Leadership Styles: What Kind of Leader Are You?

“Ang tunay na lider, hindi lang nag-uutos—gumagawa rin.”

Last Thursday, the leadership training program in the company I work for gave this as an assignment.

And because we were heading into a weekend, plus my son didn’t have classes because he had just finished exams week and there was a holiday yesterday, I had a lot of free time to really think about this topic.

So much time and effort that it felt like I’d be wasting it if I didn’t write a blog post about it.

Ok, so here we go.

Some people are born leaders.

Others grow into it.

But the truth?

Leadership isn’t about titles.

It’s about action.

The job of a leader is to get things done by leading others to success – Brian Tracy

Whether you’re a team leader, an operations manager, or simply leading yourself, the way you approach leadership can make or break your success.

I’ve been through it all—from running a business as a kid to climbing the ranks in the call center industry (and burning out along the way).

Through the years, I learned that leadership isn’t just about getting the job done.

Leaders also need to change their styles based on the circumstances and role presented to them. It’s about knowing when to push forward, when to step back, and how to manage people without losing yourself in the process.

So, here’s the good, the bad, and the leadership styles that truly work.

---

Leadership Styles and Why They Matter

Leadership isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of thing.

Different situations call for different approaches.

If you’re running a team, knowing your leadership style can help you inspire, motivate, and, most importantly, keep your team from resigning en masse (walang gustong magtrabaho sa toxic na boss, diba?).

Here are the most common leadership styles that I’ve encountered, used and my personal take on when to use them:

The “My Way or the Highway” Leader (Autocratic or Authoritarian Leadership)

This type of leader makes decisions solo. No debates. No questions asked. If you’re in an emergency or a high-stakes industry, this can work. But for everyday office culture? Expect high turnover rates.

✔ When to use: Crisis situations, military settings, or when quick, decisive action is needed.
✖ When to avoid: When creative input and teamwork matter.

For most people, the autocratic or authoritarian form of leadership is the one we encounter early on in life. This is the type of leadership we get from our parents and immediately recognize as one that works.

The Team Captain (Democratic Leadership)

This leader values input. Decisions are made as a group, making employees feel valued and heard. It builds trust, boosts morale, and keeps people engaged.

✔ When to use: Creative industries, startups, or anywhere teamwork thrives.
✖ When to avoid: When quick, firm decisions are required.

This is the leadership style that I believe I am most comfortable taking on.

But early on, I thought this wasn’t a good leadership style. That was feeling based on my insecurity as a leader.  

As I learned more about management theories, I  realized that this was something I instinctively knew and practiced. One example of how I used this early on in life was when I was in 3^rd year high school where we had a school presentation.

I don’t remember the exact events leading to me being voted as the director of our presentation, but I somehow got the role. I think some of my friends just nominated me and I got the most votes.

I hurriedly formed a team and put my best friend, Dominic, as the assistant director. Jean-Paul, was in charge of the music. Leander handled the lights. And I know I assigned other people to make the props.

I also chose three of the girls we were closest to as the main actresses.

Now for the behind-the-scenes guys, I was very democratic in my approach because I had laid out what was needed and they had to figure it out and present to me their ideas and we’d have to do a practice before the actual show.

It was a different story with the girls. I was very hard on them because I didn’t know any better. They’d cry and complain that I was very strict. They even threatened to walk out.

Knowing their importance, we (Dominic and I) sat down with them and we reached an agreement. I’d back off a bit with being too strict at the reins and they’d give me their best performance.

So, I kind of toggled between the autocratic and democratic leadership style then.

In the end we won. We won best performance, best lighting, best music, stage props. It was a landslide win.

That experience taught me that trusting in teamwork brings results and I used that knowledge in my work as a manager before and after I graduated.

The Coach (Transformational Leadership)

These leaders don’t just manage; they inspire. They push their team to grow, improve, and reach their full potential. Think of them as the ultimate team lead who genuinely cares.

✔ When to use: If you want long-term success and highly engaged employees.
✖ When to avoid: If you don’t have time to invest in mentorship.

This is the type of management/leadership style that I learned through the years that I spent in the BPO industry.

I really loved hearing the stories from my team members about how they did things, what worked, why it worked, how they think they can replicate the process, how they can share it to others and what it meant for their careers.

Those “aha” moments were great things to witness.

I also learned through the BPO industry that I should listen more and talk less.

The Cool Boss (Laissez-Faire Leadership)

You trust your team to do their thing. No micromanaging. No breathing down their necks. Great if your employees are highly skilled and independent, but a disaster if they need guidance.

✔ When to use: With self-motivated, skilled teams.
✖ When to avoid: When employees need structure and guidance.

I use this type of leadership at the farm. The people I have hired or surrounded myself with are far better farmers than I and are better equipped to handle the daily operations and management.

All I do is check the data at the end of the day and make decisions based on what I see on paper.

---

My Leadership Journey – From Pharmacy to Call Center Chaos

Leadership Instilled from Childhood

I didn’t wake up one day knowing how to lead.

It was something instilled in me early on.

My parents owned a pharmacy, and as a kid, I had to step up—talking to suppliers, handling customers, and learning how to deal with adults.

Imagine a 15-year-old negotiating with a grown man about medicine deliveries.

It taught me that leadership is about manning up and handling situations, even when you’re uncomfortable.

The confidence that taught me also helped me in school.

I Was the Annoying Kid in School Who Wanted to Lead

I was that annoying kid who was always happy to be in school. The one who loved Mondays and the one who hopped and skipped from the gate to the classroom despite getting odd stares from everyone I passed by.

School was an escape for me from my mundane life at home. In school, I could be the leader and have my voice heard which was very different from being bossed around by my older sister at home.

Early Work as a Manager at ACA Video

I owe a lot to ACA Video. It was one of the first companies who gave me a shot at actual leadership. The one that first gave me the title: manager.

But that role wasn’t just handed to me easily.

I was a pioneer crew of the ACA Video Tacloban branch. We were handed a task to hand out flyers and invite people to become members. I took that seriously and with the help of a friend (Joseph, who was also a pioneer crew member), we took those membership forms and visited subdivisions and explained the benefits of becoming members of ACA Video.

We quickly disposed of 500 forms in a matter of 2 weeks.

Needless to say, the opening was a success and I believe our efforts were partly the reason why.

A few months later, Joseph and I were promoted to marketing and training before I got the managerial role.

Climbing the Call Center Ladder (and Burning Out)

When I joined the call center industry, I started as an agent like everyone else. But I worked hard, got promoted to tier 2, then to training, and eventually management. Promotions came fast. I thought I was winning.

Then reality hit. Hard.

First, I didn’t have a diploma which was really a huge set-back for me. Those who had diplomas overtook me in promotions.

Second, I was running a team without knowing how to lead. Sure, I had practical knowledge but I wasn’t backed by theoretical approaches to management.

I pushed people hard because I thought that’s what a good boss did. I took on too much work myself because I didn’t trust my team to do it right.

Before I knew it—burnout.

So, in 2006, I enrolled in the most affordable school I could find that offered management courses. It turned out to be a correspondence school that was perfect because I didn’t need to be in a classroom to learn.

They’d just send me the books and training materials and all I had to do was study and take tests and send them back in.

It wasn’t until I finished college that I truly understood the difference between professional management and personal management. Managing people isn’t just about tasks and metrics. Nor is it about being liked or being popular.

It’s about people—recognizing their strengths, their struggles, and what they need to succeed. It’s about learning and using time-tested systems to get results. I didn’t have to come up with “innovative” approaches to leadership. All I had to do was to use what I learned in school to the best of my ability.

---

Switching Leadership Styles—Knowing When to Lead and When to Step Back

In my years as a manager, I realized that no single leadership style works all the time. I had to switch between laissez-faire, democratic, and autocratic styles depending on the situation.

Laissez-Faire – Trusting the Experts

The most current type of leadership style I use this days is Laissez-Faire.

I currently manage a small farm. And when I formed a solid, experienced team, I let them work independently.

No micromanaging.

No unnecessary check-ins.

I trust them to do their jobs.

This works best with seasoned or more experienced people that you hire around you. In my case, the farmers who are currently manning our small farm know more about the land than I could ever hope to learn in my lifetime.

Because they know what they are doing, I give them the freedom to execute.

Democratic – Making the Team Feel Heard

For major decisions, I believe in collaboration. We discuss ideas, brainstorm solutions, and make team-based decisions. This helps boost morale and makes the team feel valued. If you’re an operations manager, you know how important it is to keep your team engaged.

As a farm manager, most of the hard work has been done. We’ve dug the holes and planted the trees. All we need to do is wait for harvest. But we still come together to discuss how to score more affordable fertilizer that works, or what to do about little things that could make the farm more efficient.

Farming is hard and fun at the same time if you have a problem-solver’s mindset.

Autocratic – When Tough Calls Had to Be Made

I never liked being an authoritarian leader, but sometimes, it is necessary.

Deadlines.

Crisis situations.

Or intervening when I see performance lacking or lagging.

As much as I preferred being democratic, some moments called for clear-cut decisions.

No debates.

Just execution.

And for a very long time, I was unable to separate my personal feelings from my professional responsibility. Yes, empathy is needed but you also have to think about what benefits the most with a few unpopular decisions you’ll have to make over the course of your career as a manager.

At the farm, I was averse to cutting trees. I hate cutting trees down. But I had to because they were either dead or full of diseases and pests.

Good thing I was able to donate them to the local police force who were camped near us who needed the lumber to build their barracks or other simple structures.

I cut a lot of trees to make room for other crops and to ensure that the diseases didn’t spread to the healthy trees. I felt really sad as the sound of the chainsaw drowned out the loud thump of trees hitting the ground.

It was necessary and it had to be done.

---

The Side of Leadership I Didn’t Like  the Most — The Transactional Style of Leadership

In the call center industry, leadership wasn’t always about motivation and growth. Sometimes, it was purely transactional—hit the numbers or face the consequences.

I had to enforce Performance Improvement Plans (PIP), deny vacations, and even change schedules for underperforming agents.

I hated it.

It felt impersonal, but it was part of the system.

This was the side of professional management that didn’t sit well with me. The system was rigid, and instead of focusing on growth, it often felt like a punishment-based approach. But I had to do it.

Because if I didn’t, someone else would.

This was when I realized that true innate leadership goes beyond numbers. It’s about knowing when to enforce policies and when to fight for your team.

As the number of people under my management team grew, so did the stress that accompanied it grow. This lead to my burn out. Handing out penalties was never my style but I understood that it had to be done.

I didn’t like it.

And I spent almost a year battling with myself while carrying out my duties.

Which brings us to the next topic: personal and professional management

---

The Difference Between Personal and Professional Management as well as Personal and Professional Approaches

A good leader knows when to employ personal and professional management. He also needs to know when to employ a personal approach over a professional one.

Personal management and a personal approach are two very different things as are professional management and a professional approach.

Personal or professional management is how you run things and personal and professional approach is how you deal with things.

• Personal management is basically the amateur form of management. This is more of an emotions-based management and is usually better suited if you are running your own small business or have a small team.
• Personal approach is when you treat your team like family. You’re close, you listen, you care about their lives.
• Professional management on the other hand is one borne out of using a systems -based approach to management. You are managing an organization from a position where you detach yourself from the trenches to see the whole picture. This is when you set clear expectations, hold people accountable, and separate work from emotions.
• Professional approach is how you deal with people in a respectful manner in the workplace being careful not to make decisions based on emotions.

All of these are important. The trick is knowing when to use which. If you’re too personal, people take advantage. If you’re too professional, people feel like robots. The best operations managers balance all of these things together like a tightrope walker.

---

Leading Yourself Before Leading Others

Before you can lead a team, you have to know how to lead yourself. That means:

✔ Setting boundaries (don’t kill yourself for the company).
✔ Learning continuously (leadership is a skill, not just a title).
✔ Knowing when to ask for help (even leaders need mentors).

Think of it like taking care of plants. If you don’t nurture yourself, how will you nurture others? Your leadership foundation also needs to be stable, or you’ll sink under pressure. Never be afraid to ask for help or to learn from others.

Their experience or lessons can help propel you further as a leader and manager.

---

My Leadership Style: A Balance of Authority, Growth, and Vision

Leadership isn’t just about telling people what to do—it’s about knowing when to step in and when to step back. Over the years, I’ve honed my leadership style into a combination of autocratic, coaching, and transformational approaches, adapting to what the organization needs at any given moment.

Here’s how I apply each style in real-world scenarios:

1. Autocratic Leadership – When Speed and Precision Matter

When the pressure is on, deadlines are tight, and there’s no room for debate, I take an autocratic approach.

Decisions need to be made fast, and execution must be efficient.

In moments like these, the team looks to me for clear direction. There’s no time for long discussions—I set the course, and we move.

This was especially true in my time as a manager in the call center industry.

When service levels were at risk, and we needed immediate results, I had to make the tough calls—reassign shifts, redirect manpower, and enforce policies without hesitation. It wasn’t always pleasant, but it was necessary.

2. Coaching Leadership – Investing in People for Long-Term Growth

Performance reviews, skill development, and mentorship require a different approach. I believe that leadership isn’t just about hitting KPIs—it’s about building people. This is where my coaching leadership style comes in.

When reviewing performance with my team, I focus on guidance.

I help them identify their strengths, improve on their weaknesses, and push themselves beyond what they thought possible. After all, a leader’s success is measured by how well their team grows.

One of my biggest realizations was that some employees don’t fail because they’re incapable—they fail because they’re not given the right direction. I make sure my team members understand their potential and have the tools to reach it.

3. Transformational Leadership – Inspiring Change and Innovation

When an organization is going through change, whether it’s a shift in strategy, company restructuring, or adapting to market trends, leaders need to inspire, not just instruct. This is when I adopt a transformational leadership style.

I’ve been in situations where teams resisted change—not because they didn’t want to grow, but because they were afraid of uncertainty.

People need a vision to rally behind. Instead of forcing changes on my team, I focus on helping them understand why the changes are necessary and how they benefit everyone in the long run.

One thing I learned? People don’t resist change—they resist being forced into it. By involving them in the process, making them feel like stakeholders, and leading with purpose, I’ve seen teams embrace transformation rather than fight it.

---

The Next Level: Leading Without Being Hands-On or Going Laissez-Faire

At this stage in my leadership journey, I’m moving towards a more strategic, hands-off approach. I’ve built strong teams, and I’ve learned that true leadership isn’t about micromanaging—it’s about empowering others to run the show.

I apply this principle now, especially in my business dealings. I focus on hiring or developing the right talent—people who are well-equipped to handle day-to-day operations. Once I have the right people in place, I trust the process, step back, and let them do their jobs.

Of course, I don’t disappear entirely.

I still adjust when needed, but instead of making decisions based on gut feel, I rely on data and performance metrics.

Because at the end of the day, numbers don’t lie. Data-driven decision-making ensures that emotions don’t cloud judgment, and every move I make is backed by solid facts.

This is the kind of leadership I strive to develop in all my endeavors—one where I guide, empower, and step in only when necessary.

Because a great leader doesn’t just lead. A great leader creates other leaders.

---

Finding Your Leadership Style

Not all leaders are the same, and that’s okay. The key is knowing your strengths and adapting when needed. Whether you’re a team lead, an operations manager, or just someone working towards leadership, the best leaders don’t just command—they inspire.

Are you trying to find your leadership style? Have you found it? Do you want to talk about it? Send me an email and let’s talk about it.