist. We welcome case studies on school-climate transformations, as well articles that delve into recent research on the relationship between school culture and academic progress.
Deadline: October 2, 2017
April 2018

Learning to Write, Writing to Learn

According to NAEP results, only 27 percent of students perform at or above proficient levels in writing. And anecdotally, many teachers report that their students are weak in writing. This issue will explore strategies for effective writing instruction, focusing on the connections between writing, reading, and thinking. How can schools integrate meaningful writing opportunities across the curriculum? What are the most effective ways to motivate reluctant writers and support students who struggle with writing, including English language learners and students with disabilities? What are the promises and pitfalls of leveraging technology in the writing process? How can writing in different content areas and across genres enhance students' skills and academic growth? We're also seeking new strategies that help teachers assess student writing.
Deadline: November 1, 2017
May 2018

Bolstering the Teacher Pipeline

As Baby Boomers retire, the teacher workforce is changing dramatically-as are the instructional and professional demands on educators. This issue will look at how teacher-preparation initiatives are evolving to train the next generation of teachers. It will also explore how schools leaders are leveraging and adapting to new models of teacher development and support. Key questions will include: What new approaches are teacher-preparation programs using to attract candidates and better prepare them for the realities of the classroom? What is the role of technology in changing how teacher training is delivered and organized? Are residency models viable alternatives to more traditional programs? What strategies attract diverse and academically select candidates? What roles can career-changer and grow-your-own programs play in school and district staffing strategies? And how can districts partner with teacher-prep programs to address shortages, particularly in high-need subjects and schools?
Deadline: December 1, 2017

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View guidelines for writers Getting Personalization Right "Have it your way" may be a catchy slogan, but how does it work in education? This issue will delve into the various ways educators define student-centered learning and what it looks like in schools. Articles will explore differentiation, project-based learning, "school of one," and customized learning using computers.

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When 93 teachers and staffers were fired from Rhode Island's Central Falls High School in 2010, it fueled a nationwide debate over how failing schools might be resurrected.

But of all the school's dismal statistics, and there were plenty to choose from - fewer than half of its students graduated within four years, and only seven percent of its juniors were proficient in math - issues of chronic instability loomed largest: In six years, it been led by nearly as many principals.

Of everything we've learned about the art and science of reforming a failing school in the past decade, school leadership is second only to teacher quality in terms of importance - and the more dire a school's predicament, the greater the need for strong leadership. Because of this, the emphasis is now less on the lone dynamic teacher and more on the whole school environment.

"Indeed, there are virtually no documented instances of troubled schools being turned around without intervention by a powerful leader," said Kenneth Leithwood, a professor at the University of Toronto who studies leadership.

While the topic of school reform is hardly a new one, we haven't always looked to school leaders as harbingers of change.

Since 1983, when A Nation At Risk warned Americans that its public schools were failing at an alarming rate, reform has taken on many different forms, with some experiments yielding more success than others. At both the local and federal levels, however, our slow progress hasn't been for a lack of ideas. Among them: stringent graduation requirements, national standards, new approaches to how reading and math are taught, smaller classes, smaller schools, greater accountability through increased testing, and a focus on recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers.
New thinking on leadership
More recently, research has emphasized the importance of school leadership in improving outcomes for a school and its students. But make no mistake: this is not the school leader as drill sergeant, or the charismatic leader whose skill-set is impossible to replicate. Instead, it is a school leader who is capable of transforming a school environment so that its students and teachers can flourish.

It is important to keep in mind that while school leadership is essential, consistent, strong leadership at the district level must not be overlooked. While principals create conditions that encourage great teaching, superintendents can create conditions that allow principals to become even better leaders.

In this way, superintendents can lay the groundwork for successful school leaders by setting a clear direction and tone, investing in professional development, setting up mentors for new principals, giving principals the authority to make key decisions and elevating the importance of academic achievement - sometimes even going so far as to making it a part of a principal's evaluation. And while many states have adopted standards for principals, Delaware is leading the charge by working on statewide evaluation systems for its principals.

One significant shift from the previous way of doing things is that principals, particularly at the elementary school level, are expected to be instructional leaders - meaning they must be skilled at making all of their teachers better educators. And while the concept has been around for quite some time, it's now a key element of the job description.

But how can one person have such a huge impact?

A 2009 study by New Leaders for New Schools found that more than half of a school's impact on student gains can be attributed to both principal and teacher effectiveness - with principals accounting for 25 percent and teachers 33 percent of the effect.

The report noted that schools making significant progress are often led by a principal whose role has been radically re-imagined. Not only is the principal attuned to classroom learning, but he or she is also able to create a climate of hard work and success while managing the vital human-capital pipeline.

Getting from here to there isn't about magic or one-size-fits-all solutions. According to Michael Fullan, author of Leading in a Culture of Change, leadership can take on many different forms in school turnarounds. While some leaders opt for transformational leadership or turning good organizations into great ones, other personalities are better suited for distributive leadership, or the sharing of responsibility among a few people such as an assistant principal or outstanding teacher.
Leaders who cope vs. leaders who transform
Leithwood has written that good leadership tends to follow three basic steps: first, setting a direction; second, developing people so that they can head in that direction; and, third, redesigning the institution around instruction. He says it's less about leaders possessing a compelling shared vision and more about helping "people figure out the shorter-term goals on the way to achieving that vision and then set[ting] high expectations for people in accomplishing those."

When it comes to school leadership, being willing to change is the name of the game - whether it's restructuring the school day so teachers are able to observe teaching of the highest order, or allocating enough money in the budget so that instructional coaches can be hired. Persistence, open-mindedness and optimism are helpful qualities, especially when facing tough decisions that result from statewide spending constraints or contract negotiations.

Public Agenda, a public opinion research organization based in New York City, conducted focus groups with principals in high-need school districts, focusing specifically on how leaders respond to the challenges that inevitably arise. Whether it's ensuring that buses run according to schedule or that loose-leaf paper is delivered on time, school leaders classified as "copers" versus "transformers" tackle problems in fundamentally different ways. Public Agenda found that transformers had an explicit vision for their school and did not get bogged down in the obstacles. The copers, on the other hand, became overwhelmed. Both types of leaders talked about the importance of instructional leadership. But the transformers actually did it, while copers merely talked about it. "The transformers knew teachers, knew kids, knew what they needed, and were on top of it," Jean Johnson of Public Agenda said. "Copers," she said, "never got to it. You'd hear the phrase, 'I was headed to the classroom, and then something happened.' "

But the school leader as superhero isn't a sustainable model - and copers can be taught to become transformative leaders. The focus is now on how to create conditions so that otherwise ordinary leaders might be trained to become extraordinary.
Preparing principals

Meanwhile, greater attention is being paid to the training of principals. A 2005 report by Arthur Levine, who at the time was president of Columbia University's Teachers College, noted that leadership programs at many education schools lacked rigor and were of low quality.

New models have been introduced to educate and train the next generation of school leaders. The most successful programs, according to Stanford professor Linda Darling-Hammond and her colleagues, tend to have the following key characteristics:

A focus on instruction, organizational development and change management.

Curricular coherence that links goals, learning activities and assessments around a set of shared values, beliefs and knowledge about effective organizational practice.

Field-based internships that enable principals-in-training to apply leadership knowledge and skills under the guidance of an expert practitioner.

Mentoring or coaching that supports modeling, questioning, observations of practice and feedback.

Problem-based learning strategies-such as case methods and projects-that support reflection and link theory to practice.

A structure that enables collaboration, teamwork and mutual support among principals-in-training.

Collaboration between universities and school districts to create coherence between training and practice, as well as pipelines for recruitment, preparation, hiring and induction.

Vigorous recruitment of high-quality candidates with experience as expert, dynamic teachers and a commitment to instructional improvement.

Financial support that enables principals-in-training to complete an intensive program with a full-time internship.

Both the Wallace Foundation and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation have invested in principal-training programs, in addition to New Leaders for New Schools, a national organization that trains principals in different districts. Cities like New York (with its Aspiring Principals Program) are also joining the effort, while states such as Iowa and Louisiana have shuttered weak programs.

Finally, Race to the Top, last year's federal competition for $3.4 billion in grants to support education reform, emphasized improving the training and evaluation of principals as much as it did the training and evaluation of teachers. Going forward, it's tough to imagine a 21st-century school being resurrected by a lackluster school leader. Instead, we are learning about ways to equip more school leaders with better tools, a set of skills that can transform not only a whole school building but also our perception of what it means to be a principal in the first place.

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Why school leadership matters - The Hechinger Report

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When 93 teachers and staffers were fired from Rhode Island's Central Falls High School in 2010, it fueled a nationwide debate over how failing schools might be resurrected. But of all the school's dismal statistics, and there were plenty to choose from - fewer than half of its students graduated within four years, and only ...

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Ms. Johanneson states that her love language is to care for others, and she has found that using her love language, she has figured out how to empower others while helping them grow (S. Johanneson, personal communication, April 5, 2021)

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“This is a 24/7 job and is certainly all encompassing. I am in charge of instruction, personnel, and managing campus facilities among other less tedious things. All things are consistently taken care of and progressing and if I can help it, and step back from my natural self, I task out duties depending on the nature of the situation”. (S. Johanneson, personal communication, April 5, 2021).

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As part of the contingent reward, leaders set goals, help employees develop the competencies for goal achievement, and set rewards (Sosik & Godshalk, 2000).

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The Wizard and the Warrior gives leaders the insight and courage they need to take risks on behalf of values they cherish and the people they guide. Great leaders must act both as wizard, calling on imagination, creativity, meaning, and magic, and as warrior, mobilizing strength, courage, and willingness to fight as necessary to fulfill their mission.  (Amazon Book Blurb)

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Six Questions for Determining Your Leadership Philosophy

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Six Questions for Determining Your Leadership Philosophy

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I've had multiple occasions recently to reflect on my own leadership philosophy. Not only have I been asked about it explicitly, but in several conversations with friends and others, the topic of leadership has come up with both positive and negative examples. This got me examining my leadership style and the principles that make up my overall philosophy.

Reflecting on your philosophy can be a surprisingly useful exercise, because we don't often examine many of the underlying tenets that govern our actions. But as we do reflect on it, we can begin to uncover not only our own beliefs and principles, but also the principles we value in our own leaders and managers.

When I think of a philosophy in general, it is the set of principles and beliefs that govern our actions and direction. It is made up of many different pieces that are all intertwined, guiding us through various situations.

So a leadership philosophy is made up of the core principles that govern the actions of a leader. Not only what they do, but the vision that they set and the policies they put in place to guide others.

I often see "philosophy" confused for "style". While style will be influenced by philosophy, they are not the same. Style may be the implementation of philosophy, but it is not equivalent. Additionally, style can be much more determined by situation while the underlying philosophy, though subject to reflection and revision, should not be changing situationally. It should be much more resilient and all-purpose.

Everyone has a philosophy, even if they don't determine explicitly what it is. All of our thoughts and actions, especially when it comes to leadership, govern our direction. So even without determining or reflecting on a leadership philosophy, you have one. You just may not know exactly what it is or how it drives your decisions.

By taking time to reflect (and write out) your philosophy, you can begin to have a much better understanding of the forces driving your decisions and leadership.

Additionally, you can start to measure where your philosophy and implementation may not be aligned. Are there practices you currently have as a leader that don't measure up to where you'd like to be? Determining your philosophy and reflecting on it gives you the perfect opportunity to ensure they are aligned. Or what you may need to do if they aren't aligned.

But what if you aren't currently in a leadership or management role? For product managers reading this, hopefully you already recognize that even without managerial authority, you are in a critical leadership role. For others, I'd likely argue that you too are in positions of leadership, even if it's not readily apparent.

Regardless, most of us likely have managers and leaders in some capacity. By understanding our own leadership philosophy, we can better recognize the underlying principles guiding our managers. This is important for working with managers and fulfilling our responsibilities. But it is also critical in determining where we will work best. If your leaders and managers don't have principles that align with your own, how can you expect to do your best work long-term? Ensuring that we determine our own philosophy and then find leaders who also align with our principles is crucial to our individual success and happiness.

As I was thinking about this topic and fleshing out my own philosophy, I asked myself a series of questions that helped me begin to articulate my own philosophy. Here are some of the topics I used to help me determine my philosophy:

1. How do I currently lead on my team and in my organization? It's helpful to take stock of what you currently do in order to understand why you do it.

2. How would I like to be perceived as a leader? This helps uncover additional principles that you may find important to your philosophy.

3. What gaps are there between what I do and what I would like to do? Are there gaps? If so, why?

4. What leaders do I admire and why? Understanding the philosophy of others and why you admire it will help you uncover your own philosophy. This can be famous leaders, or leaders you know personally.

5. What leaders do I dislike and why? This can also be famous leaders or leaders within your organization. I often find that the best examples for me are the ones that help me understand what not to do.

6. What are my personal principles? Your personal principles should align with your leadership principles and philosophy. This is, of course, your philosophy, so it needs to align with your values.

As I've had the opportunity to reflect on the principles of leadership that I value, I've been able to articulate my overarching philosophy and the underlying principles. I go more in-depth on my own philosophy in my post My Leadership Philosophy & Principles, but I'll summarize it here as well:
Get the right people working on the right thing in the right way - and get everything else out of their way.
The key underlying principles for my philosophy are:

1. Get the right people

2. Establish principles and live them

3. Set the vision

4. Define the framework

5. Give continuous feedback and recognition

6. Get everything else out of the way

Not only is this the way I try and lead, but it is how I want to be led as well. Understanding that and articulating it are critical as I continue to lead various teams and take on more leadership roles, but also in understanding the kinds of leaders I want to work with.

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6 Questions for Determining Your Leadership Philosophy

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I've had multiple occasions recently to reflect on my own leadership philosophy. Not only have I been asked about it explicitly, but in several conversations with friends and others, the topic of leadership has come up with both positive and negative examples. This got me examining my leadership style and the principles that make up my overall philosophy.

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Leading with Love - Relational Leadership

It's easy to become the type of leader who distrusts other people. This is particularly true in business. Regardless of your industry, achieving the status of a leader and helping your company grow requires embracing your competitive nature to some degree.

Unfortunately, some leaders become so competitive that they start to feel they can't trust others. They become suspicious of everyone else's motives. They may even consider their own employees to be potential threats. Thus, they may lead ineffectively, behaving too defensively to make the right decisions in all situations.

Other leaders adopt a different approach. They make the decision to "love" everyone they encounter on a regular basis. This love is not the type of love they would feel for a romantic partner, but it is similar to the love one feels for relatives and close family members.

Consider this example of leadership philosophy as you develop your own ideas about how to be an effective leader. Treating your team members (and even your direct competition) with care and respect can be very helpful in a number of ways - and is more of a relational leadership style. For instance, perhaps an employee who was once enthusiastic about their role has become clearly disengaged in recent months. A leader whose philosophy is rooted in defensiveness and competitiveness might assume this employee has turned against them for some reason. As a result, the relationship will suffer, and the worker may seek employment elsewhere.

On the other hand, someone who leads with love in a more relational leadership style would take the time to ask themselves what factors may have contributed to this employee's lack of engagement. They can then more effectively determine what steps they must take to correct the issue. This yields very practical benefits. Engaged employees are more productive, and more likely to remain loyal to an organization.

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5 Most Valuable Leadership Philosophy Examples To Understand

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It's easy to become the type of leader who distrusts other people. This is particularly true in business. Regardless of your industry, achieving the status of a leader and helping your company grow requires embracing your competitive nature to some degree. Unfortunately, some leaders become so competitive that they start to feel they can't trust others.

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I have learned that in order to be a poignant leader, I must reflect on experiences that I have had; both good and bad, and the experiences I have learned from, as well as the lessons I have been taught.  I have learned that being a transformational leader is what fills my inclinations in becoming a leader of any team.  I will be able to guide my team to change where needed through inspirations as deemed fit for whatever typed of group I will be leading.

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To me, leadership means respectfulness, courageousness, and loyalty.  I believe, that as a leader I should be loyal to my team, my reasonings, and work ethics.  I will be courageous and collaborative to help my team make and meet their goals and be hardworking in order to be effective, as well as show effectiveness. I will inspire my team to have faith in themselves and our mission. I will guide them and encourage them to fulfil their greatest potential all while making sure to be the best that I can be.

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In myself and in my team members, I value honesty, work ethic, having a collaborative nature, and being respectful.  I strive to be a leader who is approachable and be someone that my team knows they can come to when they have an issue; be that a working problem or a team complaint. I will not tolerate being lazy from myself or those that I lead. My ultimate goal as a leader is to inspire those on my team to lead better lives for themselves, our company, and show them that I lead a better life because of them. I wish to leave a positive impact on my team members and on the world in the role of a leader throughout my career.

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Great Leadership starts with self-leadership

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Great leadership starts with self-leadership | Lars Sudmann | TEDxUCLouvain

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How to Be a Leader

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HOW TO BE A LEADER  - Motivational Speech By Simon Sinek

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Imagine the leaders that inspire you. Each is likely unique, with a different style they use to meet goals, motivate, and animate their teams. There are many different styles of leadership, and each can have a different impact on a company.

In this post, we'll cover the most common types of leadership, how they influence business, and give tools to help you figure out what styles are best for you.

Start reading, or jump to the section you're looking for:

Why It's Important to Know Your Leadership Style

Knowing your leadership style helps you provide adequate guidance and feedback to employees, and better understand your thoughts, how you make decisions and strategies you can consider implementing when making business decisions.

It can also help you understand how your direct reports see you and why they may give you specific feedback. For example, if employees feel stifled at work and don't have many opportunities to speak their minds, they may be telling you that you're an autocratic leader who can benefit from changing their style.

Knowing your leadership styles may help you improve with limited feedback. Each leadership style has its pitfalls, allowing you to proactively address areas of improvement. This is critical because some employees might hesitate to speak up, even in an anonymous survey.

Ready to find out your leadership styles? Check out the most common styles below.

1. Democratic Leadership

Also called: Participative or Facilitative Leadership

Democratic leadership is exactly what it sounds like - the leader makes decisions based on each team member's input. Although a leader makes the final call, each employee has an equal say in a project's direction.

Democratic leaders often have the following characteristics:

Inclusive

Collaborative

Effective communicator

Empowering

Supportive and empathetic

Trust-building

Emotionally intelligent

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This leadership style resembles how leaders often make decisions in company board meetings.

For example, a democratic leader might give the team a few decision-related options in a company board meeting. They could then open a discussion about each option. After a discussion, this leader might consider the board's thoughts and feedback, or they might open this decision up to a vote.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

The democratic leadership style is one of the most effective because it encourages everyone to participate in all processes, share their opinions, and know that you will hear them. It also encourages employees to be engaged because they know you will hear their feedback.

Team members feeling like they have space to participate can also increase employee empowerment, motivation, and participation.

Potential challenges for leaders with a Democratic style:

Reaching a consensus can take considerable time, resources, and communication with a democratic style. It can also impact decision-making because some team members may not have the right expertise to make critical decisions.

Featured resources:

2. Autocratic Leadership

Also called: Authoritarian, Coercive, or Commanding Leadership

Autocratic leadership is the inverse of democratic leadership. In this leadership style, the leader makes decisions without taking input from anyone who reports to them.

Autocratic leadership is typically characterized by:

Centralized decision-making

Direct and top-down communication

Minimal delegation

Limited autonomy for team members

Emphasis on hierarchy and status

Resistant to feedback or criticism

This style is most useful when a business needs to control specific situations, not as a standalone leadership style. For instance, it can be effective in emergency or crisis situations where quick and decisive action is necessary.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Autocratic leaders carry out strategies and directives with absolute focus. So, when a situation calls for it, an authoritative leader can make a quick best-fit decision for a business without needing to get additional input (helpful on a case-by-case basis).

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This type of leadership is most effective when a company makes difficult decisions that don't benefit from additional input from others who aren't fully knowledgeable on the subject. Responsible parties can make a decision and give employees a clear sense of direction, and it can also make up for a lack of experience on a team.

Potential challenges for leaders with an Autocratic style:

Most organizations can't sustain such a hegemonic culture without losing employees, which can significantly lower morale and creative problem-solving.

An example of authoritative leadership gone bad could be when a manager changes the hours of work shifts for employees without consulting anyone.

Other challenges with autocratic leaders include:

Intimidation

Micromanagement

Over-reliance on a single leader

3. Laissez-Faire Leadership

Also called: Delegative or Hands-off Leadership

If you remember your high-school French, you'll accurately assume that laissez-faire leadership is the least intrusive form of leadership. The French term "laissez-faire" literally translates to "let them do."

Leaders who embrace it give nearly all authority to their employees and don't often interject unless the situation calls for it.

Some key characteristics of laissez-faire leadership include:

Limited guidance, direction, and feedback

Minimal interference and control

High autonomy and freedom

Empowerment and trust

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Laissez-faire leaders make employees accountable for their work. This gives many employees an incentive to do their best work.

This type of leader often creates a more relaxed company culture. This makes it a good model for creative businesses like ad agencies or product design. It's also a good fit for a business with a highly-skilled team.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

In a young startup, for example, you might see a laissez-faire company founder who makes no major office policies around work hours or deadlines.They might put complete trust in their employees while they focus on the overall workings of running the company.

Because of this high level of trust, employees working for laissez-faire leaders feel valued. They get the information they need and use their resources and experience to meet business goals.

Potential challenges for leaders with a Laissez-Faire style:

Although laissez-faire leadership can empower employees by trusting them to work however they'd like, there are downsides. It can limit team development and pose a challenge for new or inexperienced employees who would benefit from guidance as they get ramped up. Roles and responsibilities can also become unclear, and it can build a culture of working in silos where people might work autonomously rather than as a cohesive group.

This style can lead to overlooking critical company growth and learning opportunities, so keeping this leadership style in check is important.

Featured resources:

4. Strategic Leadership

Strategic leaders sit between a company's primary operations and its growth opportunities. This form of leadership requires vision, competitive awareness, and adaptability.

These leaders accept the burden of executive interests but also ensure that working conditions are stable for everyone else.

Strategic leaders aim to guide their organization toward its long-term goals. By utilizing this leadership style, you can create a forward-thinking, agile, and adaptable organization that can thrive in today's dynamic business landscape.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Strategic leaders tie plans for growth and strategy to how they manage a team. They ask questions, develop and execute strategies, and consider future growth. This approach supports popular business goals like:

Accountability

Productivity

Collaboration

Transparency

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This is a desirable leadership style in many companies because strategic thinking supports many types of employees at once.

Strategic thinking supports many employees at once, so it's a desirable style for many companies. It encourages visualization, planning, and making the most of existing resources, and it can motivate employees.

Potential challenges for leaders with a strategic leadership style:

Leaders who work strategically might take on too much and risk thinking too far into the future of possibilities while missing critical present-day issues. It's important to learn how to delegate with this leadership style and share the weight of decision-making.

Compromise, communication skills, and consistent outreach are also essential.

Featured resources:

5. Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders gain the trust and confidence of their teams, encourage team members, and lead employees toward meeting company goals.

Transformational leadership also always improves upon the company's conventions and motivates employees to grow and further develop their skills.

Ultimately, the goal of a transformational leader is to create a lasting positive impact, uplift their team to achieve their full potential, and drive success for the organization.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Transformational leaders can inspire their teams to think in new ways. This can help companies update business processes to improve productivity and profitability. It can also help with employee satisfaction, morale, and motivation.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This is a highly encouraging form of leadership where employees are supported and encouraged to see what they're capable of.

When starting a job with this type of leader, all employees might get a list of goals to reach and deadlines for reaching them. The goals might begin quite simple, but as employees grow and meet their goals, leaders will give them more tasks and challenges to conquer as they grow with the company.

Potential challenges for leaders with a Transformational style:

Transformational leaders can lose sight of everyone's individual learning curves in place of the company's goals. Employee burnout can also become an issue, so it's important to work with your team to update benchmarks.

Featured resources:

6. Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership is based on reward and punishment to motivate and direct the behavior. These managers set specific rules and standards, and they closely monitor their employees' performance. They tell employees they can expect rewards if a goal is met. However, they may require more 1:1s or check-ins if people aren't meeting goals.

This leadership style is concerned with maintaining the status quo and ensuring that predetermined goals and standards are met. It also assumes that teams need structure and monitoring to meet business goals and that they are reward-motivated.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This style is popular in enterprise companies as it focuses on results, existing structures, and set systems of rewards or penalties. This leadership style also recognizes and rewards commitment.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

Transactional leaders can offer helpful clarity and structure of expectations, which can help employees feel safe because they understand expectations. Employees also have a clear view of what they get in return for meeting business goals.

Potential challenges for leaders with a transactional style:

This style is more about using rewards to motivate and less about building relationships with employees, coaching, and developing team morale. Keeping a diverse team engaged can be hard if only some are reward-motivated, and it can lead to low creativity and fear of punishment.

7. Coaching Leadership

Also called: Conscious Leadership

A coaching leader focuses on identifying and nurturing the individual strengths of each member of the team and developing strategies that will enable teams to work better together.

This style is similar to strategic and democratic leadership, but it emphasizes individual employees' success.

A manager with this leadership style might help employees improve on their strengths by:

Giving them new tasks to try

Offering guidance

Meeting to discuss constructive feedback

They might also encourage one or more team members to expand on their strengths by learning new skills from other teammates.

Coaching leaders focus on building trust and establishing strong relationships with their team members. They foster an environment of open communication and psychological safety that encourages individuals to share ideas, seek feedback, and work together toward common objectives.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Coaching leaders actively support skill development and independent problem-solving. They meet ambitious business goals by creating a strong company culture and add to a business's long-term vision as valuable mentors, often even after leaving a company.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This leadership style can motivate employees as they feel supported on the team. It recognizes that each employee is unique and can build diverse and exciting teams where each employee offers something different.

This leader focuses on high performance, with employees that can communicate well and embrace unique skill sets to get work done. They also encourage team members to seek new challenges, learn from experiences, and continuously improve their skills and knowledge.

Potential challenges for leaders with a coaching style:

It can take a lot of time to develop employees with a coaching style, but mentoring isn't effective for every employee.

Featured resources:

8. Bureaucratic Leadership

Bureaucratic leaders follow the rules. Unlike autocratic leadership, they might listen and consider the input of employees, but they might reject input that doesn't align with company policy or past practices.

Some key features of bureaucratic leadership include:

Centralized decision-making

Strict adherence to rules and procedures

Clear chain of command

Limited autonomy

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This style works best for larger, older, or traditional companies that are successful in their current processes. This leadership style works for these businesses because they want to maintain existing business models and processes because their current strategies are successful, and trying something new that doesn't work could waste time and resources.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

This leadership style can be challenging for some, but it has many benefits. It lowers the risk of favoritism and replaces it with central duties, job security, and predictability.

This clear and efficient leadership style can lead to high levels of creativity for some employees.

Potential challenges for leaders with a bureaucratic leadership style:

Employees might not feel as controlled as autocratic leadership, but there can be a lack of freedom in how much people can do in their roles. This approach can shut down innovation and is not the right fit for companies chasing ambitious goals and quick growth.

Featured resources:

9. Visionary Leadership

Also called: Affiliative Leadership

Visionary leadership focuses on future and long-term goals. They aim to inspire and guide their team towards the achievement of a shared vision.

This type of leader encourages collaboration, emotional intelligence, and teamwork. They also foster a culture of innovation and change, encouraging individuals to embrace new ideas and approaches.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

Visionary leaders can create a clear plan for employees to follow and execute. They are powerful and persuasive communicators, which helps them energize teams toward impactful business growth.

As the focus is on future growth, visionary leaders can forecast potential roadblocks and outline action plans, giving employees increased confidence during uncertainty or challenging times.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

Teams can do more and enjoy their work more if they have a vision to work toward. This type of leader offers vision statements and other tools to inspire and motivate teams to engage at work.

Potential challenges for leaders with a visionary style:

Visionary leaders can skip over day-to-day issues to focus on long-term ideas, missing roadblocks that could build up and cause problems in the future. Another common challenge is hyper-focus on a single goal, which can impact consideration for other ideas that may be just as valuable to the business.

Featured resources:

10. Pacesetting Leadership

A pacesetting leader sets ambitious standards and expects employees to meet those goals in the exact manner they've laid out. These leaders expect productivity and high-quality outputs from employees, and they may step in to ensure things are done correctly and on time.

Some characteristics of a pacesetting leader include:

High performance standards

Leading by example

Results-oriented

Preference for speed and efficiency

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This type of leader sets ambitious goals with a clear and focused effort, so employees know exactly what is expected of them. For example, pacesetting sales leaders set and exceed ambitious quarterly sales cadences.

These leaders might also work alongside their team and push performance, boosting team morale.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

Skilled and experienced teams often thrive under this kind of leader. They use the abilities of motivated and competent team members and make meeting goals feel urgent and exciting.

It can also be gratifying for team members to see their leader working hard alongside them.

Potential challenges for leaders with a pacesetting style:

Pacesetting leaders can sometimes create a high-stress workplace environment if goals are unrealistic, which can overwhelm and demotivate teams. This can impact engagement and lead to burnout, where people struggle to meet goals and perform as expected.

Focusing on goals can also stifle creativity and diversity of thought, so employees don't feel they can use their expertise to suggest alternative goals or strategies.

Featured resources:

11. Situational Leadership

Situational leaders change their management style to meet the needs of the situation or team. It suggests that effective leaders must adapt their leadership style to match the readiness and development levels of their team members

This leadership style involves analyzing specific situations, assessing the competence and commitment of individuals, and adjusting the leadership approach accordingly. It is proactive and recognizes that change is the only constant.

Why this leadership style works for businesses:

This leadership approach can motivate employees and ensure that people aren't stuck working in a way that doesn't make sense for the situation. It's also valuable for startups or businesses requiring frequent changes and flexible talent and support.

Why this leadership style is good for the team:

Situational leaders are great communicators and use team feedback to make decisions. They also analyze market changes and can quickly evaluate and update processes to ensure success. This can create strong relationships and help employees see and feel their value to the business.

Potential challenges for leaders with a situational style:

Leaders need a high level of expertise in all business processes and functions to make decisions, and they must be able to pivot quickly. It's important to remember long-term goals and meet immediate needs; not every leader can do this effectively.

It can become confusing and stressful for teams if a leader's approach changes too often, as they won't know what to expect.

Featured resources:

Deciding Between Different Leadership Styles

There's no single "best" leadership style, so figuring out what is best for you and your environment is essential.

How to Understand Your Instinctive Leadership Style

Leaders need good instincts, and many leaders focus on their own experiences and habits as they develop a leadership style. As you start your path toward leadership, you may want to keep notes. Write down how you would handle specific situations or problems.

Doing this can help you be a confident and capable leader, but if you notice things aren't going as expected, you may want to reconsider your approach.

Your instincts and habits will always impact the way you lead. But if you find yourself in situations that you're unsure how to respond to, you may want to look at other leadership styles.

For example, if you're an extrovert with a shy member on your team, you may want to work on active listening. If you're an introvert leading a team of outgoing people, you may need to learn new ways to nurture, support, and inspire your team.

Can you change your leadership style?

While it may take some time and effort, you can always change your leadership style and improve your processes.

The first step to making changes is recognizing the need for change. Whether this comes from direct employee feedback, noticing that goals aren't being met, or people seeming to experience burnout, identifying this is the first step.

Next, you need to prepare yourself for changes. For example, your leadership style may be effective for your team, but you might have a more challenging time connecting with stakeholders. In this case, you wouldn't want to throw out your current style, but you'd want to identify what is and isn't working. Then, get curious, and begin the work of adjusting the way you lead.

How to Choose the Right Leadership Style for You

There are many ways to find a leadership style that works for you. Because of this, it can be tough to know where to begin. If you're not sure what leadership styles will work for you, these steps can help.

1. Get to know yourself.

Everyone has a unique path to self-discover. Some take risks and try new things and others prioritize quiet time, writing exercises, and listing strengths and weaknesses.

Another path to learning about yourself is through physical activity and spending time with other people. However you go about it, getting to know yourself is an important first step toward being a leader.

2. Outline your values and challenges.

Knowing yourself will help you understand what's important to you and where you struggle. Being a leader means working quickly and making decisions quickly, so having your values mapped out can be extremely helpful.

As you write out your values, look at pivotal moments in your life to date. Then, look for trends, people you're drawn to, and common themes. If your list is long, group similar ideas together.

Having an outline can help you see how you react, your strengths and weaknesses, and a base for your core values.

3. Watch leaders you respect.

Observing leaders you respect can also help you define your leadership style. As you watch them in meetings, client conversations, and presentations, take notes of what you like.

Another approach is to view their actions with specific leadership styles in mind, helping you figure out what their approach is and whether it will work for you.

4. Try different leadership styles.

A hands-on option is to try out different leadership styles. You can create an outline of what interests you and review your notes before your next meeting to see how you can incorporate it into your interactions.

5. Find a business coach or mentor.

Working with a business coach can also help you hone your leadership style.

A mentor can be someone in your workplace you respect and would appreciate feedback from, whether it's another leader or a colleague you respect. You can also check out this guide on how to find a business coach.

6. Ask colleagues and leaders for feedback.

Another way to find the best style for your needs is to ask other colleagues, leaders, and team members for feedback.

The best approach for this strategy is to plan out what you want to ask and why so you get the feedback you need. Think about how people might respond and also set clear guidelines and expectations.

When you get feedback, make sure to listen carefully. You'll gain valuable information about your strengths and weaknesses that will help you understand where you need to improve and the style that will help you improve.

7. Complete a leadership style assessment.

Leadership assessments are helpful tools for leaders, for yourself as an individual, and to assess your teams.

A leadership quiz can make it easier to understand your strengths and skills. It can surface habits and qualities you might not be aware of and give you a clear direction for growth.

If this is something you want to try, the leadership assessment below is a great place to start.

Leadership Style Assessment

Leaders carry a mix of the leadership styles mentioned above. At the root of these styles, leadership experts Bill Torbert and David Rooke say, are what are called "action logics."

These action logics assess "how [leaders] interpret their surroundings and react when their power or safety is challenged."

That's the idea behind the Leadership Development Profile, a popular management survey tool. Created by professor Torbert and psychologist Susanne Cook-Greuter - and featured in the book, Personal and Organizational Transformations - the survey uses a set of 36 open-ended sentence completion tasks to help researchers better understand how leaders develop and grow.

Below we've used open-ended sentences to outline six action logics that describe each one. Review the sentences, see how they resonate with you, and figure out which leadership style upholds based on the action logic you most align with.

1. Individualist

The individualist is self-aware, creative, and primarily focused on their actions and development as opposed to overall organizational performance. This action logic is exceptionally driven by the desire to exceed personal goals and constantly improve their skills.

Here are some things an individualist might say:

Individualist 1: "A good leader should always trust their own intuition over established organizational processes."

Individualist 2: "It's important to be able to relate to others so I can easily communicate complex ideas to them."

Individualist 3: "I'm more comfortable with progress than sustained success."

2. Strategist

Strategists are acutely aware of the environments they're in and have a deep understanding of the structures and processes that make their businesses tick. Still, they're also able to evaluate what could be improved.

Here are some things a strategist might say:

Strategist 1: "A good leader should always be able to build a consensus in divided groups."

Strategist 2: "It's important to help develop the organization as a whole, as well as the growth and individual achievements of my direct reports."

Strategist 3: "Conflict is inevitable, but I'm knowledgeable enough about my team's personal and professional relationships to handle the friction."

3. Alchemist

Rooke and Tolbert describe the alchemist as highly evolved and effective at managing organizational change. They differ from other action logics in their unique ability to simultaneously see the big picture and minute details. No department or employee gets overlooked with an alchemist leader.

Here are some things an alchemist might say:

Alchemist 1: "A good leader helps their employees reach their highest potential, and possesses the necessary empathy and moral awareness to get there."

Alchemist 2: "It's important to make a profound and positive impact on whatever I'm working on."

Alchemist 3: "I have a unique ability to balance short-term needs and long-term goals."

4. Opportunist

Opportunists are guided by a certain level of mistrust of others, relying on a facade of control to keep their employees in line. "Opportunists tend to regard their bad behavior as legitimate in the cut and thrust of an eye-for-an-eye world," Rooke and Tolbert write.

Here are some things an opportunist might say:

Opportunist 1: "A good leader should always view others as potential competition to be bested, even if it's at the expense of their professional development."

Opportunist 2: "I reserve the right to reject the input of those who question or criticize my ideas."

5. Diplomat

Unlike the opportunist, the diplomat isn't concerned with competition or assuming control over situations. Instead, this action logic seeks to cause minimal impact on their organization by conforming to existing norms and completing their daily tasks with as little friction as possible.

Here are some things a diplomat might say:

Diplomat 1: "A good leader should always resist change since it risks causing instability among their direct reports."

Diplomat 2: "It's important to provide the 'social glue' in team situations, safely away from conflict."

Diplomat 3: "I tend to thrive in more team-oriented or supporting leadership roles."

6. Expert

The expert is a pro in their given field, constantly striving to perfect their knowledge of a subject and perform to meet their own high expectations. Rooke and Tolbert describe the expert as a talented individual contributor and a source of knowledge for the team. But this action logic does lack something central to many good leaders: emotional intelligence.

Here are some things a diplomat might say:

Expert 1: "A good leader should prioritize their own pursuit of knowledge over the needs of the organization and their direct reports."

Expert 2: "When problem-solving with others in the company, my opinion tends to be the correct one."

Which Leader Are You?

So, which action logics above felt like you? Think about each sentence for a moment.

Now, check out which of the seven leadership styles you embrace on the right based on the sentences you resonated with on the left.

The more action logics you agree with, the more likely you are to practice a mix of leadership styles.

For example, if you agreed with everything the strategist said, this would make you a 66% strategic leader and 33% democratic leader. If you agreed with the third statement and everything the alchemist said, this would make you a 50% transformational, 25% strategic, and 25% democratic leader.

Keep in mind that these action logics are considered developmental stages, not fixed attributes - most leaders will progress through multiple types of leadership throughout their careers.

Learn Your Leadership Management Style to Become a Better Leader

Whether you manage a big or small team, your leadership style heavily impacts how your direct reports see you and how your team works together to achieve your company's goals. There are many different styles of leadership, so choosing one that works for you can make you a more effective leader.

If you want to be a leader that makes a difference, you'll need to keep growing and embrace change. Are you ready to get started?
Editor's note: This post was originally published in August 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Leadership Styles: The 11 Most Common & How to Find Your Style [Quiz]

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Learn about 11 types of leadership styles, and the traits they carry. Choose the leadership style for you and test to find out what type of leader you are.