Leadership Series (Part 7): Leadership Styles and Influence: Why Great Leaders Adapt Rather Than Follow One Style
- Jason Lu
- Jun 6
- 6 min read
Introduction: There Is No Best Leadership Style—Only the Most Appropriate One
In the previous articles of this Leadership Series, I discussed:
Everyday Leadership
Self-Awareness
Personality and Leadership
Golden Circle Leadership
Communication Leadership
Cross-Cultural Communication
As we begin leading teams, however, another important question often arises:
What is the best leadership style?
At first glance, this seems like a simple question.
But after years of working in academia, biotech startups, and cross-functional organizations, I’ve come to realize that there is no universal answer.
A successful startup CEO may struggle to manage a large multinational corporation.
A brilliant scientist may not necessarily become an effective people leader.
And this is one of the most valuable lessons I learned during my leadership course at MIT and have continued to observe throughout my career:
Leadership is not about finding one perfect style. It is about learning when and how to adapt your style to different situations.
Why Leadership Styles Matter
Many people think leadership is about:
Making decisions
Managing teams
Assigning tasks
Setting direction
But if we look deeper, leadership is fundamentally about:
Influence
A leader’s job is not to control people.
A leader’s job is to influence people.
The same objective can be achieved through very different approaches:
Some leaders use authority.
Some use expertise.
Some inspire through vision.
Some build trust through relationships.
These different approaches create different leadership styles.
Seven Leadership Styles: From Personal Achievement to Organizational Transformation
One of the frameworks discussed in my MIT leadership course was the Leadership Development Frameworkdeveloped by David Rooke and William Torbert.
The framework describes seven common leadership styles that reflect different stages of leadership development.
It’s important to remember that these are not labels.
Rather, they represent dominant ways of thinking and leading that may evolve over time.
1. Opportunist
Opportunists are highly focused on winning.
They thrive in competitive environments and respond quickly under pressure.
Strengths
Crisis management
Negotiation
Sales
Fast decision-making
Challenges
Overly competitive behavior
Limited long-term trust
Lower team engagement
These leaders are often effective in high-pressure sales environments or early-stage startups where speed matters.
2. Diplomat
Diplomats value harmony and relationships.
They prioritize team cohesion and organizational stability.
Strengths
Strong interpersonal relationships
Team acceptance
Conflict avoidance
Challenges
Reluctance to make unpopular decisions
Difficulty delivering tough feedback
Avoidance of necessary conflict
Many first-time managers naturally gravitate toward this style because they want to be liked by their teams.
3. Expert
If you come from a scientific, engineering, or technical background, this style may feel familiar.
Experts believe:
The best answer should naturally convince everyone.
They rely heavily on:
Data
Logic
Technical expertise
to establish credibility and influence.
Strengths
Deep subject-matter expertise
High-quality decision-making
Strong technical credibility
Challenges
Underestimating emotional factors
Difficulty delegating
Overreliance on logic
My Own Leadership Journey: From Expert to Strategic Thinking
When I look back at the early years of my scientific career, I was a classic Expert.
I believed that:
Data
Logic
Experiments
could solve almost every problem.
However, after working in biotech startups and cross-functional environments, I realized something important:
Many organizational problems are not technical problems.
They are:
Alignment problems
Communication problems
People problems
This is often one of the biggest challenges scientists face when transitioning into leadership roles.
Because:
Technical expertise does not automatically translate into influence.
4. Achiever
Achievers are among the most common successful managers in organizations.
They focus on:
Goals
Performance
Execution
Results
Strengths
High productivity
Strong accountability
Excellent execution
Challenges
Excessive focus on short-term metrics
Potential burnout
Limited attention to long-term development
Many middle managers fall into this category.
5. Individualist
Individualists are willing to challenge assumptions and question existing systems.
They care deeply about authenticity and innovation.
Strengths
Creativity
Independent thinking
Innovation
Challenges
Resistance to authority
Difficulty operating within rigid systems
Potential team friction
Many entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators display Individualist characteristics.
6. Strategist
Strategists focus on systems rather than individual problems.
They think beyond today’s challenges and consider:
Organizational culture
Long-term vision
Sustainable growth
Talent development
Strengths
Organizational transformation
Strategic planning
Culture building
Leadership development
Strategists are often highly effective senior leaders because they understand both people and systems.
7. Alchemist
Alchemists represent the rarest leadership style.
Rather than simply transforming organizations, they transform industries, societies, or even history itself.
Examples may include:
Nelson Mandela
Martin Luther King Jr.
Mahatma Gandhi
And arguably, to some extent:
Steve Jobs
These leaders are driven by a vision that extends beyond personal achievement.
They focus on creating meaningful change at a much larger scale.
Influence Is More Important Than Authority
Many people assume that higher positions automatically create greater influence.
In reality:
Authority and influence are not the same thing.
Throughout my career in biotech, I have frequently observed individuals who held no formal leadership position but whose opinions carried tremendous weight.
Why?
Because they had built:
Credibility
Trust
Expertise
These qualities create genuine influence.
And influence often matters far more than a title.
Six Influence Styles
Just as leaders exhibit different leadership styles, they also influence others in different ways.
Assertor
Assertors influence through confidence and decisiveness.
They are:
Direct
Energetic
Action-oriented
Especially effective during crises or situations requiring rapid decisions.
Expert
Experts influence through knowledge and technical credibility.
This style is particularly common in:
Science
Engineering
Technology organizations
Politician
Politicians influence through relationships and networks.
Although the term sometimes carries a negative connotation, successful organizations depend heavily on trust and stakeholder alignment.
Preparer
Preparers influence through thorough preparation.
They earn confidence by:
Anticipating risks
Planning carefully
Considering multiple scenarios
Presenter
Presenters influence through storytelling and communication.
Examples include leaders such as:
Steve Jobs
Simon Sinek
who inspire people through compelling narratives.
Client-Centered Leader
Client-centered leaders influence through listening, empathy, and understanding.
They focus on:
Building trust
Understanding needs
Creating long-term relationships
From Leadership Styles to Career Positioning: Understanding Yourself Matters More Than Copying Others
Over the years, working in biotech, startups, and cross-functional teams has taught me that many professionals do not struggle because they lack ability.
Instead, they struggle because:
They do not fully understand their own strengths.
Some people naturally excel at building relationships.
Some thrive in strategic planning.
Others establish influence through technical expertise.
The problem is that many professionals spend years trying to imitate successful leaders instead of understanding their own leadership style.
How LuTra Studio Career Coaching Helps
This is one reason why leadership development is often part of the conversations I have through LuTra Studio Career Coaching.
Rather than focusing only on resumes or interviews, I often encourage clients to explore questions such as:
What is your natural leadership style?
Where does your influence come from?
Does your current role align with your strengths?
What type of leader do you want to become?
Career growth is not about becoming someone else.
It is about understanding yourself more deeply and building a career that aligns with your strengths, values, and goals.
Whether you are:
Transitioning from academia to industry
Growing from an individual contributor into a team leader
Seeking greater influence within your organization
understanding your leadership style is often a critical first step.
In fact, this idea is also one of the central themes of my upcoming book:
Because successful careers are often not built by chasing the most popular opportunities.
They are built by finding the opportunities that fit you best.
Nobody Fits Into Only One Leadership Style
One of the biggest lessons I have learned over time is that leadership frameworks are often misunderstood.
People frequently ask:
Which leadership style am I?
But that is not the most important question.
A better question is:
Can you adapt your leadership style when circumstances change?
For example:
A crisis may require an Assertive approach.
Scientific discussions may require Expert influence.
Organizational transformation may require Strategic thinking.
Team conflict may require Diplomatic skills.
Great leaders are not defined by a single style.
They are defined by their flexibility.
Conclusion: Great Leaders Learn to Adapt
There is no leadership style that works in every situation.
The most effective leaders learn how to adjust based on:
The team
The organization
The culture
The challenge
Because leadership has never been about controlling people.
It is about influencing people and helping them move toward a common goal.
And that influence comes from a deep understanding of:
Yourself
Your team
Your environment
Ultimately, mature leadership is not about choosing one style.
It is about knowing which style is needed at the right moment.
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