Mastering Leadership in Business Management for Success

As an aspiring business leader, you may envision inspiring others, fostering collaboration, and driving meaningful change. To achieve your goals, it is essential to refine your leadership style and strengthen your managerial skills.

By gaining insight into how leadership styles are developed and what effective approaches look like, you may be better equipped to create a real difference in your future workplace.

Why Leadership Style Matters in Business Management

In the world of business management, leadership style can affect team dynamics and long-term business performance. Understanding how business leadership functions across different industries enables future managers to develop leadership styles that complement organizational goals.

The Difference Between Managing and Leading

Before we dive further into the impact leadership style can have on business, it’s important to clarify the distinction between managing and leading. The reality is that not all managers are competent leaders—you may have experienced this firsthand if you’ve ever worked under a manager lacking the basics.

While management may focus on hierarchical structure and driving results, transactional leadership emphasizes fostering motivation, growth, and influence within an organization. Most advanced roles require a blend of managerial leadership skills and striking that balance may be easier said than done.

The Impact of Leadership Styles on Teams and Performance

Everybody has a slightly different approach to leadership, known as a leadership style. A person’s unique leadership style can play a critical role in guiding teams and driving profitability, innovation, and overall team performance.

For example, leadership styles in business can affect communication and decision-making. The way leaders communicate expectations and provide feedback can influence employee engagement and team collaboration.

Common Leadership Style Frameworks

While the following list is by no means exhaustive, it serves as a practical starting point for aspiring leaders who want to better understand some common approaches.

Transformational Leadership – Inspiring Vision and Innovation

Transformational leaders motivate others by instilling a sense of purpose, creativity, and empowerment among team members to achieve a shared vision. These leaders strongly believe that when team members feel connected to an organization’s mission, they will be more intrinsically motivated to perform well.

This leadership style can be highly effective in inspiring innovation and fostering a stronger organizational culture. However, it may not be suitable for all employees, especially those who require greater oversight or direct supervision.

Servant Leadership – Putting People First

Under a servant leadership model, leaders see their top priority as serving their team members. Servant leaders put people first, understanding that taking care of their own team will create a sense of empowerment that benefits the organization in the long term.

Servant leaders are often viewed as excellent listeners who have a great deal of empathy for others. They are highly focused on supporting others’ success and creating a strong sense of community within an organization. A great leader in this style of leadership can be effective, provided that they are still able to take charge when the need arises.

Situational Leadership – Adapting to Context

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership. Teams change over time, as do the dynamics and objectives of an organization. Some of the best leaders are situational leaders who adapt their approach to leadership based on factors such as:

Team readiness
Context/environment
Business goals

Situational leaders are highly flexible, providing targeted support and guidance to employees who need it most. This leadership approach requires a great deal of skill, as it relies on a leader’s ability to constantly reassess and make changes. For many leaders, this ability is not inherent—it’s one that must be built and strengthened over time and with experience.

How to Discover and Develop Your Own Leadership Style

Leadership style development takes time and reflection; your unique approach isn’t something you’ll cultivate and perfect overnight. Rather, many leaders find that it takes years to hone their style with experts insisting that “the science of leadership development is ongoing and increasingly revealing leadership as complex, occurring through a social dynamic process.”

Your approach to leadership also won’t remain static throughout your career; as the business landscape continues to change, so should your leadership style. At the end of the day, being adaptable is one of the most important qualities of a successful leader.

Still, there are some practical measures you can take to start building your own brand of leadership now—even if you’re still in school and have yet to land that first leadership role.

Reflecting on Your Strengths and Values

Start by taking inventory of your own strengths and potential weaknesses as a leader. This will require you to think critically about your communication tendencies, decision-making processes, values, and personality traits. If self-reflection is a challenge, you might consider asking some trusted friends or colleagues for honest feedback that could help you get a better feel for your strong qualities and areas for improvement.

Objective tools, such as scientifically validated personality assessments, can also be useful in identifying leadership strengths and weaknesses. One tool that’s commonly used to assess decision-making and analytical skills is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which provides insight into personality traits.

Learning From Mentors and Managers

A powerful way to strengthen and shape your leadership style is by learning from your role models. For example, think of the best boss or manager you’ve ever had. Then, build a profile of their leadership style. Make note of any specific traits or leadership approaches that you admire in that person, and explore ways to incorporate those aspects into your own approach. If you don’t have personal experience here, do some research on case studies and examples of aspirational leaders across all industries.

If possible, you might even ask a current or previous manager, supervisor, or other leader you admire to serve as your professional mentor as you transition into these kinds of roles.

Building Emotional Intelligence and Self-Awareness

In leadership style development, it’s important not to overlook skills such as emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Specifically, emotional intelligence refers to your ability to understand your own emotions, as well as the emotions of your team members. This level of self-awareness can have a direct impact on team dynamics, employee satisfaction, and business performance.

You can sharpen your emotional intelligence skills by practicing active listening, learning to observe body language, and always choosing to lead with empathy. Not only does this support collaboration and create a supportive work environment, but it also sharpens managerial leadership skills.

Leadership Skill Development Through Education

While it’s true that many leaders are still refining and adjusting their leadership approaches well into their careers, a solid foundation in a formal degree program can set future generations of business leaders up for success. So, what should you be looking for in leadership development programs online, and what can you expect to learn?

How STU’s Business Management Coursework Builds Leadership Competence

St. Thomas University’s Bachelor of Business Administration in Management is a 100% online degree program that offers unrivaled flexibility for busy students. In this program, students explore coursework in essential topics like leadership development, management strategies, communication, and problem-solving. Students gain valuable, real-world leadership experience by participating in a variety of career-focused projects, discussions, and applied learning experiences.

While you may not perfect your leadership style in a degree program, the skills and knowledge gained from STU Global’s Business Management program can help you create an adaptable framework for future leadership positions and roles.

Real-World Application in Online Learning Environments

Without setting foot inside a physical classroom, STU Global’s Business Management online program empowers future leaders to collaborate with peers and faculty virtually—replicating the realities of managing and collaborating with teams in an increasingly digital business landscape.

Students participate in ongoing group discussions and project management simulations where they have the opportunity to apply, refine, and reinforce the leadership skills they’ll use in their future careers.

Develop Your Leadership Skills in a Business Management Program

When you think back to some of the best leaders you’ve had in your own professional experience, there’s likely to be one common thread: they all had a distinct leadership style, much like Steve Jobs, that drove motivation and set a true vision for teams.

If you’re serious about developing your own leadership style and skills, then it may be time to find leadership development programs online that suit your goals. At St. Thomas University, you’ll find business programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, including our Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Management and our Master of Business Administration (MBA). No matter where you’re at in your career or where you aspire to be, our faculty is here to guide and support you every step of the way.

Learn more about STU’s business programs by getting in touch today. Ready to take the next step? Apply online now!