Is One Leadership Style Better Than the Others?

From day one, after we created our leadership development firm, we argued that there was no one best leadership style or approach.  Instead, we argued that leaders succeeded for various reasons and that much depended on the organizational needs at a given time.  Now, 25 years later, we thought we would conduct a study to confirm whether our initial conclusions withstood the test of time and remained valid today. While most would agree that they know leaders who are successful for extremely different reasons, there are those with a lingering sense that, overall, one leadership style may be more effective than others. To explore this idea, we turned to our database and identified four distinct leadership styles. While we recognize that many different leadership styles exist, we focused on these four because they are often noted by other observers and clearly stand out.  Our goal was to determine whether one style proved more impactful or effective.

Four Distinct Leadership Styles: A Deep Dive
Research reveals four distinct leadership styles, each characterized by unique competencies and approaches to organizational leadership.

The Expert

The Expert leader excels through deep technical knowledge and problem-solving capabilities. These leaders stand out for their innovative thinking and ability to tackle complex challenges. They maintain their organization’s technological edge by staying current with industry developments and implementing cutting-edge solutions. Their decision-making is grounded in expertise and analytical rigor, making them particularly valuable in technology-driven sectors or during periods of technical transformation. While they may not prioritize relationship-building, their credibility stems from their demonstrated mastery and ability to guide their teams through technical challenges.

The Connector

Connector leaders shine through with their exceptional interpersonal abilities and talent for building strong organizational relationships. These leaders create cohesive, collaborative environments where team members feel valued and supported. They excel at developing talent and fostering inclusive workplaces where diverse perspectives are welcomed. Their approach to leadership centers on creating strong teams and nurturing individual growth. While they may not be the strongest drivers of results, their ability to build engaged, loyal teams often leads to sustained organizational success through strong cultural foundations and high employee retention.

The Driver

Driver leaders are distinguished by their relentless focus on achieving results and meeting objectives. These leaders thrive on setting and reaching ambitious goals, consistently pushing their teams toward higher performance standards. They demonstrate strong initiative and decision-making capabilities, coupled with high integrity in their pursuit of outcomes. While they may not prioritize innovation, their strength lies in their ability to mobilize resources and teams effectively toward concrete objectives. Their impact is particularly visible in organizations needing rapid performance improvement or during periods requiring strict execution of strategic initiatives.

The Strategist

Strategist leaders differentiate themselves through their forward-looking perspective and ability to navigate change. These leaders excel at understanding market dynamics and customer needs, often anticipating shifts before they become apparent to others. They demonstrate particular strength in developing strategic perspectives and championing organizational change initiatives. While they may not focus on developing others, their value lies in their ability to position their organizations for future success. Their impact is especially crucial during market transformation or when organizations must pivot toward new opportunities.

The Data on Leadership Styles

Each of these leadership styles contributes uniquely to organizational success, and their effectiveness often depends on the context in which they operate.

We wanted to know which leadership style works best. To find out, we studied 4,377 leaders who received feedback from multiple people— about 14 people rated each leader, including their boss, coworkers, employees, and others.

First, we split the leaders into two groups for each leadership style: those who scored above average and those below average. We then compared these groups to see what skills the better leaders had. The stronger leaders weren’t necessarily exceptional—they scored between the 64th and 73rd percentile, meaning they performed better than 64–73% of other leaders. By comparing the somewhat better leaders with the somewhat weaker ones, we could see which skills were most important for each leadership style.

The Expert

The Connector

The Driver

The Strategist

Check out the Podcast! Episode 159: Is One Leadership Style Better Than the Others? 

Think of it like this: Our findings made good sense, especially when looking at leaders who are “Connectors.” As you might guess, these leaders really shine at building relationships—it’s their superpower! But when it comes to pushing hard for results, they’re a bit less comfortable;  it’s like asking a natural party host to be a drill sergeant.

But here’s the interesting part: even their “weaker” areas weren’t actually weak. These Connectors still performed better than 65% of leaders at driving results, while they outperformed 73% at building relationships. It’s like being great at both basketball and soccer but just a bit better at one than the other.

This pattern— about a 10 percentage point difference between their strongest and less strong skills— tells us something valuable about how different leaders use their abilities. It’s not about good versus bad skills but rather which tools they reach for first in their leadership toolbox.

Was One Leadership Style Better than Another?

We used two measures to evaluate the effectiveness of a leadership style. First, we measured overall leadership effectiveness. This is the overall average of all 19 competencies.

Second, we measured the employee engagement of each leader’s direct reports. As seen in the graphs below, the differences between the different styles were not meaningful or statistically significant.

Conclusion: Is One Leadership Style Better Than the Others?

What makes the difference between a good leader and a bad leader is that the good leader is skilled in a few important competencies, whereas the ineffective leader lacks high scores on three to five competencies.  In rare instances, a good leader will have quite low scores on a few capabilities, but generally, they do not. Leaders, like most people, come with different skills and capabilities. However, being an effective leader requires just a few strengths and no fatal flaws.

This study validates the need and the opportunity for variety in leadership. There is not one mold that will work for every leader. Clearly, there are more than the four styles utilized in this research. A leader’s style is created by the combination of their personal preferences, their experiences, their intellect, and luck. The jobs they perform, the peers and leaders they learn from, the lessons from their youth, and their desires merge to form a leader’s style. The critical issue is whether a leader can build strengths and stand out in a few important competencies. In our original research, we found that if a leader had three profound strengths (e.g., scored at the 90^th percentile on three competencies), their overall leadership effectiveness would be at the 81^stpercentile.

The key question for every leader is, what competencies can you use to stand out and elevate yourself to be among the best in your organization?

Joe Folkman and Jack Zenger