Five steps to find your own leadership style

Some people aspire to become leaders. Others find themselves in a leadership role through natural career progression. 

No matter how we find ourselves in a position of leadership, we have to make the same decision. What kind of leader do we want to be? 

It is a vital question, but one that surprisingly few leaders consider. Most of us have a preconceived idea of what leadership is – or should be – and try to fit that mould. 

But does this ‘cookie cutter’ approach empower us to be the best leaders we can? 

At Warwick Business School, we think not. If you try to squeeze yourself into an image of what a successful leader looks like, you will lose your individuality. 

Worse still, you risk appearing inauthentic and losing the trust of your team. 

That’s why our Full-Time MBA programme includes the LeadershipPlus module, which was recently shortlisted for curriculum design at the prestigious Academic Employability Awards, organised by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services. 

We believe leadership is a unique blend of the individual and the role. There are many ways to be an outstanding leader, so we guide students through a journey of self-discovery. This includes several key steps: 

1 Hold up a mirror 

It can be uncomfortable, but the leadership journey begins with self-reflection. 

Before you can successfully lead anyone else, you need to be clear about your values, your strengths, how others perceive you, and what you can bring to the leadership role. 

For example, leaders need to be able to ‘hold the floor’ and influence people. But that won’t look the same for everyone. 

One person might ‘hold the floor’ through gravitas and charisma. Another might accomplish this by being really knowledgeable. Both can be equally effective. 

In LeadershipPlus, we spend time discussing the various ways to approach these important leadership activities and how they suit different personalities. 

2 Choose your approach 

After a period of self-reflection, it’s time to craft an image of yourself as a leader. There are some key questions you can ask yourself to help with this process. 

How can I bring my values to the leadership role? How can I lead with my strengths? What blind spots do I need to be aware of? What do I need to guard against when I’m stressed? What will my leadership look like at its best? 

Your answers to these questions will inform how you embrace the role of leader. 

On the LeadershipPlus module we bring together academics, our careers service and employee relations team, and sports psychologists Mindflick to bring this process to life. 

3 Practice in Safe Spaces 

Power and influence are all around us so there are plenty of opportunities to practice your leadership style in safe spaces. 

We place our LeadershipPlus students into syndicate groups which become their Learning Lab. This is the perfect place to practice and hone their leadership skills alongside classmates from different countries. 

Everyone understands that this is a place to learn, so it becomes a safe space to push your boundaries and try new ideas. The feedback you receive is like gold. 

If you are looking for your own safe space, consider practising your leadership skills among family, friends, or as part of a club or sports team. 

4 Recalibrate 

Remember, this is a journey. As you practice your leadership in these safe spaces, reflect on what seems to work well and when you might need to try a different approach. 

Pay attention to the different situations and group dynamics you encounter to try to identify not only what you are doing and when a particular approach works. 

This can help you hone in on a leadership style that is authentic and effective for you. 

Students in LeadershipPlus have the perfect opportunity to test their leadership skills in a new setting when we change up the syndicate groups halfway through the programme. 

This allows them to work closely with a new team, made up of different personalities, to apply what they have learned so far. 

5 Put your skills to the test 

Once you have recalibrated, it’s time to raise the stakes and test how your approach to leadership works in a more professional setting. 

But that is not the end of the learning process. Ongoing reflection is a key part of becoming a great leader. Once you have applied your leadership skills in the workplace, consider how it went and whether you need to adapt your approach. 

Students on our LeadershipPlus module complete a Client Engagement Project, where they act as consultants for a real company sourced by our Employee Relations team. 

During this project, students have to manage multiple stakeholders – including the client company, the academic who assesses their performance, and their syndicate team – to produce analysis and recommendations in a relatively short time period. 

This usually involves some difficult conversations, giving students the opportunity to learn how to navigate those and practise their influencing techniques.  

These five steps might sound simple, but anyone who has had a leadership role will tell you, you need to have resilience. 

Learn to listen, accept feedback, and take time to reflect and you will be on your way.

LeadershipPlus is a cornerstone of the WBS Full-time MBA programme, helping students to explore and define their leadership identity.

The innovative module was shortlisted in the Curriculum Design for Employability category at the prestigious Academic Employability Awards, recognising its outstanding contribution to embedding employability within higher education. The awards are organised by the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS).

Discover more about the experience on the LeadershipPlus module.

Further reading:

Five steps to harness adaptive leadership in turbulent times

How to be a responsible leader

Five lessons to create more inclusive organisations

The seven key competencies for collaborative leadership

Dawn Eubanks is Associate Professor of Behavioural Science and Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Warwick Business School. She teaches Leadership and Harnessing Diversity on the Global Online MBA, the Full-time MBA, and the Executive MBA, LeadershipPlus on the Full-time MBA, and Leadership on the Executive MBA (London).