A leadership style quiz is a short self-assessment that shows how you tend to lead people. This one is based on the six styles Daniel Goleman described in Harvard Business Review in 2000: commanding (coercive), visionary (authoritative), affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching. It shows your main style, your top three and a runner-up.
Last updated: 10 November 2026
Reading time: about 10 minutes
How we wrote this article: this article was written by Saj Ali. It includes a free interactive quiz, explains Goleman’s six leadership styles and when each works, and every research claim links to its source.
The leadership style quiz in brief
- What it is. 12 questions, about 3 minutes.
- What it measures. Goleman’s six styles: commanding, visionary, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching.
- What you get. Your main style, your top three and a runner-up, with tips.
- Key idea. The best leaders use several styles and switch to suit the situation.
- Privacy. Your answers stay in your browser and are not saved.
Take the Leadership Style Quiz
Answer 12 quick questions about how you lead or would lead a team. You will see your main leadership style, your top three styles and a runner-up. Your answers stay on this page and are not saved or sent anywhere.
Contents
- Where the Six Leadership Styles Come From
- The Six Styles at a Glance
- Which Styles Work Best
- How to Read Your Result
- How to Develop the Styles You Use Least
- Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
- Matching Style to Situation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Key Takeaways
- Explore More on Self Help Supermarket
- Sources
Where the Six Leadership Styles Come From
In 2000, psychologist Daniel Goleman published “Leadership That Gets Results” in Harvard Business Review. It drew on research by the consulting firm Hay/McBer, using a random sample of 3,871 executives selected from a database of more than 20,000 executives worldwide (Goleman, 2000).
The research found six distinct leadership styles. Each draws on different parts of emotional intelligence, works best in particular situations and affects the working climate in different ways. Goleman’s key message was that leadership style is a strategic choice, not just a matter of personality. The most effective leaders are skilled at several styles and switch between them as circumstances change.
Goleman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee later developed the model in the book Primal Leadership (2002), where the coercive style is called commanding and the authoritative style is called visionary. This quiz uses those friendlier names alongside the originals. For the emotional skills behind each style, see our guide to emotional intelligence.
The Six Styles at a Glance
| Style | In a phrase | Works best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding (coercive) | “Do what I say” | A crisis, a turnaround or serious problem behaviour | Dampened motivation and flexibility if overused |
| Visionary (authoritative) | “Come with me” | A team needs a new direction | Less effective with experts who know more than you |
| Affiliative | “People come first” | Healing rifts and lifting morale | Poor performance going uncorrected |
| Democratic | “What do you think?” | Building buy-in or gathering fresh ideas | Endless meetings and slow decisions |
| Pacesetting | “Do as I do, now” | A motivated, highly skilled team needs fast results | Others feeling overwhelmed |
| Coaching | “Try this” | People want to grow and improve | Little effect on people who resist change |
The quotes in the first column are the short phrases commonly used to sum up each style.
Which Styles Work Best
Goleman’s research looked at how each style affected working climate, including flexibility, responsibility, standards, rewards, clarity and commitment. He reported that the authoritative (visionary) style had the most positive effect on climate, with the affiliative, democratic and coaching styles close behind (Goleman, 2000).
The coercive and pacesetting styles had a negative effect on climate overall. They still have their place: a commanding approach can be right in a real emergency, and pacesetting can work with a highly skilled, self-motivated team. The problem comes when they are the only tools a leader uses.
Goleman also found that leaders who had mastered four or more styles, especially the visionary, democratic, affiliative and coaching styles, had the best climate and business performance. That is why your top three styles matter as much as your main one.
Wider research on leadership points the same way. A meta-analysis of transformational leadership, which is close to the visionary and coaching styles, found strong links with follower satisfaction, motivation and leader effectiveness (Judge and Piccolo, 2004).
How to Read Your Result
Each question offers four answers, and each answer points to one style. Every style appears eight times across the quiz, so the comparison is fair. Your result shows:
- Your main style. The style you chose most often, with what it is good for and what to watch.
- Your top three. How many answers went to each of your three most frequent styles.
- Your runner-up. Your second style and a short description.
If your top styles are close, you are probably already flexible, which Goleman’s research suggests is a strength. If one style dominates, that is useful too. It shows your default under pressure and the styles you could practise next.
Answer as you actually behave, not as you think a leader should. It helps to think of a real recent situation for each question.
How to Develop the Styles You Use Least
Every style can be learned. Try these practices for the styles you rarely use:
- Commanding. In a real emergency, practise giving short, clear instructions and owning the decision. Then switch back quickly.
- Visionary. Write one paragraph describing where your team is heading and why it matters. Share it and refer back to it.
- Affiliative. Start one-to-ones by asking how the person is, and recognise good work specifically.
- Democratic. Before your next decision, ask the team for options. Tools like Six Thinking Hats give structure to group discussion.
- Pacesetting. Set one stretching but fair standard, and model it yourself.
- Coaching. Use the GROW model in one conversation a week: Goal, Reality, Options, Will. Ask more, tell less.
For goal setting across any style, SMART goals keep targets clear. To understand how others see you as a leader, try the Johari Window feedback exercise.
Leadership and Emotional Intelligence
Goleman linked each style to particular emotional intelligence competencies. For example, the visionary style draws on self-confidence and empathy, the affiliative style on empathy and building relationships, and the coaching style on developing others and self-awareness. The commanding style draws on drive to achieve and self-control.
This means one of the best ways to widen your leadership range is to build your emotional skills. Take our free emotional intelligence quiz to see which areas are strongest for you. Leaders also need to look after themselves: pacesetting leaders in particular can drive themselves and others toward exhaustion, so our burnout self-test is worth a look.
Good communication sits under every style. Our guides to conflict resolution and Nonviolent Communication cover practical skills you can use in any team.
Matching Style to Situation
Here is a quick guide to choosing a style for common situations:
| Situation | Styles that often work well |
|---|---|
| A safety issue or real emergency | Commanding |
| Change of direction or unclear goals | Visionary |
| Low morale or conflict in the team | Affiliative, then democratic |
| Need for buy-in or fresh ideas | Democratic |
| Expert team on a tight deadline | Pacesetting, used briefly |
| Someone wants to grow or is struggling | Coaching |
Most real situations need a mix. A good leader might set direction with a visionary approach, gather ideas democratically, then coach individuals to deliver.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the six leadership styles?
Daniel Goleman’s six styles are commanding (coercive), visionary (authoritative), affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching. He described them in Harvard Business Review in 2000.
Which leadership style is best?
No single style is best for every situation. Goleman reported that the visionary style had the most positive effect on team climate, with affiliative, democratic and coaching close behind, and that the most effective leaders can switch between several styles.
Can I have more than one leadership style?
Yes. Most people use a mix. This quiz shows your top three, and Goleman’s research suggests that being able to use four or more styles is linked with the best results.
Is this quiz scientifically validated?
No. It is a self-reflection tool based on Goleman’s model. Organisations that want a formal measure use professional 360-degree assessments.
How can I change my leadership style?
Pick one style you rarely use and practise it in a low-stakes situation each week. For example, try coaching with the GROW model or asking the team for ideas before you decide.
Are my answers saved?
No. The quiz runs in your browser, and your answers are not saved or sent anywhere.
Key Takeaways
- Daniel Goleman described six leadership styles in Harvard Business Review in 2000.
- They are commanding, visionary, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching.
- The visionary style had the most positive effect on climate, with affiliative, democratic and coaching close behind.
- Commanding and pacesetting have their uses but can harm climate if overused.
- The best leaders use several styles and switch to suit the situation.
Explore More on Self Help Supermarket
Use these pages alongside this one:
- The GROW Model – a simple structure for coaching conversations
- Emotional Intelligence Quiz – test the skills behind each style
- Emotional Intelligence – the full guide to EI
- Six Thinking Hats – a tool for better group decisions
- SMART Goals – how to set clear goals for a team
- Burnout Self-Test – check your own energy and stress levels
- Ayesha Ofori – purpose and financial confidence
- Bill Kenney – time blocking, trust and owning mistakes
- Browse all self-help techniques – compare every method on Self Help Supermarket.
Sources
- Goleman, D. (2000). Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review, 78(2), 78–90. https://hbr.org/2000/03/leadership-that-gets-results
- Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., and McKee, A. (2002). Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
- Judge, T. A., and Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755–768. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.755
Self Help Supermarket guides are for general information and are not a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice.