What Kind of Leadership Motivates Your Team Effectively?

Effective leadership needs more than just following a set of rules. Daniel Goleman’s leadership styles offer practical ways to engage and inspire your team, but their true power lies in knowing how to apply them in the right context. Here is a quick guide to these styles and a few questions to reflect on how to make each style more effective:

1. Recognition with the Affiliative Style

Build strong relationships by focusing on emotional well-being and offering consistent recognition. But recognition is most impactful when it’s genuine and timely…

—are you acknowledging efforts as they happen?

2. Empowerment with the Authoritative (Visionary) Style

Empower your team by clearly communicating a shared vision and allowing them the freedom to achieve it. But empowerment thrives on trust…

—are you giving your team the space to take ownership?

3. Purpose and Direction with the Visionary Style

Align your team around a common goal by connecting their work to a larger purpose. But alignment is ongoing…

—are you revisiting the vision to ensure it still resonates?

4. Development with the Coaching Style

Invest in your team’s growth by mentoring and guiding them toward their goals. But development is mutual…

—are you also learning from your team as you coach them?

5. Involvement with the Democratic Style

Foster collaboration by involving your team in decision-making and valuing their input. But balance inclusivity with decisiveness…

—are you moving forward when decisions are needed?

6. Leading by Example with the Visionary/Affiliative Styles

Inspire your team by demonstrating the values and behaviors you expect. But consistency is key…

—are your actions aligned with your expectations?

Final Thoughts

There’s no single “best” leadership style to motivate your team. What truly matters is knowing when to use each one based on the specific context or challenge you’re facing.

Understanding your default leadership style is the first step to recognizing when it works for you—and when it might not. By being honest with yourself and exploring different styles, you can learn, adjust, and better influence your team as a leader.

Which leadership style will you try to respond to current challenges?

References

▪ Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership That Gets Results. Harvard Business Review, 78(2), 78-90.