Most people step into leadership before anyone shows them how. This article walks through six common leadership styles with real workplace examples, the core skills that sit underneath all of them, and an honest look at whether the BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management is worth your time.

Key takeaways

• There is no single right leadership style. Good leaders have a default and switch when the situation calls for it.
• Most leaders draw from six styles: directive, visionary, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching.
• Your style is how you lead. Your skills are what make it work: communication, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, relationships and planning.
• The BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management is built around those same skills across 12 nationally recognised units.
• It is most worth it if you already lead people, or are about to, and want to turn instinct into an approach you can rely on.

Ask ten managers how they learned to lead and most will tell you a version of the same story. They were good at their job, someone moved on, and suddenly they were in charge of the people they used to sit beside. Nobody handed them a manual.

That is completely normal. It is also why so many capable people spend their first year as a leader second guessing themselves. The good news is that leadership is a set of skills, and skills can be learned.

What is a leadership style?

A leadership style is your default way of guiding people. It shapes how you make decisions, how you give direction and how you respond when things go wrong.

Think of it like the way you drive. You have a natural style. Maybe you are a little cautious, or a little quick off the lights. But you don’t drive the same way in heavy rain as you do on an empty country road. Strong leaders work the same way. They know their default and they adjust for the conditions.

The six styles below come from Daniel Goleman’s well known research on leadership, published in the Harvard Business Review. Decades on, it is still one of the most practical ways to look at how you lead.

Six leadership styles, with workplace examples

1. Directive (also called commanding)

Sounds like: “This is what we’re doing. Let’s go.”

Example: A fire alarm sounds in a warehouse. The shift supervisor doesn’t call a meeting. She gives clear instructions and gets everyone out safely.

Use it for emergencies, safety issues and situations that need a fast turnaround. Be careful using it every day. People stop thinking for themselves and quietly switch off.

2. Visionary (also called authoritative)

Sounds like: “This is where we’re heading and why it matters. You work out the best way to get there.”

Example: A clinic manager tells her team the goal for the year is to halve patient wait times, then lets each team design how they will do it.

Use it for times of change or when the team needs a clear direction. Be careful when your team knows the work better than you do. Big picture talk without listening can sound out of touch.

3. Affiliative

Sounds like: “People come first.”

Example: After a stressful restructure, a team leader puts her energy into rebuilding trust. She holds regular one to ones, recognises effort and fixes the small frustrations that have been piling up.

Use it for repairing trust, easing conflict and supporting a team through a hard stretch. Be careful that poor performance doesn’t slide because you want to keep the peace.

4. Democratic

Sounds like: “What do you think?”

Example: Instead of handing down a new roster, a team leader asks staff to help design it. The final version takes longer to build, but people actually stick to it.

Use it for decisions where buy in matters or where your team holds the expertise. Be careful in a crisis. Nobody wants a round table discussion while the server is down.

5. Pacesetting

Sounds like: “Do as I do, now.”

Example: A sales manager who used to be the top performer sets high targets and expects everyone to match her pace.

Use it for short bursts with a skilled, motivated team. Be careful with this one in particular. Used for too long, it is one of the quickest routes to burnout and resentment.

6. Coaching

Sounds like: “Try this, and let’s see how it goes.”

Example: A team leader notices a staff member is brilliant with customers but always behind on paperwork. Rather than fixing it for them, she sets one small goal, checks in each week and helps them build the habit.

Use it for developing people over the long term. Be careful when the person isn’t open to feedback or there is genuinely no time to invest.

The six styles at a glance

The skills that sit underneath every style

If leadership styles are the gears, skills are the engine. You can change gears all day, but without an engine nothing moves.

Whatever style you lean towards, these are the skills that make it work:

• Communicating with influence. Getting people to understand and act, not just hear you.
• Emotional intelligence. Noticing your own reactions and reading the people around you.
• Critical thinking in others. Helping your team solve problems themselves, rather than bringing every problem to you.
• Building workplace relationships. Earning trust, consulting well and dealing with conflict early.
• Team effectiveness. Clear goals, clear roles and a team that knows how to work together.
• Planning and operations. Turning big goals into plans, resources and budgets.

This isn’t a random list. These six skills line up with the six core units of the BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management, which we cover below.

How to work out your leadership style in five steps

1. Recall three tough moments. Think back over the last few months to three times work got hard: a deadline, a conflict, a mistake. Write down what you actually did, not what you wish you had done.
2. Match each one to a style. Use the table above. You will probably see one style come up more than once. That is your default.
3. Ask two people you trust. Keep it simple: “When things get busy, what am I like to work with?” Listen without explaining yourself.
4. Find the gap. Look for the style you almost never use, and one situation where it would have helped.
5. Run one small experiment. Pick something you can try in the next fortnight. If you are usually directive, ask your team for their view on one decision before you share yours. Notice what changes.

Repeat this every few months. Your style will shift as you grow, and that is the point.

Is the Diploma of Leadership and Management worth it?

For most people who lead a team now, or expect to soon, yes. Here is why, and when it might not be the right time.

What you study

The BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management is a nationally recognised qualification made up of 12 units: six core units and six electives. The core units map closely to the skills above.

Why it is worth it

1. It gives you the language for what you already do. Many new leaders get things right on instinct but can’t explain why. The diploma gives you frameworks you can use on purpose, and repeat.
2. It is research-supported and recognised across Australia. When you go for a promotion or a new role, it shows you have invested in leading people well, not just in doing the technical work.
3. You learn while you lead. Your assessments draw on real workplace situations, so what you study on Tuesday night can show up in Wednesday’s team meeting.
4. It opens doors to further study. It leads naturally into the BSB60420 Advanced Diploma of Leadership and Management, and some universities offer credit towards business degrees.
5. It builds confidence. Knowing why an approach works makes it much easier to back yourself when a conversation gets hard.

At IAP, we come at leadership through the lens of applied psychology and human behaviour. Leading well is mostly about understanding people, starting with yourself. That is why emotional intelligence, influence and relationships sit at the heart of how we teach this diploma.

When it might not be the right time

We would rather you choose the right course than the wrong one.

• If you have no plans to lead people, a shorter course in a specific skill may suit you better.
• If you already have years of leadership experience and a related qualification, ask about recognition of prior learning (RPL) first. Your experience may count towards some of the units.

Where to from here

Nobody is born a finished leader. The good ones are shaped by the right guidance, plenty of practice and people who have been there before them.

If you are ready to understand your leadership style and build the skills behind it, explore IAP’s BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management or have a chat with one of our course advisors about where you are now and where you want to go next.

Common questions

Is the BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management worth it? If you lead a team or are working towards it, it is one of the most practical qualifications you can do. It is nationally recognised, it builds the people skills employers look for in leaders, and you apply it to your own job as you go.

Do I need to be a manager already? Not necessarily.

How long does it take? IAP’s diploma is studied online and you can enrol at any time, so it depends on your pace and how much time you can give each week. Most aim for 12 months and you have 18 months, especially if you are working a full time job.

Can my experience count through RPL? It may. Recognition of prior learning looks at what you can already show from your work. Ask the IAP team about it before you enrol.

What is the difference between a BSB50120 Diploma of Business and a BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management? A BSB50120 Diploma of Business is broader and covers areas like marketing and finance and helps those stepping into business. A BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management focuses on leading people and teams. If most of your day involves managing people, the leadership diploma is the closer fit.

What jobs can it lead to? Common roles include team leader, supervisor, office manager, operations manager and department manager.