The term ‘coaching leadership’ does feel like a pleonasm – “the use of more words than are needed to express a meaning” (learn something every day). It is, in fact, a different concept from coaching, albeit very similar.

So let’s take a look at what coaching leadership means, its characteristics, history and some examples. And, of course, whether it’s worth your time.

Once you get past the quick lesson in French, understanding the laissez-faire leadership style is a walk in the park. Or should I say “promenade dans le parc”?

In any case, let’s explore what exactly laissez-faire leadership means, its defining characteristics, a little history lesson, some examples, and the pros and cons.

There is a dizzying number of ways you can lead your business. And over the years, people who have studied nothing but leadership theory have started putting handy labels on all of them.

While there are an infinite ways to approach leadership, here are the styles we’ll be looking at: Charismatic, Transformational, Transactional, Laissez-faire, Autocratic, Pacesetting and Coaching.

So, join me as I explore 7 different leadership styles from a business point of view, and what industries they work best in.

Have you ever had a boss that compelled you to do the work through sheer personality alone? Then you might have been under the spell of a charismatic leader.

In this article, we take a deep dive into the charismatic leadership style, looking at its characteristics, history of how the theory was developed and its pros and cons.

Transactional leadership theory, AKA transactional management, is a style of leadership where managers rely on rewards and punishments to motivate their workers.

In order for this to work, workers must closely adhere to their leader’s instructions, and be closely monitored to ensure they perform optimally.

What is transformational leadership? Style or substance?

Is it the key to effective leadership, or just plain schmaltzy corporate speak? Transformational leadership is no doubt something you’ve heard about before.

It’s one of those buzz words that gets brought out whenever a company goes through tremendous growth caused by a particular leader. But what even is transformational leadership, and does it deserve the hype?

Show of hands: how many of you have a list of dream goals or experiences or achievements that you crave in your life? Maybe it’s an actual list, maybe it’s the stuff of your daydreaming and procrastination at your desk. Finding true love? Lying on a beach in the Seychelles? Making a million? Don’t get me wrong, I love a bucket list. But the danger comes when you are forever envisioning these items – like a carrot on a stick – as the things that will make you happy.

It just won’t let up. From leadership transitions and restructurings to mergers and acquisitions, to regulatory changes, to new working models, to new roles and new skills required to fill them, there is constant unrest in the workforce. However, according to one survey of more than half a million U.S. employees, almost one-third don’t understand why these changes are happening. That creates friction, fear and resistance.

Not simply among employees – but among leadership and HR teams too. This is no longer an option. The sustainability of your workforce depends on you bridging these gaps in understanding, and moving past these fears. All this fear, confusion, loss of confidence and butting heads – that’s how mistakes happen, how you lose creative sparks, lose sight of the bigger picture, and lose your mojo in general.

Imposter syndrome has levelled up. And leaders are struggling.

Hybrid offices are breeding grounds for imposter syndrome. All too often, leaders have not been equipped with the right skills and emotional intelligence to manage different experiences, emotions, skillsets, and values, all trying to work together, but now under countless roofs.

If you’re not already familiar with imposter syndrome, it’s the persistent inability to believe that your own success is deserved or has been achieved legitimately because of your own efforts or skills. It’s more than fear of failure. It arises when we don’t feel capable. Have you ever been in a room of hugely talented people and felt like the one who shouldn’t be there? It’s that.

“I hope...” We say it to ourselves so often. It’s something we all crave, and need to survive and keep going (especially the last couple of years, jeez). So why does that word not come up more with leaders? And I’m not talking about, ‘I hope you’re not going to miss that deadline,’ or ‘I hope my team relationships are going to recover,’ or ‘I hope I’m cut out for leadership.’

Who inspires you?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could wake up tomorrow morning knowing that all your work relationships were miraculously perfect?

Wouldn’t it be great if every conversation with every direct report from now on went smoothly, with zero friction, zero miscommunications, zero awkwardness, and zero difficulty? Just you and them, constantly and happily on the same page?

Here’s the problem with trying to measure someone’s entire future based on their past: you can’t possibly know what’s coming. Especially if a lot of existing factors and variables are going to change too. Elements such as working environment, employee demands, desired leadership skills, company culture, learning and development paths (all of which either already are or should be evolving inside of every set of walls). It’s a sure-fire way to underestimate, undervalue and underserve your people.

It’s always painful to admit when things have gone out of date. Whether it’s your hairstyle, those blueberries you literally bought yesterday, or the values of your organisation. It’s why I often find that there's a certain resistance around recognising that values might be a little bit dated, or that they need to change. Change can be frightening, but it’s about stepping up. To the hero’s plate.