The Ultimate Leadership Styles Quiz. What Type of Leader Are You?

What does leadership mean to you? Take this leadership styles quiz to find out what type of leader you are. The results could help you adjust your style & get better results in the workplace.

As a manager, the quality of your work plays a large part in building the culture in the workplace. There are many different leadership styles. While they deliver results in some organisations, they might not work as well in others.

That’s why it’s important to identify the leadership style that best describes you. In doing so, you can spot and correct your mistakes going forward. Among other things, this will ensure that you’re building a positive workplace culture.

To help you do this, we have prepared a short leadership styles quiz. For every question, choose the answer that best describes your own leadership philosophy. When you’re done, proceed to the results section to see what type of leader you are. Be honest, there are no wrong answers!

The Ultimate Leadership Styles Quiz

#1 – Describe Your Company Culture

Which of the following statements best describes the culture in your workplace?

We are not only co-workers but also friends.
Everybody does their best to achieve great results.
We make decisions as a team where everyone has a say.
My employees hold me in very high regard.
There’s no room for mistake, so everyone must do their absolute best.
Everyone contributes as much and as often as they can.

#2 – The Decision-Making Process

When you have to make an important decision, you:

Invite an inexperienced employee to teach them a valuable lesson in leadership.
Examine how your decision might impact your current projects.
Ask your employees for their input.
Check to see if all members of your team agree with it.
Make it on the spot without consulting anyone.
Ask a member of your team to weigh the pros and cons and decide what they think is best.

#3 – Dealing with Success

When an employee does something that results in success, you:

Make note of it and encourage them to keep up the good work.
Tell them not to waste any time and move on to the next task.
Remind them of how important they are to your team’s success.
Congratulate them on their good work and ask them to share their thoughts on the project.
Don’t make much of it and carry on as if nothing important has happened.
Don’t care– it’s all in a day’s work.

#4 – Dealing with Failure

When an employee fails at completing a task, you:

Talk to them and share advice on how to improve their performance going forward.
Focus on the potential effects of their mishap on your other tasks.
Attempt to understand what went wrong.
Explain to them what they should have done without making a fuss.
Warn them about the negative consequences of their actions.
Don’t care– it’s all in a day’s work.

#5 – Your Daily Goals

Which of the following statements best describes your ideal day at work?

You have a chance to help an employee achieve a professional success.
You finally complete your work on an important project.
Everybody works as a team and share their opinions with each other.
You get to chat with your employees about a variety of topics.
Everyone does exactly what they’re supposed to do.
Everything goes according to plan.

#6 – Your Relationship with your Team

Which of the following statements best describes your relationship with your team?

I do my best to encourage my team’s personal and professional growth.
I’m happy with them as long as they’re doing what they need to do.
I place a lot of value on their input.
Even if they disagree with me, I can persuade them into giving me their support.
I expect them to do their job and make no mistakes.
I know they care about the organisation as much as I do.

#7 – How You See Yourself

Which of the following statements best describes your approach to work-related matters?

I care a lot about the individual success of every one of your employees.
Getting the job done on time is all I care about.
I’m sure my employees know more about certain things than I do and that’s why I value them.
I’m always ready to hear my employees out and give them advice.
I like to be in charge of everything and make all the decisions.
I let everyone do what they think is best to do; that’s the best way to approach things.

#8 – Your Favourite Leader

Which of the following famous leaders would you say is, either your role model now or the closest leader you might be inspired by?

Kenneth I. Chenault, the CEO of American Express
Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Intel Corporation
Muhtar Kent, the former CEO of Coca-Cola
Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft
John T. Chambers, the former CEO of Cisco Systems
Warren Buffett, business magnate and investor

Leadership Styles – The Results

Now that you have answered all the questions in this leadership styles quiz, it’s time to find out what type of leader you are.

Review your answers to see what numbered option you went for the most. Find that number in the list below to see which of the leadership styles best describes you.

Most Answers #1 – You’re a People-Oriented Leader

People-oriented leaders place a lot of value on their employees. They believe that each member of their team is essential to its overall success. As such, they tend to build not only professional but also personal relationships with them.

These leaders trust their employees. They will often delegate tasks to them and let them make big decisions. This is their way of giving their employees the morale boost they need. What’s more, they invest a lot of time and effort in offering useful advice to their staff.

If you’re a people-oriented leader, make sure that you:

Pay close attention to the tasks you assign to your employees.
Don’t downplay the seriousness of certain situations.

Most Answers #2 – You’re a Task-Oriented Leader

The main goal of any task-oriented leader is to see any task through to completion. When they delegate the work to employees, they set very high standards for them. At the same time, they ensure that the team stays on track and meets their deadline.

Task-oriented leaders value efficiency and punctuality. They ask their employees to give them regular progress updates. To some, it may seem like they’re micromanaging their staff. If things get out of hand, it may even create a rather toxic culture in the workplace.

If you’re a task-oriented leader, make sure that you:

Don’t focus on the tasks so much that you lose sight of your employees.
Don’t disregard your employees and risk creating a hostile working environment.

Most Answers #3 – You’re a Democratic Leader

Democratic leaders are a lot like people-oriented leaders. They value their employees and always ask for their input when making big decisions. Furthermore, they want every member of their team to feel that their opinion matters.

They won’t only reach out to their employees in search of new ideas. They’ll also ask other experts, as well as senior members of the organisation, for advice. Their efforts help cultivate team spirit and bring all individual employees together.

If you’re a democratic leader, make sure that you:

Don’t wait too long to reach a joint stance on a decision before you make it.
Don’t ignore your own instinct and opinions when making certain decisions.

Most Answers #4 – You’re a Charismatic Leader

Charismatic leaders have a certain quality that draws everyone’s attention to them. They are usually very confident. What’s more, they know how to talk to people. Even if the others don’t see eye-to-eye with them, they are likely to change their minds easily.

These leaders have something of a positive aura about them. Their employees like when they give them attention because it makes them feel special and understood. Charismatic leaders never hesitate to take charge and move a step ahead in their work.

If you’re a charismatic leader, make sure that you:

Don’t rely on your charm too much, as people may see you as “fake” without the results to back it up.
Don’t use your charisma to trick others into making bad choices.

Most Answers #5 – You’re an Autocratic Leader

leadership styles Autocratic leaders like to be in charge of every aspect of their business. Most of the time, they don’t consult anyone when making decisions. They are confident that they know exactly what’s best for their company.

While this approach gets the work done, many people oppose it. In extreme cases, it can create a toxic culture in the workplace. After all, employees like when a leader shows that they value their input. Yet, most autocratic leaders only care about the quality of their work. They don’t make too many friends, especially not in the workplace.

If you’re an autocratic leader, make sure that you:

Don’t discard all input from others, as some of it may be very useful.
Don’t ignore your employees so much that they lose motivation to work.

Most Answers #6 – You’re a Laissez-Faire Leader

Laissez-faire is a French term that describes people who delegate work to others and trust them to deliver good results. Laissez-faire leaders usually don’t oversee the work once they’ve delegated it.

They also take time to help their employees advance in the workplace. Those employees then become their right-hand people who take on big projects and are in charge of their completion. Despite this, the leader is still the only one accountable for anything that goes wrong.

If you’re a laissez-faire leader, make sure that you:

Provide enough guidance to your employees so as not to waste their – and your own – time.
Choose the most responsible and reliable members of your team to take on important tasks.

What to Do Next

If you’ve taken this leadership styles quiz, you now know what type of leader you are. Follow the tips provided in the results to:

Identify the warning signs of a dysfunctional company.
Solve any company culture problems you may have.
Build high-performing teams that will help you achieve your business goals.

Remember that a great manager can DOUBLE the capacity of their people.