How to Uncover Your Management Style & Double Down On What Works for You

There is more than a little truth to the idea that different people epitomize different genres of music. Some of us flow freely through life, to the beat of our own drum so to speak. Much in the same way jazz is structured. Others of us are a little more refined in our approach to life similar to what is at the heart of classical music. Comparison after comparison between the inherent nature of people and music could be drawn but we just do not have time for that. The overarching point in all this is that, stylistically, each of us is wonderfully unique. Better put, everyone has their own personality. 

In a business setting, a personality is a fascinating thing to observe. Despite many jobs being nearly identical in their day-to-day responsibilities, people go about accomplishing these with their own flair. This is especially true of bosses and leaders because of the freedom allowed them by corporate hierarchy - some refer to this as a management style. That being said, no employee wants their boss to put on a facade for the office simply to make a quick buck. Author John C. Maxwell backed this up, "People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision." 

Uncovering your management style and then doubling down on it will push you outside your comfort zone. But once you adjust to this new reality, it will be a whole new ball game full of opportunity. Let's get to it. 

While the title above may feel incredibly obvious if you are trying to uncover your management style, you would be surprised how many leaders fly by the seat of their pants. They are very content to wing each and every decision and interaction. And why shouldn’t they be? They have already arrived in a position of responsibility through consistency with this approach. However, eventually, they will plateau professionally because of this. Or their luck will run out. To avoid this outcome in your own professional life, you must dedicate yourself to a management style that offers consistent, dependable, and logical, strategy. 

“The phrase ‘There is more than one way to skin a cat’ is a bit gruesome but may be the most appropriate way to look at how you lead a team of employees,” said Max Schwartzapfel, CMO of Fighting For You. "There are a multitude of ways you can do this. Just make sure it’s true to who you are at your core.”

If you missed it at the end there, your management style should involve your inherent characteristics and patterns of behavior. You will be able to lead at the highest level when you know which specific management style is best suited to you. If you were to just pick a style at random without knowing what is required to make it effective, you could be taking on the role of an actor rather than a leader. 

“Take the time to read as much as you can about different management styles,” said Andrew Chen, Chief Product Officer at videeo.live. "Some of them won’t make any sense to you and others will resonate like nothing you’ve ever read before. 

But what if you were to go ahead and start reading through the details of differing management styles only to find that none of them jump out to you? The indecision and confusion that comes along with this hypothetical would be heavy to be sure. However, you and you alone have the ability to wade through this. All it takes is a commitment to learn about who you are. 

“It’s funny to me how many people think they know themselves only to be surprised by some action or word they say further down the road,” said Joshua Chin, CEO of Chronos Agency. "Activities like journaling or just getting out of your comfort zone in general will help with this.”

Along these lines, start asking yourself questions that prompt some deep thinking. For example, what is it about you that allows you to connect with people? Or, what are you passionate about and motivated by? You may never truly get to the bottom of these questions. But they will aid you in your journey to uncover your management style. Simply put, be a diligent explorer of who you are until you realize what it is exactly that makes you tick. 

“No one will uncover their management style if they are struggling with their own personal identity,” said Lyudmyla Dobrynina, Head of Marketing North America at Optimeal. "It is a two-step process really. First, you have to get in tune with yourself. Then come to understand how different management styles might fit you. Otherwise, it’s like trying on clothes in the dark.”

Reading about management styles in theory is one thing. Putting them into practice is another thing entirely. Especially if you find yourself on the fence about which proverbial road to go down. The latter involves nothing more than wrapping your brain around a few concepts that may test you. But with the latter is a team full of real people who depend on your decision making. Supposing you took the time to do your research on the variety of management styles out there, you should have more than enough information on hand to give more than a few styles a run-through.

“There are little ways you can give yourself a trial run on whether a management style is for you, both in your personal and professional life,” said Phillip Akhzar, CEO of Arka. "Honestly, pets and other personal interactions work well, so long as you’re respectful.”

While the primary focus here is to uncover a management style that works for you, there is another element to take into account trying out unfamiliar management styles - It might not work well for your team. In fact, they could so far as not even respond to it. Though that is a worst case scenario. Regardless, the point here remains. Some employees will not jive with specific management styles. Therefore, it stands to reason you should find this out before you go too far down the road of implementation.

“Your management style isn’t only about you, even if the name suggests otherwise,” said Stephanie Venn-Watson, CEO of Fatty15. "Your employees and how they respond to you are who it is really about.  If you lose sight of this, then even the best business plans will be laid to waste.”

All the ideas and suggestions up to this point will most certainly assist you in your quest to find your management style. And do not worry, there is more to come. But let’s pause for a second and consider another hypothetical. Say the number one desire for your life is to become the pilot of a fighter jet which can reach the speed of sound. You can spend all the time in the world holed up in the library going over each and every detail of flying one of these things but if you never actually see the plane or someone flying it, actually doing so yourself could be a ball game you are unprepared for. The same is true of management styles. 

“Of course there is a textbook side to managing a business, '' said Maegan Griffin, Founder, CEO and nurse practitioner at Skin Pharm. "But, what actually impacted my management style the greatest was watching my former boss work. He opened my mind to what it means to lead by example.”

Unfortunately, you might not be so lucky to have a wonderful business role model in your life. Fear not, because there is still hope for you. Highly experienced businesspeople and the likes have made themselves available online and in print to offer their perspective on the working world. This might be exactly what you need to find a role model worth emulating. 

“A good role model does not need to be someone in your personal life,” said Lilian Chen, Co-Founder and COO of Bar None Games. "The internet has made it possible to connect with all kinds of people so don’t limit your options. These people can be great sources of inspiration for how to better run your company.”

Hopefully by now you have some idea of how to begin uncovering your management style. That leaves us with the doubling down portion left to cover. In theory, this is beautifully simple - having made a choice on your specific management style, it is time to live and breathe it. In reality, this is much easier said than done. 

“Company leaders are always learning no matter how far they go in their industry,” said Matas Jakutis, CMO of Forcefield Digital. "This is because of the individuality of humans. A leadership strategy that worked previously won’t always be effective and you have to adapt to this.”

Adaption can look like many things. As stated earlier, it can be nothing more than flying by the seat of your pants. Alternatively, it can be a calculated adjustment. Ideally, the latter is the preferred choice here. However, without a well-planned course of action for how to adjust, this can never happen. Which is why you must become a student of your management style. 

“I like to think of my management style as somewhat of a game plan,” said Ryan Azimi, Director of International Development at ETIAS,com. "I carefully analyze what I’m up against and make adjustments accordingly. Always with my personal strengths in mind. That way, I stand the best chance of encountering success as a manager.”

If you believe uncovering your management style is an immense workload to take on, you are correct. But so too is being the boss in general. The good news is, former politician and Olympian Bill Bradley had words that should keep you on track, “Leadership is unlocking people's potential to become better.”