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.

Self-sabotage is the many interesting ways we find to harm ourselves either physically, mentally, or emotionally. Ultimately, it is how we become our own worst enemy when it comes to creating successful and healthy lives for ourselves.

This common phenomenon is also known as behavioural dysregulation. It can be conscious or unconscious, depending on your level of self-awareness.

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.

I get it - not many people want to be seen as a negative person. Many of us want to see our actions have a positive impact on the people we interact with and care about.

But this sense of thinking can come back round to bite us in the arse. Especially when it comes to work.

So, to help you walk the fine line between ‘Negative Nancy’ and ‘Pushover Pete’, here is an article on how you can stop yourself being a people-pleaser (at home and at work).

But first, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page with this simple question…

We’re at an age now where four different generations find themselves working together (Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z). This generational gap can be tough to bridge, but the answer may lie in reverse mentoring.

So, join us as we explore the topic of reverse mentoring, including what it means, where the idea came from, and tips for creating your own reverse mentoring programme.

Working in a virtual environment during “interesting times” has led to an abundance of employees burning out.

Sometimes, it’s even tough figuring out you’re going through burnout as you may end up blaming it on unrelated health factors, or just think you’re down with the flu.

But you might be wrong, an astounding two-thirds of full-time employees say they have experienced burnout at some point in their careers. With 3.32 billion workers worldwide, that amount of burnout is staggering, to say the least.

In this article, we look at the common signs of work burnout and tips for both employees and leaders on how you can avoid it getting out of hand.

In a time of constant flux, it seems like there’s a new threat to our collective consciousness around every corner.

The pandemic alone triggered a staggering 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression worldwide.

In this article, we look at how you can create psychological safety in the workplace and why leaders, of all walks of life, need to take it more seriously.

British politics didn’t used to be this newsworthy. Instead of the Prime Minister being in every other headline, they’d usually be doing their job - leading the country.

So, while the Conservative party begins its process of deciding the future leader of the United Kingdom, let’s look to past leaders. So, join us as we dive into the leadership styles of previous Prime Ministers.

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.

Nothing says "out of touch" more than an organisation that doesn’t understand why people want to work for it.

While some of us would love to believe that people want to join a workplace because they have a passion for the industry, most people really only care about what’s in it for them.

And that’s fair.

I’ve seen many companies fail to recognise the importance of their employee value proposition (EVP), and have seen high-quality talent leave as a result.

Which begs the question: what actually goes into making a good employee value proposition?

The push for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace has seen great momentum over the last few decades in the UK. It’s one of a great many battles being fought today to stamp out discrimination against those marginalised in our society, and ensure a safe working environment for all.

In this article, I give you a clear guide to implementing LGBTQ+ inclusivity strategies in your workplace, so all your employees can feel welcomed, respected and represented at work.

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.

You have to look the part. That’s especially true for leaders.

It’s what people expect – a snappy suit, perfect hair, always on form, always exuding confidence and authority, every moment of every working day. After all, leadership is all about attraction – attracting people, potential, possibilities, talent, results and outcomes. But it’s unfair that better-looking people may be better placed to achieve those outcomes.

I’m so honoured to have been appointed Head of Leadership Development and Learning for Pride in London’s 50th anniversary. Really, truly, bursting with pride.

“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?

Why doesn't humanity learn? Why do we keep fostering cultures that support the same types of leaders in power, disrupting harmony and attacking innocent people to satisfy egomaniacal needs?

We’ve seen it since the dawn of civilisation, read about it in history books, learned about it from our grandparents, and are looking at it on the news right now, surreal, and terrifying in it its echoes of World War 2. These sorts of leaders aren’t always in charge of a country; sometimes they’re ruining lives on a daily basis by running companies.

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?