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    Interactive assessment

    Leadership Styles Inventory

    Identify your dominant and least-used leadership styles across six evidence-based approaches, and understand which styles will serve you best in different situations.

    Research published in the Harvard Business Review found that 70% of the variance in organisational climate, and 30% of business results, is driven by leadership style. No single style is best in all situations. Effective leaders develop a broad repertoire and switch styles deliberately. This inventory identifies your current strengths and your development opportunities.

    Questions or items
    24 questions or items
    Completion time
    Around 12 minutes
    Dimensions
    Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, Commanding
    What you receive
    Personalised results with configured interpretation bands, section scores and development guidance.

    What it covers

    • Visionary
    • Coaching
    • Affiliative
    • Democratic
    • Pacesetting
    • Commanding

    Rate each statement from 1 (Never) to 5 (Almost Always) based on how often this describes your leadership behaviour. Be honest, your most accurate results come from describing actual behaviour, not ideal behaviour.

    Results: Personalised results with configured interpretation bands, section scores and development guidance.

    How this interactive diagnostic works

    This page provides the documented overview before the interactive experience is loaded. It lets you read the purpose, the material covered and the way the result is presented without entering answers or sending a request. When you choose to continue, the interactive version uses the same material shown here. It records your selections while you work and only calculates its result when its required items are complete.

    Analytics consent is required before the interactive experience is mounted. Declining consent does not start the diagnostic or its tracking. If you continue, the existing experience remains responsible for its own input, score and lead-capture step. Where the route requests a first name and work email, its existing form handles validation and submission. This overview does not replace those steps or submit a lead.

    Statements in this diagnostic

    The interactive version groups the statements below by section. Read them in relation to the situation named in the instructions, then use the response scale shown by the diagnostic. The section descriptions are part of the existing configuration and explain the aspect each group is intended to examine.

    Visionary

    Mobilises people towards a compelling vision. Shares the destination, gives freedom on how to get there. Most effective when a team needs direction, inspiration, or a new long-term goal.

    1. I share a compelling picture of where we are heading and why it matters
    2. I help people understand how their work connects to the team's bigger purpose
    3. I give people freedom in how they achieve the direction I've set
    4. I am seen as someone who can articulate a meaningful future that inspires commitment

    Coaching

    Develops people for the future by connecting their personal goals to organisational ones. High long-term value; requires time and psychological safety to deploy well.

    1. I have genuine, exploratory conversations with team members about their long-term development
    2. I ask questions that help people find their own answers rather than telling them what to do
    3. I regularly connect an individual's work to their personal development aspirations
    4. I invest time in developing people even when there is significant performance pressure

    Affiliative

    Builds relationships, harmony, and emotional bonds. Creates a positive climate. Most effective for healing rifts, motivating during stress, or strengthening connection.

    1. I prioritise people's wellbeing and emotions as much as task outcomes
    2. I invest in relationship-building within and beyond my team
    3. I am known as someone who makes people feel valued as individuals, not just performers
    4. During conflict or difficulty, I focus on rebuilding connection before addressing the task

    Democratic

    Builds commitment and consensus through participation. Effective when you need buy-in, diverse perspectives, or decisions made by the people doing the work.

    1. I regularly seek the views of my team before making significant decisions
    2. I create genuine space for dissenting voices and alternative perspectives
    3. I am known for making decisions that incorporate the views of those affected by them
    4. I help the team reach genuine consensus rather than imposing my preferred solution

    Pacesetting

    Sets high standards and expects others to follow. Powerful in short bursts with highly capable, motivated teams. Overused, it destroys climate and engagement.

    1. I set a very high bar for performance and expect others to meet it
    2. I am known for getting things done fast and to a high standard
    3. I often do things myself if I believe I can do them better or faster than my team
    4. I have high expectations and can become frustrated when others don't match my pace or standards

    Commanding

    Demands immediate compliance. Effective in genuine crises or turnarounds. The most overused style in management, deployed routinely, it has the worst impact on climate.

    1. When I need something done, I give clear, direct instructions and expect them to be followed
    2. In stressful or fast-moving situations, I take control and direct the response
    3. I am comfortable using authority when necessary to get results quickly
    4. I expect compliance and can be firm when performance or standards fall short

    How the result is read

    The interactive diagnostic compares section scores and identifies the highest-scoring section as the current dominant stage. The result uses the interpretation written for that stage and keeps the individual section scores visible.

    • Rarely Used, 4 to 8: This style is largely absent from your repertoire. That may be appropriate for some styles (e.g. Commanding) but may also represent a gap where more range would help.
    • Occasionally Used, 9 to 13: You use this style sometimes but it isn't a consistent strength. Consider whether developing it more deliberately would expand your effectiveness.
    • Regularly Used, 14 to 17: A clear part of your leadership repertoire. You use this style consistently and it likely characterises your leadership in the eyes of others.
    • Dominant Style, 18 to 20: This is a defining feature of your leadership. Strong if used in the right situations; worth examining if it crowds out other needed approaches.

    Sources named in this diagnostic

    • Goleman, D. (2000) Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, 78(2), pp. 78-90.
    • Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. and McKee, A. (2002) Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
    • Hay Group (2000) Raising the Bar: Using Competencies to Enhance Employee Performance. Philadelphia: Hay Group.

    Where to take the next step

    Our leadership development programmes are bespoke, research-grounded and built around the human capabilities that drive lasting performance.

    Explore Leadership Development

    Frequently asked questions

    What does the Leadership Styles Inventory measure?

    Research published in the Harvard Business Review found that 70% of the variance in organisational climate, and 30% of business results, is driven by leadership style. No single style is best in all situations. Effective leaders develop a broad repertoire and switch styles deliberately. This inventory identifies your current strengths and your development opportunities.

    How many questions are in the Leadership Styles Inventory?

    It contains 24 questions grouped into 6 dimensions: Visionary, Coaching, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, Commanding.

    How is the Leadership Styles Inventory scored?

    The section scores are compared to identify the highest-scoring current stage. The result keeps every stage score visible.

    What happens after I complete the Leadership Styles Inventory?

    After the required items are answered, the existing first-name and email gate is shown before the results are displayed. The result includes an overall interpretation, section scores and development guidance.

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