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How To Answer “What Is Your Leadership Style?” (Interview Question)

By Biron Clark

Published: November 20, 2023

If you’re job searching, the interviewer is likely to ask about your leadership style. I’m going to walk you through exactly how to give an impressive answer to the interview question: “What is your leadership style?” so you can get hired. And I’ll cover a few “traps” and mistakes you want to avoid to get the job offer.

Let’s get started…

How To Answer “What Is Your Leadership Style?” In Job Interviews

If they’re asking you this question in an interview, it means they care about your leadership ability and are likely using it as a factor in deciding who to hire. This doesn’t have to be direct leadership. You don’t need to have managed or supervised people in a past job. And you might even hear this question for a position that isn’t going to require any direct leadership. But maybe in a few years, they plan on promoting you. Maybe they want someone who can lead by example and mentor newer people in a year, etc. For whatever reason… the interviewer wants to know how you lead and more importantly- how comfortable you are doing it (that’s the real reason they’re asking here!) So you need to show them you’re confident when leading and that you’ve done it before!

Let’s get into some do’s and don’ts now, so you can give a great answer.

1. Don’t say you’ve never led anyone

Pick your most impressive leadership experiences as you think back and try to come up with an answer for this. It might be on a sports team, in a class project, or in previous jobs. But whatever you do, don’t answer this interview question by saying, “I’m not really a leader”, or “I’m not sure, I’ve never really led people in the past”. Find SOMETHING, no matter what. (If you want to get hired, that is).

2. Sound like you have a method or system that works for you

There’s no single “right” or “wrong” answer to this interview question… but the hiring manager wants to know you have a system that works for YOU. When they ask, “what’s your leadership style”, they want to hear that you’ve figured out something that consistently works when you’re put in a position to lead. And you need to sound somewhat reasonable and easy to get along with. Sound likable. Don’t make yourself sound like a dictator or somebody who leads by bossing everyone around. It’s ineffective and definitely won’t get you hired.

3. Share specific examples if possible

After you answer the basic question and describe your general style of leadership, I recommend you ask the hiring manager if they want you to go into more detail. You can say, “do you want me to give an example of a time I’ve done this?” They’ll probably say “yes”, and if they do, you can tell them a specific story. (It’s always best to ask though, rather than diving into a super long answer when they might be looking for a quick response. This is a strategy I recommend frequently because it prevents you from annoying the interviewer or giving answers that are too long). If they do want a story, talk about how you used your leadership ability to make a past project a success. What was the final result? Did you help your company make money or save money? Did you win an award in school? etc. Talk about real, measurable results.

Options & Examples for How to Describe Your Leadership Style

Now that you know the 3 steps to answer, “what is your leadership style,” I’m going to give you a few word-for-word examples and phrases you can use to describe your style of leading. These will all make you sound great to an interviewer.

Remember what I mentioned above though – you’re going to need to share stories and examples when they ask this interview question. So don’t lie. Pick something that really fits you!

Common leadership styles:

• Lead by example: “I like to lead by example. I lead from the front by taking action, demonstrating what needs to be done, and keeping my team organized to make sure we’re all on the same page and contributing equally.”
• Lead by facilitating communication: “Communication is one of my greatest strengths. I lead by facilitating open communication, and trying to bring out the best in every team member”.
• Lead by delegating and making others better: “I’m great at delegating and finding the strengths of other team members. I try to give each person a chance to do what they’re best at and create a team effort that delivers a result that’s greater than the sum of its parts”

If you’re having trouble coming up with your leadership style, here’s a trick:

Ask people who know you! Ask your parents, friends, other family, classmates, etc. People you’ve been on sports teams with, on class projects with, or worked with. Ask them how they’d describe your leadership, and try to notice a few themes that multiple people repeat. That’s what you can take and use. If you follow the steps above, you should be able to give a great answer when they ask about your leadership style or leadership experiences in any interview. Be ready to get specific, and don’t give vague responses like “I’m a hard worker, so it’s always a success when I lead a project”. That’s meaningless. That tells them absolutely nothing. They want real details, results, and specific facts. They want to really see if you’ve developed a style that works for you, and they want to see that you can describe it clearly. So practice your answer at home before going into the interview.

“What is Your Leadership Style?” Sample Interview Answers

Before we wrap up, I’m going to leave you with a couple of word-for-word example answers for describing your style of leadership in an interview.

Example Answer #1:

“I would describe my leadership style as direct, and leading by example. I enjoy delegating tasks and taking the lead on projects, but I also like to stay involved and inspire my team by showing that I’m working hands-on to help them, too. For example, in my last job, we had an emergency situation where a client’s website went down. I quickly delegated tasks to my team of 4, but then got on the phone with the client myself to find out more information for my team and give the client temporary steps they could take to make the issue less costly while we came up with a permanent solution. When my team saw me working hard to fix this, it made them realize the importance of the issue and work hard as well.”

Example Answer #2:

“I think my strengths as a leader are effective delegation and communication. So my leadership style takes advantage of those strengths. I always try to delegate tasks to whoever is best-equipped to perform well in the task, and I try to communicate clearly about what needs to be done, and why. This eliminates back-and-forth, mistakes, and the need to re-do tasks. Taking more time to communicate effectively at the beginning of the project, and delegating properly, both end up saving time as a project advances.”

If you follow the advice above and make your answer sound like these examples, you’ll impress the interviewer and quickly move past the interview question!

As a final step, make sure you practice your answer. You want to sound sure of yourself and confident when they ask, “what is your leadership style?” This isn’t a question you want to hesitate on or draw a blank, so use the steps above and practice until you feel ready.

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Very informative article. We can add few more common leadership style –

1. Thinking and Responding Quickly 2. Successful Negotiator 3. Managing Difficult Conversations 4. Debate like a Pro

Thank you for your help

Please send the questions

Incredibly #Helpful

Please provide the common questions during the interview. Thank you.

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Interview questions answered: What is your leadership style?

Great leader can make all the difference in any team at the workplace, or outside of it. Once you interview for a job in which you will lead someone–be it only one person , or a department of dozens of employees, or anything in between and beyond, you can expect to get at least a couple of questions about leadership.

They can inquire directly what leadership means to you, whether you consider yourself a leader or a follower, or they can ask you to share with them an example of a successful leadership from your last job. We analyze all these questions on different pages of InterviewPenguin.com , and no we will look at another one–the question about your leadership style .

Before I proceed to 7 sample answers to the question, I want to make sure you understand two things. First: job interview is not a school exam at the college of management. Second: people sitting in the interviewing panel are not teachers. And though we have many categorizations of leadership styles and you can relate to one of them in your answer, the most important thing is to describe, in a language they will understand , how you lead the people who work under you, and the great results you yield with your leadership . Or how you plan to do it, if this happens to be your first job application for any leadership role. You do not need any special terminology for this purpose…

Let’s have a look at the sample answers. I tried to come up with a variety of answers on my list, including some unconventional answers. Just to make sure at least one of them will resonate with you. Do not forget to check also my concluding thoughts at the end of this article.

7 sample answers to “How would you describe your leadership style?” interview question

• I would describe my leadership style as results oriented . In an ideal case I’d like to have goals in place for every single employee –regardless of how simple their job is. Once we have the goals in place, we can set milestones, or daily schedule for everyone, and I can lead them on their way to continuously attain their goals , by checking their progress daily, making sure they know what they are supposed to do, delegating work, counseling them, and so on. It is also important to me to lead people in the way that they can see the bigger picture . Their work may seem routine or even lacking sense at times, especially here in automotive. That’s why I make it a point to personally explain everyone the role their work plays on the final product, the role they play in the team, and why it is indispensable. In my experience, it works wonders with their motivation . At the end of the day, we are all looking for a purpose, for a meaning to our everyday work and existence…
• I would characterize my leadership style as highly democratic . Always trying to empower the people , and make them participate on the decisions we make in the department, I am no strict leader. In such a working environment everyone learns from everyone , and the entire department grows under my leadership. In my opinion, in an organization of this size, with so many employees working under me , empowering people and letting them to make decisions on their own, any time a situation allows it, is the only way to meet deadlines and progress faster than our competitors. Of course, it is my role as a leader to make sure every employee understands our values , and the direction we follow in the company, and decides accordingly …
• Working on a construction site , I believe that only leadership style which works is a strict authoritative leadership . Let’s not be naive. Most of the people working here do not love their jobs . If they had better education or an opportunity to do something else to pay their bills, they would not be here . Hence they will do just as much as they have to, in order to keep their job and get their wage. If I do not set a specific deadline for finishing something , they will work slowly, spend a lot of time smoking cigarettes, and simply won’t progress at a desired pace. Hence it is crucial to set strict goals, to be present in the workplace , and do not allow for too much of independent decision making of the laborers. In my opinion, this is the only way to succeed as a construction supervisor.
• I can talk about an example from my last job . Leading a group of seven creative people in a graphic design department, the best thing I could do was to set an overall direction for the team , tell them the final goal of each campaign, and then simply let them brainstorm, dream, imagine, and work. You can call it Laissez-faire leadership style if you want. And I would love to do the same in your company. Of course, it is crucial to have weekly or even daily team meetings , to make sure people stay on the task, and progress, and to encourage them and give them feedback and everything. Except of that, however, I believe it is best to let people work independently. Interfering too much would only limit their creativity.
• This is my first application for a leadership job , and it hard to define my leadership style at work. However, I have an experience with leading some sport teams , such as at the college, or a group of friends. And I would characterize myself as a positive leader . I never hesitate to recognize someone for a good job they’ve done , praising them for their work. In my opinion, praise beats criticism. I also try to lead by an example. I would never ask someone to stay longer in work if I was to leave at time. In my opinion, this approach can yield great results, though I haven’t tested it yet in a corporate environment.
• I would describe myself as a flexible leader . Having led various people and teams in my long managerial career, I’ve learned that different things work with different people and teams. Hence I do not like to limit myself to one leadership style only. As a good leader, I always try to assess the strengths and weaknesses of my team members . And I also like to test their decision making ability with some seemingly trivial decisions. If I see that the team works great without strong intervention from my side, I won’t intervene. On the contrary, if I see that the motivation drops quickly and so does the effectiveness , or other problems occur in the team–such as regular conflicts, I will opt for a more authoritative style of leadership. And when it comes to exceptional employees , people I can imagine in my own role one day , I will give them a special attention and try to work with them as a coach. To sum it up, I try to adjust my leadership style to the people I lead, situation in the business, and other circumstances. The goal always remains the same: to achieve the best long-term results for the business .
• It would be probably better to ask my former subordinates . What I wanted to achieve, and how I wanted to lead them, and what they perceived, can be a completely different story. Anyway, I always tried to give a special attention to every employee . Regular one on one meetings  formed the core of my leadership. Understanding what each employee wanted, and how it related to the goals of the business, as well as what their strengths and weaknesses were, I tried to coach everyone to achieve their best at work . Was I hard sometimes on them? For sure I was. But I did it with the best intention , and at the end of the day I also had goals to meet as the leader of the department. And I never hesitated to praise someone for a good job they’ve done…

Think about the job, working environment, and a fitting leadership style before your interview

Different working environments require different leadership styles . You will hardly succeed letting ten construction workers “do whatever they want”, letting them a complete freedom in the workplace. If you did so, you may as well return to the construction site after six hours and find people talking together and smoking cigarettes, having made no progress whatsoever.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, leading a team of creative engineers with an iron fist would not only hinder the progress of the team. Such people would simply leave the company , because freedom to decide and to think creatively and implement their own ideas is the reason why such people love engineering .

* Special Tip: This isn’t the most difficult question you will face while interviewing for any decent leadership role. You will face questions about prioritization, dealing with pressure, solving problems , and other tricky scenarios that happen in the workplace and with the people you manage. If you want to make sure that you stand out with your answers and outclass your competitors, have a look at our Interview Success Package . Up to 10 premium answers to 50 tricky scenario based questions (+ more) will make your life much easier in the interviews. Thank you for checking it out!

These are two extreme examples, of course, but I hope you got the point. Think about the company, values they try to promote in the workplace, type of people you will lead, and a style of leadership that should work well in such an environment. It should help you decide about the right answer to this tricky interview question.

Describe your leadership style in three words

Trying to avoid lengthy answers , the hiring managers may sometimes ask you to describe your leadership in three words. It is especially common on job application forms, and during the first rounds of hiring process, While I personally do not like the question, since each word can be interpreted in various ways , and without you elaborating on the “three words” they can make a completely wrong impression about your leadership style based on such a short description, you may face the question, and it is better to prepare for it .

One of the three words in your answer should perhaps characterize your leadership in general, such as authoritative, autocratic, democratic , etc. The other two words should help them understand the way in which you actually lead the people or project. Some good words you can use (depending on your way of leading others) include: friendly, inspiring, motivational, goal-oriented, demanding, personal, coaching . Choose some of them and then hope that the person reading or hearing the words will understand them correctly :).

Ready to answer this one? I hope so! Do not forget to check also sample answers to other tricky interview questions about your leadership:

• What does leadership mean to you?
• Are you a leader or a follower?
• Who inspires you?
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• Volume 4, Issue 4
• Your leadership style: why understanding yourself matters
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• http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0110-2378 Clare Felicity Jane Price-Dowd
• People Directorate , NHS England and Improvement , Leeds , West Yorkshire , UK
• Correspondence to Dr Clare Felicity Jane Price-Dowd, People Directorate, NHS Improvement, Leeds LS1 4HG, West Yorkshire, UK; clare.price-dowd{at}improvement.nhs.uk

Understanding of personal leadership style has been shown to be a key part of effective leadership practice. It has been a topic of interest for many decades as we have tried to understand, and replicate, what makes those considered to be ‘great leaders’ so successful. This article gives a brief introduction to different leadership ‘theories’, leadership ‘styles’ and the effect they have on the ‘climate’ in organisations. Having an understanding of the different approaches can help leaders be more effective through comprehending how and why they do what they do, as well as helping them identify where and when they need to adapt their style. By considering how our understanding of leadership has evolved, it is possible to show how effective leadership is not linked to one approach. It is a combination of knowledge, attitudes and behaviours with a focus on both the task in hand and concern for those undertaking that task. Furthermore this understanding supports impactful personal development, which creates positive climates in organisations where compassionate and inclusive leadership behaviours can, and do result in better outcomes for staff and patients.

• effectiveness
• leadership assessment
• role modeling

https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2020-000218

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Introduction

Who, when flipping through a publication has not been tempted by the ‘personality quiz’, hoping to get the ‘mostly A, B or C’ that indicates we have the attributes for long and successful careers or lots of friends? While this level of ‘knowing how we are’ could be dismissed as flippant, when it comes to leadership, understanding our personal approach can be invaluable. If you asked people around you ‘what sort of leader do you think you are?’ they would most likely answer in the singular ‘I lead by example,’ ‘I build relationships with people,’ or ‘I don't tolerate underperformance’. They are unlikely to say ‘I do this here, and that on other occasions’ yet the most effective leaders are those who attune to their context, consciously adapt their practice and have an awareness of how their own style effects others. This article introduces the different theories and styles of leadership and how they can be used to create positive work climates. The key terms are given in table 1 .

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Evolution of leadership theory and understanding of style

A desire to understand what makes a successful leader is not new. For centuries there has been debate about what differentiated leaders from non-leaders, and leaders from followers. In a comprehensive review of leadership theories by Stogdill, 1 a number of categories were identified and in the 80+ years since Lewin et al 2 published their theory on patterns of behaviour in 1939, we have seen an evolution from trying to identify ‘common traits’ based on inherent characteristics of ‘great men and women’ through to the what we now understand to be the successful combination of person, place and approach. Looking further into this evolution, although this is not a comprehensive list, it is possible to group the stages of development as follows:

Trait theory—for example as seen in the work of Carlyle 3 and Stodgill 1 is concerned with the type of person that makes a good leader and the innate qualities and associated leadership traits they have. A meta-study by the Centre for Excellence in Management and Leadership 4 identified over 1000 leadership traits in the literature, which they distilled to 83 more or less distinct attributes. While no specific trait or combination was found to guarantee success, trait theory did help in identifying qualities that are helpful when leading others such as integrity and empathy.

Later, behavioural theory identified what good leaders do—effectively how they ‘lead well’. Examples include the Tannenbaum and Schmidt continuum 5 —seven stages of reducing control namely Tells, Sells, Suggests, Consults, Joins, Delegates and Abdicates; the Action-Centred Leadership Model of Adair 6 which sets out the three responsibilities of the leader—‘achieving the task, managing the team and managing individuals’ and the Blake Mouton Managerial Grid 7 also referred to as ‘The Power to Change’ which outlines two behavioural dimensions: Concern for Results and Concern for People.

Situational and contingency theory: looks at the leader in the context of where they lead. By considering how the leader’s success is directly influenced by their environment, it became possible to identify the conditions that support or constrain leaders as seen in work including Feidler 8 Vroom and Yetton 9 Yukl 10 ; Hersey and Blanchard 11 ; Thompson and Vecchio. 12

Transactional theories—as seen in the work of Weber 13 and later by Bass, 14 focuses on the leader getting results by using process and structures while applying reward and penalty in response. Within this are power and influence theory, exchange and path-goal theory by House 15 16 which concentrate on the relationship between leader and led as a series of trades or ‘leader-member exchanges’.

In more recent years, while the transactional and positive view of hero leadership has never entirely gone away, the notion of ‘Hero to Host’ 17 which describes the move to transformational and ‘new wave’ styles outlined by Burns 18 Bass 14 and Kouzes and Posner 19 among others. Transformational leadership not only serves to enhance the motivation, morale, satisfaction and performance of followers, but also sees the leader role model compassionate and inclusive behaviours, which are valued. In ‘Good to Great’ by Collins, 20 the Level 5 leader is described as possessing both indomitable will, but also humility and is often self effacing and shy, the opposite of what we might have previously described as leadership traits!

Relevance for leaders

Every day, leaders in healthcare must constantly analyse complex situations, engage, motivate, empower and delegate. Many leaders now operate within complex adaptive systems—organisations that are an interconnected whole of many parts, which may and may not function effectively together depending on changing circumstances. This calls for leadership skills and behaviours that can move between each required activity with seemingly effortless ease and without loss of effectiveness.

Having an appreciation of different theories and styles also helps us identify our reaction to these changing situations. In considering the global COVID-19 pandemic, the leadership behaviours required, and experienced, may be different to anything encountered before. The effect of leadership in this situation is profound and will have a lasting impact. Displaying command behaviours may be necessary but uncomfortable, while teams may not be used to being directed with minimal consultation. Sustained pressure may have a negative effect, but it does not follow that leadership behaviours slide into being disrespectful or non-inclusive—it is about the leaders focusing on the task and ensuring individuals and teams are clearly instructed on the part they have to play; consulted where possible and informed of when and when they need to do as instructed.

However, knowing about ‘how we are’ is only part of the picture, equally important is understanding the effect we have on other. Goleman 21 found that the one of the biggest mistakes leaders make was to default to a style of personal choice rather than responding with the most appropriate in the situation, while Blanchard 22 suggests that 54% of leaders only ever apply one preferred leadership style regardless of the situation. The result is that almost half of the time, leaders are using the wrong style to meet their current objective or lead the people around them well.

The danger here is trying to be the most popular leader and everyone’s favourite, rather than developing an authentic repertoire of skills. If you have never considered your leadership style or the types of leadership behaviours you have there are a number of tools to help such as the National health Service Healthcare Leadership Model. Based on research of the behaviours of effective leaders, Storey and Holti 23 defined nine domains (Inspiring shared purpose: leading with care: evaluating information: connecting our service: sharing the vision: engaging the team: holding to account: developing capability and influencing for results) against which can leaders can self assess and gain pointers on how to strengthen their style.

Relevance for the work environment

Research by KornFerry Hay Group 24 shows an up to 70% of variance in climate and an up to 30% increase business performance can be directly attributable to the climate leaders create through their style of leadership. This includes feeling included, supported and having a role that is meaningful. To help leaders create a positive climate, Goleman 21 defined six leadership styles—see table 2 —which he then correlated with the type of climate each created for those around them. Those able to deploy the styles in the left column have been shown to create high performing teams in positive climates.

Leadership Styles and the climate they support (adapted from Goleman 21 )

These are not the only leadership styles: others include Autocratic leadership where leaders/managers make the decisions and employees follow orders as previously stated; laissez-faire leadership where the manager empowers employees but gives them few rules to follow with little oversight or direction: bureaucratic leadership where hierarchies and job titles to determine responsibilities and rules and servant leadership which focuses on the needs of employees, seeing them as the organisation’s most important resources and often treating them as clients, but only the six here were included by Goleman.

The effects of the leadership styles displayed and the effects they have on the climate within organisations has far reaching impact for team members. The ability to flex your leadership style and create a positive climate has been shown to create greater job satisfaction and pride in work, greater collaboration and creativity. Having an awareness of the effects of personal style, is therefore an essential part of a leaders toolkit and something every leader should have awareness of

In practice

Delivering health and care is highly complex and effective leadership calls for a match of style and approach to context and presenting challenge. Leadership styles is not a neat category of things, the increasingly interconnected world with ever-evolving technology has dictated a need for leaders who can adapt effortlessly as the situation dictates. Daniel Goleman 21 likens leading to being a golfer—one game but choosing the right club, at the right moment, for the next shot. Lets think about what this could look like: again, thinking about the COVID-19 pandemic the deteriorating clinical condition requires a leader who draws on all their experience, interprets the situation, takes control and ‘tells’ in order to get the best outcome for the patient—transactional and it’s wholly appropriate. At other times, that same leader will need to take time to build relationships and coach others in order to give the best care possible.

We all have a natural tendency towards our preferred style and when under pressure, there is evidence that we ‘revert to type’, relying on the most comfortable part of our personality to see us though. Unfortunately this means using fewer of the leadership skills that usually provide balance. Skilful, mature leadership is about leading ourselves as much as leading others. This level of understanding our style helps us recognise triggers that support adopting the right style for the given situation.

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Different situations require different leadership style and each style can be considered a tool in itself. How we lead needs to be a combination of concern for the task in hand and also the people undertaking it, as both individuals and collectively as teams. We have looked briefly at small number of the plethora theories and styles that can help us understand how we lead. Leaders who understand themselves and can move effortlessly between a range of styles in response to changing situations have been found to have more positive outcomes for their teams and patients.

• Stogdill RM
• Lippitt R ,
• Carlyle T ,
• Tannenbaum R ,
• Blanchard K
• Thompson G ,
• Wheatley M ,
• KornFerry Hay Group
• Newstrom JW ,
• Griffin MA ,

Twitter @clarepricedowd

Contributors CFJP-D completed all part of this paper:

Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Competing interests None declared.

Patient consent for publication Not required.

Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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21 Answers to ‘What is Your Leadership Style’ Interview Question

What is your leadership style? To answer a job interview question about your leadership style, you will need to know, so read on to figure out which category or categories best describe yours. Your answer will give recruiters an insight into your personality and how you fit within the existing leadership team.

Typically, the seven leadership styles are autocratic, authoritative, pacesetting, democratic, coaching, affiliative, and laissez-faire. But often, job seekers may not precisely fit into one category, so it can be beneficial to talk about how you use attributes of multiple styles of good leadership.

5 Tips for Your Answer

Providing well-rounded and thorough sample answers can show the hiring manager that you know your leadership style and can be a strong leader in the workplace.

• Include positive examples from your past employment, school, volunteer activities, or other situations
• Be flexible in your answer and how you use a combination of styles to fit the situation
• Have a method in mind as your primary leading method, but not your only way of leading a team
• Show how observant you are in finding a compelling style that fits various groups and projects
• Learn about the various leadership styles so you can prepare the ideal answer for your next interview

5 Mistakes to Avoid

When applying for a management or leadership position, correctly answering common interview questions can bring you forward in the hiring process. You want to avoid these mistakes:

• Telling recruiters that you have never led a team or managed anyone before
• Coming across as inflexible or rigid
• Appearing that you feel superior to anyone below you and will not show respect for the team members
• Talking negatively about past teams who did not work well under your direction
• Forgetting to include positive examples of your past leadership role

How to Answer: STAR Interview Response Technique

The STAR method for answering behavioral-based leadership questions gives recruiters the most information possible in a concise and practical response. This technique includes four elements: the situation, the task, the action, and the result.

S: Situation – Here, you will provide a specific example of a situation that will help show your leadership style. Remember to use who, what, when, where, and how elements in your answer for conciseness.

T: Task – You want to include the task you were responsible for or the goal you were working toward. Here, you can highlight any obstacles that came up in the process.

A: Action – This part of the answer will show the interviewer exactly what you did in the situation. You want to include how you overcame any challenges, what steps you took in the process, and how you moved toward the end goal.

R: Result – The result section of your answer is the outcome of the situation. How did you contribute to this result, and did you learn anything different because of this result? You want to include how you specifically helped to provide a positive outcome with concise details.

For the best answers to past work experiences, use the STAR technique when answering behavioral interview questions such as your leadership style. This method provides the best informational response possible to showcase your leadership skills and communication ability.

The 21 Best Example Answers for Your Leadership Style

A. leading by example.

1. Example Answer: I believe leading by example is the most effective way to produce successful results. For instance, working at one of my previous jobs, I was the project manager and the first one on my team to jump in and tackle the scheduling calendar. Once this step was complete, other team members and I found it easy to stay on track with our assigned tasks.

I made sure to include realistic deadlines for all aspects of our project, and it made it easy to check in with everyone to see where they were during completion. As a result, we not only finished the project on time, but we completed it before the tight deadline.

Key Takeaways:  Your leadership experience in this possible answer gives a recruiter insight into how you are a hands-on leader. You take the initiative to do work and expect subordinates to follow your lead and act responsibly with their tasks.

2. Example Answer: In my last position as a floor manager, I found leading by example is the best way to achieve results. Before my team began the workday, we would sit down and discuss the many necessary jobs for the day. I would be the first one to accept a task, while the other team members would quickly follow suit and volunteer for other open jobs.

When a leader shows the initiative to involve themselves in the tasks, subordinates are more willing to participate and complete their jobs successfully. My team was always ready to accept jobs, and I was there to help them if they had challenges during the day.

Key Takeaways:  This example of a time includes details of taking the first step in projects to help your team members succeed, so a hiring manager sees your personality and leadership potential. You do not feel other team members are beneath you, and you are there to help them succeed and get the job done.

3. Example Answer: When I lead by example, my team is more engaged and receptive to me as a leader. One of the more recent difficult situations in my first job was when the head office made overtime mandatory for all production staff.

Although I was technically office staff and oversaw the production floor, I chose to stay late on the days that my team was working extra hours. Not only did it show solidarity for my team members, but I also kept up to date on my reporting because of the additional production.

Key Takeaways:  This answer can show how you include yourself as part of a team, even if you are a leader. Many subordinates will respect their management when they also take responsibility and do their part each day.

4. Example Answer: My leadership style has always focused on leading by example. One position I remember clearly was an advertising contract with a pet food company. As an animal lover myself, I was excited and interested in maintaining open communication with the client throughout the process.

I would take back what I learned from my weekly client meetings to my team to create the best advertisement possible to generate new sales. Our client was thrilled with how well our team worked together, and we secured a future contract with them for another similar project.

Key Takeaways:  Showing passion for your work can be infectious for team members. When you provide an example of a time where you were excited about a project and engaged your team members for success, recruiters can see how you motivate and inspire others.

B. Effective Delegation

1. Example Answer: I find that my leadership style includes effective delegation with the team members. For example, when I worked at the city office as an office manager, I got to know the staff well enough to make proper choices for tasks.

One example that I remember is when we had to coordinate a yearly budget reconciliation with multiple departments. I chose which staff member would provide the annual departmental report to the management team for our internal audit. I could easily compile all department information within the allotted time by selecting the best person for these jobs, so I had it ready for our auditors.

Key Takeaways:   When you use specific examples like this one, you display how effective your type of leadership is when completing a task. It also showcases your intuition on finding the best person for group tasks and delegating work accordingly.

2. Example Answer: As a leader in my last job, I realized that effective leaders use delegation as a critical tool for time management. For example, when I had to orchestrate a team of different people for our condominium association, I needed to choose the right individuals for each task.

By assigning my neighbor, the banker, as our treasurer, she had the background knowledge for all our financial statements. It took her less time to complete this task than it would for anyone else on the condo board without the training and experience she had. All the board members trusted her judgment when it came to tough decisions on the budget.

Key Takeaways:  If you have no previous work experience, you can include real-life examples to show your style of leadership. This response gives recruiters an idea of how you choose and delegate tasks to fit an individual and make it easier for the team to be more effective.

3. Example Answer: When I worked as a shift supervisor at a local restaurant, I led a team of employees while reporting to the department manager. One time, my manager asked me to have all the tables and chairs cleaned and inspected for any structural problems like loose screws or other issues. Of course, we had to complete this task as soon as possible and without disrupting business in any way.

I had to devise a schedule of doing this quickly and effectively by delegating our busboy to inspect each table and chair as he cleaned dishes off. If there were any problems, he would report them to me to have them repaired or replaced. Another staff member would then sanitize all the tables and chairs that were satisfactory. In the end, we successfully completed this task in only a few short days.

Key Takeaways:  This answer details how you came up with a leadership plan, implemented delegation, and took responsibility for the task at hand.

4. Example Answer: While working as an office manager, I gathered many reports and presented them monthly to the board of directors. I could not have done this effectively if I had not delegated the weekly financial runs to my assistant.

By delegating smaller tasks that make up the larger jobs for completion, I was able to have everything finalized before my monthly presentations every time.

Key Takeaways:  This example shows recruiters how you delegate responsibility to other team members as part of the bigger picture.

C. Using More than One Leadership Style

1. Example Answer: I would say that I do not fit into one leadership style myself. In the past, using elements from several methods has brought me increased success in the workplace. For example, I led a team of designers who were working on a project for an important client.

Many of the team members were senior designers who had years of experience, and I did not have to stand over them to ensure they were doing their tasks. However, two individuals were new to the company, so I had to adapt and provide them with extra support and guidance as we worked through the project. In the end, everyone on the team completed their tasks successfully and on time according to their specifications.

Key Takeaways:  Here, you are adaptable to multiple leadership styles necessary for team success. This example enables them to see how your management style is modified when a team consists of individuals who need various levels of support and leadership.

2. Example Answer: I am hesitant to put myself into one leadership style box since I use many elements of several methods for effective leadership. For example, in my first management role at the plant, I would have to make significant business decisions for the production team each week based on our previous month’s sales.

The responsibility of adjusting production fell solely on my shoulders, but I did consult the floor staff on new ideas of how to help make their tasks easier. Many of their suggestions included changing suppliers and adjusting break times to help increase production, which is still in use today.

Key Takeaways:  When you include multiple leadership methods in your answer, the hiring manager can see how adaptable you are to a dynamic environment. It also exemplifies you taking responsibility for your task and considering some elements that team members found relevant to the production.

3. Example Answer: I find that using more than one leadership style is beneficial in many situations. For example, I remember when I had to use a more authoritative approach to some new employees who were not familiar with company processes or procedures.

Once these individuals became comfortable with their tasks, I switched to a more democratic approach and began to solicit their input on the next steps for our project. I believe this transition of methods helped these team members gain their confidence and trust me as their leader.

Key Takeaways:  Using a response where you switch leadership qualities shows a hiring manager how you adapt and are flexible. Being dynamic in a management position can be vital for success.

D. Effective Communicator

1. Example Answer: In my years of leading teams, I have found that effective communication is the most critical aspect of my leadership style. For example, when I was overseeing a team of agents from multiple district offices, I found that staff often overlooked duties and tasks, or that the tasks were not understood, when instructions had been delivered in a memo or email format.

I made sure to call and check in with each member of the district to ensure they were clear on the instructions and had everything they needed to complete their tasks. This small step ensured that we stayed on track and kept all our head office reporting on time.

Key Takeaways:   This answer shows that you are thorough in your communication skills and want to ensure that everyone understands the requirements and tasks assigned to them. You took the extra step to make that personal connection and offered help if they needed it.

2. Example Answer: My leadership style has always incorporated effective communication so all staff members know the expectations and can come to me at any time. For example, when I was overseeing a large team of executives at my last job, two staff members were clashing on where the responsibility fell for a department that served many areas of the office.

With an impromptu meeting and some constructive feedback, all three of us came up with a respectful and viable solution. This result would serve the department and the entire office when it came to decision-making without further confusion.

Key Takeaways:  When you include a situation like this, your use of effective communication and conflict resolution in the workplace is apparent. This scenario brought together opposing team members, and you helped everyone find a viable solution to the problem.

3. Example Answer: I know that a team will not work well with a leader who does not listen or communicate effectively. Unfortunately, in my last role, I was in a position where the previous team lead never acknowledged his staff’s needs.

Once I resumed the role of team leader, I brought everyone together to ask what they would need to do their jobs successfully. I was surprised that many employees did not have the proper tools and resources available to complete their tasks on time. However, once I implemented some minor changes, my new team was so successful that we got the sales award for the next quarter.

Key Takeaways:   This scenario shows a prospective employer that you are an effective listener for your team and want them to access the resources and tools needed for their success.

4. Example Answer: I believe that effective communication is the best approach to effective team leadership. Previously, I worked as a team leader for an organization with a good manager, but there was not enough communication to reach our weekly goals.

As the team leader, I took the initiative to meet with the department manager and open communication between departments. This move enabled my team to access the necessary resources to be more successful and reach their weekly targets.

Key Takeaways:  In this great leadership interview story, you outline how effective communication as a leader brought more success to your team and helped them achieve their goals.

5. Example Answer: Working as a shift supervisor for a local manufacturing plant gave me several ways to build my communication skills with team members. One situation involved an employee who was consistently late for his shift, and other staff workers began to complain.

I approached the employee with concerns about the tardiness and discovered that there was a valid reason for his continuous lateness. After discussing the available options, we found that adjusting his work hours to accommodate his home and work-life gave him the time he needed each morning to drop his kids off at school and be more productive at work once he arrived.

Key Takeaways:  In this example, proper and effective communication helped to resolve a problem. Instead of using disciplinary action, you communicated with the employee to solve both of your situations.

E. Innovative and Creative

1. Example Answer: As a manager of a boutique downtown last year, we had a drop in sales when a competitor moved in across the street. I quickly rallied all our team members to develop new and creative ways to gain attention from clients and draw customers into the store.

By thinking outside the box, I drew up a list of several great ideas that I gave to the owner of the company. He put me in charge of implementing two of these items, and I successfully increased our monthly sales once again.

Key Takeaways:   By including these details in your response, you show that you can think outside the box and find new ways to help a team succeed. Dynamic leadership abilities are beneficial in changing markets.

2. Example Answer: At my last job position, I was responsible for helping to increase productivity. However, after spending some time with my team members, I found that team morale was low and made small changes to help create a better working environment.

Bringing birthday cakes in for staff celebrations, organizing a staff potluck, and even beginning a social club for off-duty activities soon got the employees excited about coming to work again. These minor changes all had a considerable impact on increasing productivity overall.

Key Takeaways:   This situation shows you can find alternative ways to increase productivity and boost morale that may not be conventional. Moreover, you exemplify how workers perform better for their organization without financial bonuses or threats of downsizing.

3. Example Answer: I like to think I am an innovative leader. For example, I was in a position where I led a team of data entry employees for a financial client. After working there for several weeks, I realized there was a lot of wasted time during several procedural steps.

After compiling a list of alternative methods for procedures, I approached the management team with my findings. They asked me to implement one task with my team and report back with any results. Within six months, I revitalized the department procedures, saving the company time and money.

Key Takeaways:   When you include scenarios that depict your leadership and exploring new, innovative ways for cost-effectiveness, recruiters can see you are flexible and creative in the workplace.

F. Aligning Your Leadership Style According to the Company Culture

1. Example Answer: After exploring your organization’s corporate mission statement, I noticed that my leadership style aligns with how your company operates. In my current job, I make use of a more laid-back approach with my team. At the same time, a position at your organization will give me ample opportunities to explore a more democratic style and get feedback from everyone involved.

Key Takeaways:  This well-crafted response shows recruiters that you know the difference between various leadership styles and how you can be a good fit for their organization. In addition, mentioning your research of the company shows initiative and how you are genuinely interested in joining their team.

2. Example Answer: I have experience with both sides when it comes to leadership in the workplace. At my entry-level job, I had an autocratic team leader who worked effectively for only a small group of individuals.

After talking to an acquaintance who works here, their experience with your company’s democratic leadership team is a positive one that I would enjoy being part of. An energetic and positive work environment helps everyone in the workplace and makes leading a group easier.

Key Takeaways:  This scenario describes your past experiences and how you want to grow in your career path. If you have a common acquaintance, be sure to mention how this employee enjoys the organization’s leadership, and that it is one you would like to join.

If you have a big interview coming up, the STAR method is a terrific way to give great examples of past experiences that highlight your various leadership styles. Again, preparation is vital in the interview process. Showing how you can be adaptable and dynamic in the workplace during behavioral interviews can give you an edge over some of the best candidates competing for the same management role.

How to Answer "What Is Your Leadership Style?" (with Sample Answers)

by Daniel Wolken

Published at: April 14, 2024

When you're in a job interview and faced with the interview question, "What is your leadership style?" it's vital to articulate your philosophies and methods with confidence. This question offers an opportunity to demonstrate your self-awareness and effectiveness as a leader.

Responding appropriately requires reflecting on your past experiences and explaining how your approach motivates teams and drives results. To prepare, think about how you've led in the past, whether formally or informally, and identify the core principles that define your leadership style.

Present concrete examples that illustrate how your leadership has positively impacted your team's performance and fostered a collaborative environment. Your answer should paint a picture that aligns with the company's values and expectations for the role you're seeking.

Why Employers Ask This?

When employers inquire about your leadership style, they are examining how your personal leadership approach aligns with the company's culture and needs. They aim to gauge your skills in leading others and managing the dynamics of a team. By understanding your style, they can imagine how you'd fit within their team, impact the work environment, and tackle challenges .

• Personality & Values : Your leadership style reflects your beliefs and values . It provides a glimpse into your authentic self and demonstrates whether you'll lead by principles that resonate with the team and company.
• Leadership Experience : Employers are interested in whether you have successfully managed teams or projects before. Providing specific examples of past experiences helps employers evaluate your ability to lead.
• Approach to Leadership : There are various leadership models such as transformational, transactional, democratic, and autocratic. Each has different implications for how you manage teams and promote an inclusive work environment .
• Adaptability : Revealing your style allows employers to assess whether you can work with diversity and align with the company's values .
• Impact on Team : Your influence isn't just about inspiring but also how effectively you motivate and lead by example . Employers want leaders who aren't just bosses but also mentors .
• Leadership Skills : Effective team collaboration , open communication , and team members' growth through effective delegation are key leadership skills sought by employers.

Your response should convey your understanding of these aspects and how your leadership approach enhances team performance. Remember, your style should be a blend of how you lead and collaborate to achieve goals.

How to Answer This?

To effectively convey your leadership style in an interview, you'll need to articulate your approach clearly, ensuring it aligns with the organization's values and culture. Tailor your response with examples that demonstrate your leadership capabilities in various scenarios.

Crafting Your Response Strategy

Begin by analyzing your past leadership experiences. Reflect on how you've communicated and set clear expectations with your team. Focus on outlining your position with active verbs and clear, concise language. This is about showcasing your ability to lead through direct communication and strategic decision-making .

Incorporating Key Leadership Terms

In your response, integrate key leadership terms that apply to your style, such as transformational , accountability , and innovation . Your familiarity with these concepts signals a deep understanding of leadership dynamics. For instance, explain your transformational approach by describing how you inspire motivation and lead your team toward shared achievements .

Setting the Scene with Specific Scenarios

Provide specific situations where you demonstrated effective leadership. For example, you might discuss a challenge you faced and how you steered your team toward growth. Detailing these scenarios allows interviewers to understand your decision-making process and how you help team members realize their true potential.

Aligning Your Style with the Organization's Culture

Research the company's values and culture, and explain how your leadership style complements these. If the organization values teamwork and shared vision , highlight times when you've fostered a collaborative environment and practiced open communication to achieve common goals.

Describing How You Continuously Improve

Leadership is a practice that benefits from ongoing professional growth. Discuss your approach to self-improvement and staying abreast of the latest in leadership research and innovation. Address your commitment to professional development and how you apply new learning to enhance team performance and adaptability.

##Sample Answers

When facing the question "What is your leadership style?", it's crucial to balance confidence with humility and to show adaptability. Here are examples of what to do and what not to do.

Good Answers:

• Collaborative: "I lead by building consensus and fostering a team environment where everyone feels their input is valued. This collaborative nature leads to a stronger, more united team."
• Adaptive: "I adapt my style to fit the needs of the team and project. Sometimes a more authoritative approach is needed, and other times, I step back and support from behind."
• Transformational: "My style is transformational. I inspire and motivate my team to achieve beyond their own expectations by setting a clear vision and encouraging innovation."

Bad Answers:

• Vague: "I just like to manage things and make sure work gets done." (Lacks specifics and does not describe a clear leadership style.)
• Dictatorial: "I tell my team what to do and expect them to follow orders without question." (Shows inflexibility and may deter collaboration.)
• Non-Leader: "I'm not really a leader; I just do my work and don't take charge of others." (Fails to show any leadership abilities or potential.)

Your goal is to demonstrate a leadership style that's both effective and adaptable, showing that you can guide a team to success. Avoid overly general, autocratic, or passive responses. Make sure your answer is a reflection of a leadership style that encourages growth and success within a team environment.

If you are searching for a remote job and need help finding where to look? DailyRemote is a remote job board with the latest jobs in various categories to help you. Join like-minded people in our LinkedIn and Facebook community.

Explore Other Interview Questions

How to Answer "How Do You Handle Criticism"?

How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself?" in an Interview?

How to Answer "What is your Experience with Customer Service"?

How to Answer "Describe Your Experience Working With Diverse Teams Or Different Cultures"?

How to Answer The Interview Question "What Sets You Apart From Other Candidates"?

How to Answer "Why Are You The Best Person For This Job"?

How to Answer "Tell Me About A Time When You Had To Balance Competing Priorities"?

How to Answer "Why Should We Hire You"?

How to Answer "What Areas Need Improvement"?

How to Answer "Tell Me About A Time When You Had to Work Under Pressure?"

How to Answer “Tell Me About a Time You Received Constructive Feedback”?

How to Answer "What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment"?

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How to Develop Your Leadership Style

• Suzanne J. Peterson,
• Robin Abramson,
• R.K. Stutman

Bosses often sense that something is missing in an employee’s tool kit but can’t put a finger on what it is. They say something like “You need certain important intangibles” or “You don’t have enough gravitas,” but they fail to provide advice or guidance.

What they’re talking about is leadership style. In every interaction, we send signals to others that fall into two categories: power and attractiveness. Powerful markers are associated with confidence, competence, charisma, and influence but also arrogance, abrasiveness, and intimidation. Attractiveness markers are related to agreeableness, approachability, and likability but also diffidence, lack of confidence, and submissiveness. The more consistent our signals, the more distinctive our style.

This practical guide offers concrete advice for developing a dynamic and effective leadership style that draws from both types of markers for maximum impact.

Concrete advice for a squishy challenge

Idea in Brief

The problem.

Bosses often sense that something is lacking in an employee’s tool kit but can’t put a finger on what it is. They say something like “You’re missing important intangibles” or “You need more gravitas” but fail to provide advice or guidance.

The Research

What they’re talking about is leadership style. In every interaction, we send signals to others about our power and status. The more consistent we are in our signals, the more distinctive our style becomes.

The Approach

This practical guide offers concrete advice for developing a dynamic and effective leadership style, including tips such as what volume and pace to use in your speech, whether to take notes in a meeting, and how and when to interrupt others.

Few things are more frustrating for talented professionals than hitting a ceiling in their careers because they lack the appropriate leadership style. A boss senses that something is missing in a person’s tool kit but can’t put a finger on exactly what it is or how the person can improve. The boss says something like “You’re lacking important intangibles” or “You need more gravitas” but fails to provide specific advice or tools for improving.

• SP Suzanne J. Peterson is a professor of leadership at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a partner at CRA|Admired Leadership, a leadership consulting and advisory firm.
• RA Robin Abramson is an independent executive coach.
• RS R.K. Stutman is the managing partner of CRA|Admired Leadership and founder of the Admired Leadership Institute.

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4 Tips for Developing Your Personal Leadership Style

• 19 Apr 2019

Developing your personal leadership style doesn’t need to wait until you hit the C-suite. Wherever you are in your career, you can cultivate the essential habit of self-awareness. The process of finding a style will look different for everyone, but here are a few key steps you can take to make sure you're developing an approach that is true to you.

Tips for Developing Your Leadership Style

1. imitation is the enemy.

Before you move into your first management position, you may have assumptions of what a leader should look, sound, and act like. Not every great leader has the style of Steve Jobs or Sheryl Sandberg. In fact, no two leadership methods are the same.

Here’s the thing: When you do step into that managerial ring—and even before—the work of leadership requires flexing different qualities depending on the context and situation. When you notice you’re starting to imitate the style of your idol, throw that archetype out the window. The work of developing your own style doesn’t start outside the self, it starts from within.

2. Know Your Strengths (and Weaknesses)

Think about the qualities that come naturally to you. Then ask yourself: Where do you struggle? Maybe you are a fast learner and great at getting things done, but sometimes sacrifice quality for quantity. Or, you could be confident in the work you create on your own, but when you get into the conference room, you struggle to speak up about your contributions.

The habits you make as an individual contributor may be your default when you first step into a leadership position. But becoming a great manager means working on yourself so that you can support and develop others, and that requires a different kind of work. Getting honest with yourself and your qualities is an essential step.

Related: Why Emotional Intelligence Is Important in Leadership

3. Understand the Influence of Bias

This is a big one. Developing your leadership style means understanding that certain aspects of your approach may cause others to interpret your behavior through the distortion of subconscious biases. This can be affected by factors such as gender, race, and nationality.

Mia Mends, CEO at Inspirus & Sodexo, Benefits and Rewards Services, USA and a featured protagonist in Leadership Principles , prides herself on her warmth and openness. Mends says she struggled with feedback about her leadership style being perceived as intimidating by some of her employees.

“I think women who are smart, and women of color who are smart, are perceived to be intimidating,” Mends says. “That’s unfortunate, because I think that if I were a white male, I’d just be smart.”

This reality is supported by research: Women who demonstrate high competence can often be perceived as less approachable. Similarly, female leaders who shine with warmth and approachability may be seen as less competent, and this struggle is unique to the workplace.

However you identify, these sticky biases lead to the question: What’s a bold, warm leader left to do when she aspires to lead her team authentically?

4. Be Brave

Just as the research reads clearly on the reality of bias, it also shows that subconscious attitudes can be counteracted when others are exposed firsthand to performance track records. You can work to be more aware of how others’ impressions of you may differ from what you think you are communicating. Similarly, acknowledge your own potential biases or perceptions and how they may be affecting your judgment of others.

This self-awareness and honest reflection is the work of a confident leader, and confidence is one thing every leadership style should possess.

In the book, The Confidence Code , authors Katty Kay and Claire Shipman explain the importance of authentic leadership.

“Confidence isn’t about pretending, or putting on an act; it springs from genuine accomplishment and work,” Kay and Shipman write.

This advice applies to anyone looking to develop their personal leadership style. Stop pretending and take action.

Kay and Shipman recommend taking bravery one step at a time—doing a small, brave thing until the next one is easier. Eventually, they suggest, confidence will flow. In those brave moments, your strengths will shine, and your weaknesses will be developed, and you’ll find the qualities that make you a leader are more obvious than you think.

Related: 6 Characteristics of an Effective Leader

Cultivating Your Leadership Approach

Developing your personal brand as a leader will be a journey you follow throughout your career. Know that stepping into a management role doesn’t mean losing your authenticity, but it can mean a different kind of required work. By taking time for self-reflection, understanding the influence of biases, and seeking out opportunities to demonstrate your bravery, you can develop a leadership style that is all your own.

Do you want to enhance your leadership skills? Download our free leadership e-book and explore our online course Leadership Principles to discover how you can become a more effective leader and unleash the potential in yourself and others.

About the Author

• How to Structure a Leadership Essay (Samples to Consider)

Leadership is a complex concept, but it’s essential for boosting your career. That’s why a leadership essay focuses on applying the theoretical models and concepts of successful management to real-life situations. 

If you don’t know where to start writing such a paper, please read on for professional tips!

What Is Leadership Essay?

A leadership essay is a paper that analyzes leadership concepts and their application to real-life situations that may involve everyday business management, crisis situations, and other scenarios. 

Every essay on leadership is about defining a concept. Then, it’s either comparing it to similar management tools or proving that it’s useful (or not).

While some students enjoy writing such papers, other learners hate them. The below samples will come in handy, no matter which group is yours.

What Does Leadership Mean to You? (Essay Sample)

It is one of the most popular topics for a leadership essay. If you need to write a paper like that, ask yourself:

• Who is a good leader?  
• What style do they use?  
• What are the situations when they might switch styles?

You may take a more personal approach to such an essay if your professor allows you to. In the example below, you will see the academic approach to this topic. It analyzes three leadership styles to discover which one corresponds to the meaning of leadership if one thinks of it as guidance and support.

Why I Want to Participate in a Leadership Program (Essay Sample)

It’s another example of a popular topic. Such papers often have a meaning beyond the classroom since they may decide whether you plan to participate in a specific program. It’s critical to make them as effective and compelling as possible.

A personalized approach is the best when it comes to essays like this. In the example below, you will see the paper that relies on individual beliefs and a personal life story to explain why it’s so important for the specific student to participate in the chosen program.

How to Write a Leadership Essay

Like every other essay, this paper has an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion summarizing your thoughts. (1) The most important part of the introduction is the final sentence,  aka  a thesis statement. That’s where you state your claim to prove or develop in your leadership essay.

Each body paragraph should correspond to the purpose of your essay. To ensure you don’t stray from the aim you’ve established in the thesis statement, write the topic sentences for all your paragraphs in the outline . In simple words, write the first sentence of every paragraph to define its development in advance and see if you cover everything you need.

And now, to the conclusion:

Its most essential element is thesis restatement or the first sentence of that paragraph. It’s not just paraphrasing your thesis; it’s also considering the new information you’ve discovered while writing the essay.

Structure :

• Introduction (End it with a thesis statement.)
• Body paragraphs (Each one starts with a topic sentence.)
• Conclusion (Start it with a thesis restatement.)

Understand the purpose of a leadership essay

When starting to write, think about why you’re creating this paper. Before you sit down and type the words, think about the ideas you want to convey and their meaning in your life:

Can this essay teach you to take responsibility? Or maybe will it help you understand how to be a leader in crisis situations? When you’ve answered the “why” question, begin outlining.

Build a strong thesis

Always start with your thesis statement. It will help incorporate your answer to that notorious “why” question into your essay. Once done, you can plan out the rest of the paper and start working on the body paragraphs as soon as you finish the introduction.

There’s another important tip —don’t rush into writing the conclusion before you finish everything else!

It might seem like a good idea to create a thesis statement and thesis restatement right off the bat. However, you’ll find yourself with more refreshing ideas after completing all the research and thinking necessary for the introduction and each body paragraph.

Decide on a structure; format accordingly

Even if your essay about leadership seems not so formal, and you can use personal pronouns, you still need a clear structure.

The best way to write any academic paper is to keep your introduction and conclusion as short as possible. (But no shorter than three sentences and four lines of text). 

Another important tip is to try making all your body paragraphs equal in length. That way, you’ll give the same attention to all the vital points of your essay.

Ready to Write Your Essay on Leadership Now?

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the most critical elements of a leadership essay. 

Remember the structure, grammar, and appropriate academic style to create a top-level paper. Please don’t forget to answer the “why” question and remember  why  you’re writing. Then you’ll impress everyone with your results!

References:

• https://lsa.umich.edu/onsf/news-events/all-news/directors-blog/writing-leadership-essays.html
• Essay samples
• Essay writing
• Writing tips

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Self-Assessment • 20 min read

What's Your Leadership Style?

Learn About the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Way You Like to Lead

By the Mind Tools Content Team

When we lead for the first time, we might adopt a style of leadership that we've experienced from someone else, or that we've heard or read about. If it seems to work, we'll likely stick with it – in effect, it becomes "our" style.

But there are many approaches available to us, and a good leader is able to adapt their style according to the situation and the people involved.

This quiz will help you to identify the style that you naturally lean toward, and introduce you to alternative approaches that you might find it helpful to develop, and the occasions when they may be appropriate.

We've based our questions on psychologist Kurt Lewin's Leadership Styles Framework – a model developed in the 1930s that is still popular and useful today.

Instructions

For each question, complete the statement by choosing one of the three options: A, B or C. Please answer according to how you would behave in reality , rather than how you think you should behave . When you're finished, please click the "Calculate My Total" button at the bottom of the test, and go on to read the guidance that follows.

Do you believe that you can adapt your style? Harvard University professor Ron Heifetz and leadership experts David Rooke and William Torbert say that you can. So let's look in more depth at Lewin's leadership styles, their strengths and risks, and how you might become more skillful in using them.

Authoritarian, Autocratic Leadership

This approach is helpful when your team needs to follow a process "to the letter," to manage a significant risk. It's also effective when you need to be hands-on with people who miss deadlines, in departments where conflict is an issue, or in teams that rely on quick decisions being made.

But you need to be aware that relying on control and punishment to maintain standards will likely drive people away. Similarly, if you always demand that your team works at top speed, you can end up exhausting everyone.

Instead, you can show respect for team members by providing the rationale for your decisions. And they will more likely comply with your expectations if you take the trouble to explain Why the Rules Are There .

You can improve your ability to "lead from the front" by Planning for a Crisis , Thinking on Your Feet , and making good decisions under pressure. But be sure to balance these skills with an awareness of their potential negative impact on creativity, ideas gathering, motivation, and trust within the team.

Being too autocratic can also mean that you'll find it hard to stand back from the detail and take a wider, more strategic view.

Did you achieve your leadership role thanks to your technical expertise? If so, you'll likely be used to getting things right, adding value, and having people's respect. But your soft skills might be lacking, so don't be afraid to listen and collaborate more.

Democratic, Participative Leadership

With this approach, you set goals, guide team discussions, and make the final decision. But you also acknowledge that your people can have valuable insight into a problem or process, so you actively consult them . As a result, you'll likely gain creative input and fresh ideas that you wouldn't have come up with if you were working alone.

You might wonder how to manage differing opinions in the team, once you've invited participation in this way. Your goal is to build a culture in which people can have healthy debates with one another. So:

• Set an example by being open and flexible yourself.
• Make mutual respect a priority, to ensure everyone's participation.
• Learn some Conflict Resolution skills.
• Read our article on Managing Emotion in Your Team .

Be aware that processes could become dangerously slow if you involve your team members in every decision. You'll need to judge carefully whether you need to adopt a more autocratic approach, even if it's only briefly.

The Delegating, "Laissez Faire" Leader

"Laissez faire" is a French phrase adopted into English that means, "Let (people) do (as they choose)." It describes a policy of leaving situations to run their own course, without interfering.

By adopting this style of leadership, you empower your team to make decisions and to organize its own processes, with little or no guidance. The danger of this approach is that situations can collapse into chaos if your people have low motivation or poor skills. It can work, however, if they are experienced, knowledgeable, confident, creative, and driven, or if deadlines are flexible and processes are simple.

Be in no doubt, though, that as the leader you will still be held accountable for the outcome! So you might want to organize team decision making processes to support your people while you take a "hands off" approach. Just be sure to delegate the right task to the right person, as a mismatch could mean that the whole team fails.

Avoid becoming too remote, even with a high-performing, highly autonomous team. Change can occur at any time in business, so your organization's requirements for your team might shift after your initial brief. If this happens, stay in touch with your people, and communicate clearly and promptly. Remember, you can offer your support without becoming a micromanager !

Consistently excellent and long-lasting teams tend to have transformational leaders . These leaders have high expectations for, and set a fine example to, their people. And they inspire them to reach for the seemingly impossible.

Further Reading:

We have numerous resources on leadership styles and approaches in our Leadership Skills toolkit. You might find the following articles helpful:

Eric Flamholtz and Yvonne Randle's Leadership Style Matrix .

The Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid .

Robert House's Path-Goal Theory .

Goleman et al's Six Emotional Leadership Styles .

Tannenbaum and Schmidt's Leadership Continuum .

Rath and Conchie's Strengths-Based Leadership .

Greenleaf's Servant Leadership .

Collins' Level 5 Leadership .

We all tend toward one leadership style more than another, due to our personal preferences, abilities, role models, and more.

But one approach doesn't fit all scenarios: some situations and people call for a fast, firm, top-down approach, while others flourish with shared responsibilities and the freedom to plan, decide and act.

You and your team will likely perform better if you develop a wide set of styles to apply as appropriate.

Kurt Lewin's model expresses this range of styles in relatively simple terms, from Authoritarian or Autocratic, through Democratic or Participative, to Delegating or "Laissez Faire."Transformational leadership is the best approach for most situations.

This assessment has not been validated and is intended for illustrative purposes only. It is just one of many that help you evaluate your abilities in a wide range of important career skills.

If you want to reproduce this quiz, you can purchase downloadable copies in our Store .

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Comments (1)

Denise Beckles

Great materials and well researched. Video reinforcement on topic is well explained. It would help to use models which imbed diversity.

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• Essay Writing Guides

Your Complete Guide to Writing a Compelling Leadership Essay

True leadership lies at the heart of human well-being and success. Every positive step humanity ever took required great and responsible leadership. Therefore, people have studied leadership for many edges to unravel its different underlying factors. 

But how do you write a great essay that demonstrates your grasp of this sacred call? This post shares practical insights on how to write a leadership essay . Keep reading it to sharpen your skills in this assignment niche. 

What Is a Leadership Essay ?

Before proceeding to see how best to draft a perfect leadership essay, let’s answer the big question, “ What is leadership essay ?” A leadership essay is an assignment that falls under student application essays. This paper provides student admission officers with insight into your previous leadership experience. 

While this assignment appears to be specific, it acknowledges that the nature and perception of leadership can greatly vary depending on context and individuals. 

Leadership Essay Ideas and Topics

Selecting the best topics for your essays on leadership is vital. When composing this paper, you will focus on two main areas revolving around your leadership style and the memorable moment when you demonstrated leadership. Please note that these two areas usually overlap because while recounting that moment you demonstrated leadership, you will also show your leadership style. 

Whichever area you choose to focus on, use anecdotal evidence that proves the idea. Here, you can freely go with what feels best for you. Just ensure that the instance you use to demonstrate leadership is a real-life experience. This way, you will be best placed to choose a topic that makes your readers enjoy your paper.

How to Write a Leadership Essay

While this paper might sound like an introduction on leadership essay , it doesn’t mean you aren’t a leader or can’t lead people. So, how do you compose a killer leadership essay that impresses student admission officials? Here are ideas on how to write leadership essay that fetches good grades and makes a positive impression of your leadership potential. 

• As earlier hinted, you must research to choose a good topic that will impress your readers and portray you as an upcoming great leader.
• When writing about a leadership concept, take notes of some credible sources of information. Find out what others have written about that topic.  
• Outline your essay to organize all the details you want to include. This way, you won’t forget to include anything your readers need. 

Alternatively, you can check out past papers written on your chosen leadership topics. This way, you will have a strong basis for further expansion of your arguments and incorporating relevant ideas into your paper. However, remember to follow intellectual property laws to avoid plagiarism.

Formatting Your Leadership Essay

Your essay about leadership requires correct formatting to ensure everything flows well. Like other types of papers, leadership essays follow a five-paragraph pattern. It has an introduction, a body section, and a conclusion, depending on its word count or page limits.  

• Introduction: This section captures the reader’s interest, defines good leadership in relation to you, and directly addresses the given prompt.
• Body paragraphs: The body section gives some background information using anecdotes to describe your leadership style or moment.
• Conclusion: This finishing section is a compelling statement about your leadership attributes and capabilities. It also shows how you hope to apply them to your life and solve other people’s problems.

Tips for Writing a Leadership Essay

Do you want tips to help you write the best leadership essays that will garner good grades? Here are tips and insights to help you compose excellent leadership essays .

Define Good Leadership First

It would be best to define good leadership before proceeding. Take time to think about the best attributes that make one a great leader. Of these qualities you have figured out, which ones do you have? Outline the qualities you demonstrated in your memorable leadership moment. These attributes could be, but aren’t limited to:

• The ability to motivate and inspire others.
• Valuing others.

Lastly, review your list and select the traits you would wish to focus on. 

Moderate Your Humility 

Humility is an invaluable virtue that needs to flow through your papers. However, don’t overdo it when highlighting your leadership moment. So, draw the line between humility and self-humiliation. Just let your readers know what you did to benefit other people’s lives—period.

Don’t Use Another Person’s Voice and Style

When highlighting your leadership abilities and experience, remember to use your personal style and voice. Admission officers want to hear your voice and “see you” in the essay. Thus, allow them to see your personality in the paper the best way you know how to put it. You can use your reasonable sense of humor without overstepping boundaries. 

Tell a Story About Your Journey 

When addressing college admission officers, use your storytelling skills to describe your leadership journey. Give them an engaging story that shows them your true leadership potential. Your story should exhibit the traits you believe are instrumental in helping you lead others. The narrative should tell the readers about the following:

• That you faced a real-life challenge.
• How you solved the problem. 
• How your leadership style and potential have grown over the years.
• Any specific challenge or moment that has helped you grow in your leadership. 

Choose a Case in Which You Played a Key Role

Your leadership doesn’t necessarily mean you are always at the help of things or people. Instead, it means that you helped solve a problem that affected others. Thus, don’t fear highlighting a moment just because you were not calling the shots. Why? Because the officials are looking for the results you helped bring to the table and not necessarily the position you occupied in the story. 

Thus, you should focus more on the improved position others found themselves in after your intervention instead of the position you occupied. Also, don’t mind more about the story’s title, especially when brainstorming. If you tell an impactful story, the title will automatically fall in place. 

Acknowledge Other People’s Contributions

We said in previous sections that you should tell the reader more about your leadership skills and journey. Up to this point, so good. However, you shouldn’t become so egoistic that you assume you aren’t an island. Your personal statement should indeed be personal, but it’s better to remember that other people still have a stake in your journey. 

So, give other people their deserved credit wherever they contributed to your success. Credit others for their loyalty, hard work, and any insights they offer. This way, you will portray your leadership as inclusive and not a one-man army that gives all the credit to one man. 

Solve Problems

Lastly, your essay should focus on solving problems. There is no point in telling a long story if it doesn’t bring out this element. Why? Because leadership essentially solves other people’s problems. If this element is missing, then you were not leading. Most likely, you were merely occupying a position or exercising authority but not leading. 

Do you remember how you solved that issue on your team amicably? Did you negotiate peace between team members whose rift was threatening to tear the team apart? Then, tell it out because that is all the admission officers are looking for in the narrative. 

Leadership Essay Example

Nothing will power your leadership writing skills like a perfect example of leadership essay . This section has three excellent excerpts from the introductions, bodies, and conclusions of leadership papers. 

• Introduction 

The floor was full of press cameras and microphones ready to capture a critical event. The venue was filled with different types of furniture, leather seats, and the who-is-who in the media industry that could change the entire media industry. Until then, I never saw myself as a leader, although I knew that this event was bigger than me, a moment that I could positively influence for the benefit of everyone present.

Gaining experience is one of the pillars of growing up in one’s leadership journey. The reason is that leadership isn’t a theory or concept captured in the heads, arguments, or counterarguments of so-called leadership gurus. Instead, it’s about practical life engagements that solve people’s problems in the real world. Thus, experience is the best tool to provide leaders with the opportunities to face and solve problems, make sound decisions, and learn from their failures and successes. All great leaders cherish such experiences and use them to grow and develop their leadership. 

• Conclusion 

In my view, leadership is about solving problems and meeting people’s needs, period. That’s the big picture, and the rest are minor details. My ability to empathize with others and give them a helping hand instead of pointing fingers at them summarizes my leadership philosophy. I hope to use this drive to be on the solution side of life, to prescribe solutions instead of just describing and decrying problems. 

Final Word 

Do you want to boost your writing skills on the topic of leadership? We’ve created this post to give you valuable and practical insights to accelerate your leadership research and writing journey. We hope you will use them to compose a perfect essay on effective leadership .

• Research Paper Writing Guides

Answering "What Is Your Leadership Style?" in an Interview

Want to crush your interview.

Learn how to ace your interview with superior confidence.

If you’re preparing to interview for a management position, you might be getting prepared to get asked, “What is your leadership style?” This is a tough question to answer.

We’re going to go through all the information you need to know to prepare yourself with not only answering this question but having knowledge about the various leadership styles you can choose to display.

Let’s go ahead and get started.

Who Gets Asked This Interview Question

This interview question comes up for those who are interviewing for leadership or management positions. It can even come up for those who are interviewing as a Project Manager or Product Manager.

Anyone responsible for a team and ensuring that a team gets their work done accurately and on time will get answered this question.

Related: 6 Underutilized Leadership Skills For The Workplace Or Resume

What The Interviewer Wants To Know

The interviewer wants to know that you’ve had experience leading a team. This means that if you can include a short introduction regarding your prior leadership experiences before giving your leadership answer, you’re going to exceed the interviewer's expectations.

Ideally, you can communicate to the interviewer that your leadership experience is part of your experience being a manager. That you know how to influence and motivate people to do their work.

What Makes Up A Good Answer

The ability to answer this question is quite simple. The first part is knowing what type of leader you are. And having the working history of being able to back it up. Something that relates to your resume.

The second is the ability to communicate that leadership style and why it’s valuable or why it works for you. There are various leadership styles, so when the interviewer asks for you to describe yours, it can be unique.

The two qualities that make up a great answer are:

• Your ability to know your leadership style
• Your ability to communicate how it is leadership

Related: Answering “What Are Your Leadership Examples?” In A Job Interview

The Various Types Of Leadership

There’s a lot of different types of leadership. And it’s optional if you want to include these styles in your answer. These are for the formal business management styles of leadership.

• Democratic Leadership
• Autocratic Leadership
• Laissez-Faire Leadership
• Strategic Leadership
• Transformational Leadership
• Transactional Leadership
• Coach-Style Leadership
• Bureaucratic Leadership

For this article and answering your interview question, we’re only going to focus on 3 of them here: transformational, transactional, and coach-style.

The Various Methods Of Leading

From the above list, we know the styles of leadership. But what about the methods of leadership? The difference is that leadership styles have a process associated with them. The methods of leadership are regarding your approach.

For example, do you spend time trying to lead. Or do you let people make mistakes and then correct them afterward? There’s a difference between those two approaches. The first is active; the second is passive.

Here are the three methods you should be aware of:

If you choose to use the fact that you are a hybrid, then you should explain that the way you lead depends on what’s required of the job at that moment. Which is a great answer!

Leading Through Accountability (Transactional vs. Transformational)

The best ways to describe your leadership are through transactional and transformational leadership. These are the two easiest to remember.

Transactional leadership is when you provide someone a list of tasks and ask them to accomplish those tasks. This would be the perfect type of leadership style for those who are applying for Project Management positions.

Transformational leadership is when you provide groups of people insights to achieve their work better. For example, describing a challenge and ideal outcome to a team. This is the best leadership style for those who are applying for VP positions or senior management positions.

2 Example Answers To “Describe Your Leadership Style”

Below are a few example answers to “describe your leadership style” using the information we’ve gathered from the guide.

Example one

I find myself having a hybrid method of leadership, both passive and active. Taking each instance of what’s required to motivate the team uniquely. Ultimately, I am always trying to lead through transformational leadership. Helping to inform our team and align their motivations to produce ideal outcomes. This is how I’ve found myself leading in the past and doing so with good results.

Example two

Leadership, for me, is an active method. I want to be proactive about how I can help to inform our team members. Though I recognize the difference between transformation and transactional leadership, I find that transactional leadership is best for a Project Manager because my goal is to be diligent in what the project requires and making sure each task is done on time and with the business requirements in mind.

About the author

Patrick Algrim is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), NCDA Certified Career Counselor (CCC), and general career expert. Patrick has completed the NACE Coaching Certification Program (CCP). And has been published as a career expert on Forbes , Glassdoor , American Express , Reader's Digest , LiveCareer , Zety , Yahoo , Recruiter.com , SparkHire , SHRM.org , Process.st , FairyGodBoss , HRCI.org , St. Edwards University , NC State University , IBTimes.com , Thrive Global , TMCnet.com , Work It Daily , Workology , Career Guide , MyPerfectResume , College Career Life , The HR Digest , WorkWise , Career Cast , Elite Staffing , Women in HR , All About Careers , Upstart HR , The Street , Monster , The Ladders , Introvert Whisperer , and many more. Find him on LinkedIn .

Fact checked: Our small and dedicated team rigorously evaluates every article, guide, and reference to ensure the information is accurate and factual. Learn more .

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Personal Experiences with Leadership Styles Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

The first person in my life who used an autocratic method of leading people on me, as I realized retrospectively, was my first gym coach. Michael was a man with a fit body in his early middle-aged, and, as I remember, he was probably 35 or 37 years old. He believed that athletic spirit, an optimistic attitude towards training, and moral endurance in gym newcomers could only be nurtured using an authoritarian approach. However, Michael was also one of the kindest, most compassionate, and most helpful individuals when he was outside of his professional setting.

I think I met my first democratic leader in high school, and she was a math teacher. Her name was Jessica, and she treated everyone equally and fairly while providing us with mathematical knowledge. Interestingly, she did not see us as students but as younger colleagues or coworkers looking to learn new computing methods and math facts. As I see it, the teaching profession itself, by its design, makes people use democratic leadership techniques and means to influence people and coordinate and improve their performance.

I got my first experience of being a subordinate under laissez-faire leadership during my first job as a cashier at Wendy’s. Cassie, a restaurant manager, was the leader, or rather the non-leader, who applied this methodology. As Miles and Snow (2003) would say, she was a bad example of reactor archetype with very low exploitation and exploitation. Maybe she also was an analyzer, but, to be honest, being a subordinate of her was an unpleasant experience because Cassie was a laissez-faire leader with zero accountability.

Analyzing the Three Leadership Styles

Michael and Jessica tried to influence me and succeeded, but the same cannot be said for Cassie. Michael influenced me by establishing tight control over what exercises I do on a given day and how I do them. Jessica developed a semi-friendly, semi-professional relationship between her and me, an equal dialogue between student and teacher. Miles and Snow (2003) would define Michael as a defender and Jessica as a prospector. As far as I recollect, Cassie did not try to lead other employees or me. According to Northouse (2020), this is typical behavior and interaction of laissez-faire leaders. Michael was just regarding the infliction of rewards and punishments; he used both measures equally to motivate me to do the exercises correctly. In contrast, my math teacher tried to avoid punishing students but actively rewarded them for academic excellence. Instead, she tried to point the other students and me in the right direction. Cassie punished and encouraged the staff strictly according to the company’s rules.

Behind Michael’s autocratic leadership style was a very supportive person. He used such authoritarian means as “power distance” to help me become fitter (Pizzolitto et al., 2022). Jessica tried to hide that she was a hierarchical power through communication when she taught us, and Cassie did nothing with the strengths of being a leader. I remember that there were people who couldn’t stand Michael’s attitude. The other students and I respected Jessica, and every Wendy’s coworker I knew was indifferent to Cassie. Paradoxically, Michael’s autocratic leadership proved the most productive for me. According to Jin et al. (2022), this style has zero direct effect on athletes. The only evidence is this anecdotal one; I became leaner and more muscular.

Self-reflecting on Personal Leadership Style

My favorite way of organizing and coordinating employees is through democratic leadership. I enjoy negotiating with people, inspiring them, and receiving and learning from their perspectives. Judging by the feedback, people under my direction always feel optimistic, encouraged and productive, so I know my style is effective. I think further development of the skills of eloquence and networking can strengthen me as a professional leader.

Jin, H., Kim, S., Love, A., Jin, Y., & Zhao, J. (2022). Effects of leadership style on coach-athlete relationship, athletes’ motivations, and athlete satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology, 13 (1012953), 1-14.

Miles, R. E., & Snow, C. C. (2003). Organizational strategy, structure, and process . Stanford University Press.

Northouse, P. G. (2020). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (5 th ed.). SAGE Publications Inc.

Pizzolitto, E., Verna, I., & Venditti, M. (2022). Authoritarian leadership styles and performance: A systematic literature review and research agenda . Management Review Quarterly , 1-31. Web.

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Leadership Essay

27 August, 2020

12 minutes read

Author:  Richard Pircher

As a college student, you must write essays on a regular basis since the latter is one of the most common types of home assignments. All this means is that in order to get good grades and be successful with writing the papers, you need to have a sound understanding of the structure. Additionally, what you should never neglect is the variety of essay types. Indeed, your essay will significantly differ from one type to another: description essay will most likely have a structure that is slightly different from an argumentative one.

What you may have already encountered in your academic life is the work on a leadership essay. Although it sounds pretty complicated and vague, it is mostly possible to master an essay on leadership. Below is a guide for you to get an insight into this particular essay type.

What is a good leadership essay?

A good leadership essay is the one in which the essay writer has fully covered the topic of leadership and understood its core ideas. More specifically, to end up with a flawless leadership essay, you will need to indicate what makes a person a good leader. For achieving the latter, you will most likely need to conduct research and trace how a particular person reaches his or her goals. In other words, the task is to discover which actions the person undertakes, what their followers say about him or her, and how the person organizes the work. So, a leadership essay implies providing real-life success examples and further revealing them.

Above all, a good leadership essay is the one that follows a precise, clear, comprehensive structure. Structuring your essay about leadership in the most coherent way leads to a win-win situation: you have fewer troubles and barriers to writing a brilliant essay, and your teacher is able to comprehend the essay easily. This guide is what you will need to refer to to get an insight into how the flawless structure for a leadership essay looks like and how it will let you take a benefit.

How to write a Leadership essay?

To write a leadership essay that stands out, you first need to brainstorm all the ideas that you have and come up with a topic for your essay. If you are struggling with this step, you may think of some of the most influential people, read about them, and find out what makes them unique. Or, you can pick any topic which is mentioned at the end of this article. After you have chosen an issue, it is time to structure your essay appropriately.

As you already know, an essay constitutes three essential sections: introduction, main body, and conclusion. Below is the more detailed description of each of the parts.

Introduction

Of course, your leadership essay introduction will always vary depending on the topic of the essay. However, you can always begin by stating your vision of leadership regardless of the topic. Additionally, to motivate the reader and instantly catch his or her attention, you may use a quote of a famous leader, or simply a quote which you find relevant to the topic. Be aware that you should avoid outlining the essence and the role of the leadership in your introduction; leave it for the body paragraphs.

What you may also do in your leadership essay is ask a question, which will most likely intrigue the leader. Or it will at least give your reader an overview of what you will dwell on  in your essay.

Body Paragraphs

You will need to divide the main body into 3-5 paragraphs to make the structure more comprehensive. What you have to do at this point  is  give your reader a sound understanding of your ideas. Therefore, try to fit each idea in a single body paragraph so that you do not confuse your reader. Do not hesitate to indicate your examples to strengthen your arguments. For instance, you may explain a fact that makes a particular person you are writing about a real leader.

Also, always stick to your thesis statement and don’t forget that the body paragraphs should reveal the parts of your thesis statement.

As you may already know, you need to restate your opinion and briefly summarize all the points from the main body in conclusion. For instance, if you wrote your essay on qualities of an effective leader, state the most fundamental qualities and indicate why they matter the most. Besides, try not to copy what you have already written in the body – it is better to restate your opinion using different words. And, of course, beware adding any new and extra information; indicate only those points that you have already outlined in the text. Finally, keep in mind that it is always favorable to keep your concluding remarks short.

Leadership Essay Examples

Writing a leadership essay requires some research and time. In case you feel the necessity to go through an essay example, below is a leadership essay sample you can refer to.

Is leadership an inborn or an acquired feature?

Is everyone capable of becoming a leader, or is this ability innate? A lot of researchers have been struggling to answer this question. One assumption about leadership implies that the leader is the person who possesses particular characteristics. Another assumption claims that leaders are capable of acquiring specific features over their life span. As the evidence shows, leaders own many features that distinguish them among others and make more and more people become their followers. These might be cognitive abilities, psychological traits, professional qualities, and a lot more, and all of them will be either acquired or innate. Based on the importance of leadership qualities, such as commitment, stress resistance, and the ability to make quality decisions, it is reasonable to claim that leaders are made, not born. 

One can deem commitment as one of the top fundamental qualities of the leader. In essence, such a feature indicates that a person is passionate about the common goal, strives to be a team player, and makes every effort to reach a shared goal. As the history shows, none of the successful companies was uncoordinated by an influential, committed leader: Apple, Amazon, Microsoft – all of these companies are examples of dominant teams led by a dedicated leader. A committed leader also inspires his or her team to achieve common goals and put more effort into the shared activity. Besides, commitment is unlikely to be an innate feature; it instead comes with experience. This is so, since commitment implies dedicating oneself to the shared task, and one can reach it only via learning and continuous self-improvement.

Stress resistance is another incredibly important feature that every good leader should possess. This is because only a stress-resistant leader has sufficient capabilities to overcome any complexity and not let the anxiety and stress prevent him or her from making proper decisions. Besides, such a leader will most likely have a positive influence on the team, as long as leading by example will motivate the team members to attain the same emotional stability. What is so far familiar about stress resistance as an effective leader’s feature is that it can be either innate or attained. However, although some researchers admit that emotional stability is something one is born with, it is not entirely true; many people still put a great effort into self-improvement, changing the attitude to unfortunate situations, and so on. Therefore, being resistant to stress can be mostly attributed to a personality.

An ability to make high-quality decisions most likely determines the chances for an enterprise’s success. In particular, such quality is incredibly fundamental for a company of any size and professional orientation. Additionally, it is one of the top tasks of a good leader to make final decisions. What he or she should do implies brainstorming, discussing various opinions in the group, making forecasts, analyzing all the pros and cons. However, the leader is the one to make a final decision. Thereby, he is in charge of researching the market, discovering all the hidden truths, and analyzing the organization’s potential and capabilities to result in the most effective decision. As it flows logically from the latter, an ability to make sound quality decisions is purely a professional quality. This leads to the conclusion that one has to work hard to become a genuine leader and master the skill of making effective decisions. 

Overall, the leader may possess a multitude of different skills and master them perfectly. However, what has so far become transparent is that any leader, regardless of which team he leads, must possess three essential qualities. These qualities are commitment to the common goal, ability to handle and resist stress, and, finally, an ability to make effective decisions. All of the three qualities are most likely to be acquired over a lifetime. The statement below leads to the conclusion that even though some qualities can be innate, most are not the ones that leaders are born with. Hence, this answers an essential question: leadership feature is acquired, and not necessarily inborn.  

20 leadership essay topics

When coming up with your next leadership essay topic, it is imperative to brainstorm ideas and think of what leadership might be related to. If you are struggling with a topic of the importance of leadership essay or any relevant type of essay, you may quickly take a look at some of the possible topics we prepared for you:

• What are the main qualities of the leader?
• Successful Time Management as a feature of an effective leader
• The role that rhetoric plays in leadership
• The most exceptional leader in the history of the 20-th century
• The role of female leadership
• What are the challenges of the leader of the 21-st century?
• How college helps students develop leadership skills?
• Qualities of the leader that motivate people to follow them 
• Top things to avoid doing to become a team leader
• Examples of effective and ineffective leadership in the history
• Top techniques for developing leadership skills
• The interconnection of creativity and leadership 
• Is a university’s role fundamental in developing leadership skills?
• Dictatorship as an anti-example of leadership
• Liberal vs Authoritative leadership: which one works better?
• The influence of the leader’s role model on the followers’ mindset
• Main difficulties that the new leader may face in a new team
• Leadership of today vs leadership of the past: what has changed?
• Reasons why I want to become a member if the leadership program
• The role of cognitive abilities for the leader 

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