What’s Your Leadership Style? Take the Quiz to Find Out

Every leader approaches decision-making and team management differently. Understanding your leadership style can help you maximize strengths, improve weaknesses, and create a healthier workplace culture.

Whether you run a service company, a healthcare practice, or manage a corporate office, identifying your style will give you clarity on how you naturally lead—and how to adapt when necessary.

This quiz is designed to help you pinpoint your dominant leadership style and provide tips for growth in each area.

Common Leadership Styles in Business

Autocratic: Direct, top-down decision-making. Works well in fast-moving or high-pressure situations but may discourage creativity.

Democratic/Participative: Collaborative, invites input from team members. Great for morale, but decision-making can take extra time.

Laissez-faire/Delegative: Hands-off, trusts the team to work independently. Powerful with skilled teams but risks lack of guidance.

Transformational: Inspires and motivates. Focused on vision, change, and innovation. Requires enthusiasm and buy-in from the team.

Transactional: Structured, reward-and-punishment-based. Effective for repetitive tasks and performance tracking but may stifle long-term growth.

Situational: Flexible. Adapts leadership style based on context and team needs. Requires strong awareness and emotional intelligence.

Leadership Styles Quiz

Answer each question honestly and write down your letter choice. At the end, tally your answers to reveal your dominant leadership style.

Question 1: Decision-Making

A project deadline is looming. How do you respond?

A. I decide quickly and give the team direct instructions.
B. I gather team input before making a decision.
C. I let my team figure out the best path themselves.
D. I focus on energizing the team with a big-picture vision.
E. I set clear goals and define rewards for meeting deadlines.
F. I adjust based on who’s involved and the urgency.

Question 2: Motivation

How do you typically motivate your team?

A. By giving clear instructions and expecting compliance.
B. By including them in decision-making and valuing contributions.
C. By giving autonomy and trust.
D. By inspiring with vision and enthusiasm.
E. By tying performance to rewards or recognition.
F. By tailoring motivation strategies depending on the individual.

Question 3: Conflict Resolution

A disagreement breaks out among staff. What’s your instinct?

A. Step in, make a final ruling, and move on.
B. Listen to both sides, then work toward a group solution.
C. Let them resolve it on their own unless it escalates.
D. Reframe the issue around shared goals and inspire cooperation.
E. Point to rules, procedures, or incentives that guide behavior.
F. Consider the situation, people involved, and apply the right style.

Question 4: Team Development

When it comes to developing your team’s skills:

A. I focus on control and compliance.
B. I encourage group collaboration and peer-to-peer learning.
C. I trust experienced people to keep learning on their own.
D. I invest in inspiring them toward personal growth.
E. I provide structure and link progress to clear rewards.
F. I adapt based on where each individual is in their growth.

Question 5: Workplace Vision

Your overall leadership approach is most aligned with:

A. Efficiency and control.
B. Collaboration and fairness.
C. Independence and creativity.
D. Inspiration and change.
E. Structure and accountability.
F. Flexibility and adaptability.

Scoring Your Leadership Style

If you chose mostly A, your style is Autocratic.
If you chose mostly B, your style is Democratic/Participative.
If you chose mostly C, your style is Laissez-faire/Delegative.
If you chose mostly D, your style is Transformational.
If you chose mostly E, your style is Transactional.
If you chose mostly F, your style is Situational.

Improvement Tips by Leadership Style

Autocratic Leaders

Strength: Clarity and decisiveness in emergencies.
Risk: Stifling collaboration and creativity.
Improvement Tip: Involve your team in non-urgent decisions to build engagement.

Democratic Leaders

Strength: Building strong morale and buy-in.
Risk: Slowing down decisions.
Improvement Tip: Use structured systems to gather input quickly while keeping momentum.

Laissez-faire Leaders

Strength: Empowering and trusting skilled teams.
Risk: Lack of consistent direction.
Improvement Tip: Provide clear milestones and occasional check-ins to prevent drift.

Transformational Leaders

Strength: Inspiring innovation and change.
Risk: Overlooking practical details or overwhelming staff with constant “big ideas.”
Improvement Tip: Pair visionary thinking with structured planning and support.

Transactional Leaders

Strength: Clear expectations, structure, and accountability.
Risk: Limited innovation and long-term growth.
Improvement Tip: Blend structure with opportunities for creativity and development.

Situational Leaders

Strength: Flexibility and adaptability to different contexts.
Risk: If overused, can appear inconsistent.
Improvement Tip: Clarify your core principles so your adaptability feels intentional, not arbitrary.

Why This Matters

Every leadership style has strengths. The key is not to force yourself into one box but to understand your tendencies and develop flexibility. A plumbing business owner may need to lean transactional for efficiency on the job site, while a dental practice manager may thrive with transformational and democratic approaches to foster care and innovation.

By knowing your style and working on balance, you’ll create stronger relationships, better results, and a more resilient workplace culture.

What’s Next? Team Time!

Take this quiz with your leadership team and compare results. Open discussion about styles can help everyone appreciate differences and build stronger, more effective collaboration.

If you’re ready to dive deeper, our business coaching program helps leaders identify blind spots, strengthen leadership skills, and adapt strategies that work in today’s fast-changing business environment.

FAQs on Leadership Styles

What is the most effective leadership style?
There isn’t a single “best” style. The most effective leaders adapt their approach to the situation.

Can someone have more than one leadership style?
Yes. Most leaders show traits from multiple styles, but usually one is dominant.

Why should I know my leadership style?
Understanding your style helps you improve team communication, decision-making, and workplace culture.

Can leadership styles be developed?
Absolutely. Leadership is not fixed—you can build new approaches through training, coaching, and self-awareness.

Which leadership style is best for small businesses?
Situational leadership often works well for small businesses because it provides flexibility. However, transformational and democratic leadership also support growth by empowering teams.