Test Your Leadership Styles Knowledge
Ready for the 7 leadership styles quiz? Discover your management style now!
This leadership styles quiz helps you practice common approaches and spot the style you use most. Take the short quiz ; if you're studying, use the quiz for students as well, then compare your choices with friends or classmates. It only takes a few minutes.
Study Outcomes
- Understand the Seven Leadership Styles -
Identify the core traits and behaviors of authoritative, transformational, democratic, coaching, affiliative, pacesetting, and laissez-faire leaders to build a foundational knowledge of each approach.
- Analyze Personal Leadership Tendencies -
Evaluate your own preferences and natural inclinations through the 7 leadership styles quiz to pinpoint which leadership approach you most align with.
- Differentiate Between Leadership and Management Styles -
Distinguish key differences between leadership styles and management styles to gain clarity on when to lead versus when to manage.
- Apply Appropriate Styles to Real-World Situations -
Learn how to adapt your leadership approach to various team dynamics, goals, and challenges for improved outcomes.
- Reflect on Strengths and Growth Areas -
Use quiz insights to recognize your leadership strengths and identify opportunities for personal and professional development.
Cheat Sheet
- Comparing Authoritative and Transformational Styles -
Review Northouse's (2021) breakdown of authoritative leadership - where a clear vision drives performance - versus transformational leadership, which leverages inspiration and individualized consideration. Use the mnemonic "VIBE" (Vision, Inspiration, Behavior, Empowerment) to recall transformational traits quickly. After studying, take a brief "test on leadership styles" flashcard exercise to list two behaviors per style.
- Mastering the 7 Leadership Styles Framework -
Refer to Goleman's six emotional intelligence - based styles plus the added collaborative style to understand directive, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and commanding approaches. Draw a simple table to compare key drivers, such as "pace" for pacesetting and "people first" for affiliative leaders. Challenge yourself with a "7 leadership styles quiz" to reinforce distinctions under timed conditions.
- Applying the Situational Leadership Model -
Study Hersey and Blanchard's situational leadership, which adapts directive and supportive behaviors to follower readiness levels (R1 - R4). Remember "DS" (Directive then Supportive) as a two-step guide: assess competence, then adjust your style. Test this concept with a quick scenario: identify which style fits a new trainee versus an expert team member.
- Using Self-Assessment Tools -
Explore reputable quizzes like the Center for Creative Leadership's "what is my leadership style quiz" to benchmark your default tendencies against research-based dimensions. Note your top two styles and track scenarios where they succeed or falter to deepen self-awareness. Pair your results with reflective journaling for each leadership challenge.
- Linking Management Styles to Team Outcomes -
Draw on Likert's management systems to see how authoritarian (System 1) vs. participative (System 4) approaches influence morale, productivity, and innovation. Create a simple matrix mapping style to outcome metrics (e.g., turnover rate, satisfaction score). Then, simulate a mini "what is my management style quiz" by scoring hypothetical case studies to predict team reaction.