Introduction to Leadership Styles. Why It Matters for Founders and Executives?

“Honestly, when we had the new boss come in, it felt like a different company,” one employee said. “She made all the decisions herself, barely asked for input. Some things moved faster, sure, but people started going quiet in meetings.”

Another chimed in, “Our previous manager? Total opposite. He ran everything like a group workshop. We voted on every major initiative. It was nice… until we hit a crisis and no one knew who was actually in charge.”

Somewhere else in the same company, a designer shared, “My team lead barely checks in. He says, ‘You know what you're doing, just tell me if you need anything.’ It’s great, but also… a little direction now and then wouldn’t hurt.”

Different leaders leave different impressions.

Control freak? Push-over? Collaborative hero? Lone wolf genius? Whatever label employees use, what they’re describing are leadership styles, the patterns of behavior leaders use to guide, motivate, and influence others.

So what exactly makes up a leadership style? And are there categories we can actually learn and use or avoid?

In this series, we’ll explore three foundational families of leadership styles:

• Classic styles: The original trio: Autocratic, Democratic, and Laissez-Faire. These are your fundamental "driving modes" as a leader.
• Emotional styles: Based on Goleman’s framework, these go deeper into how a leader’s emotional tone and energy affect performance.
• Situational styles: Adaptive approaches that match leadership behavior to the needs of the moment or team maturity.

Understanding leadership styles helps you do more than label others. It helps you reflect on your own approach, recognize blind spots, and adapt based on context.

Just like different instruments create different sounds in an orchestra, leadership styles create different workplace environments. The key is to know which one to use, when.