Leadership

What makes a CEO truly successful? Is it their strategic vision, their ability to inspire, or how they manage teams during turbulent times?

The answer often lies in their leadership style. From transformational leadership that sparks innovation to servant leadership that builds loyalty, top CEOs know what works.

Ready to learn their secrets? Let’s break down six proven leadership styles and how they can sharpen your career.

Why Leadership Styles Matter

Think of leadership as the engine that drives a company. A CEO’s skill in inspiring teams, addressing challenges, and making decisions influence the organization’s direction.

There isn’t a single best method for leadership. While ineffective methods can lead to disengagement, effective styles promote innovation and growth. For qualified and capable individuals ready to lead, understanding these styles can open doors to various CEO jobs that align with their strengths and vision.

The 6 Leadership Styles of Successful CEOs

Effective leaders adjust their styles to align with their teams, industries, and particular challenges. Here are six proven approaches successful CEOs use to achieve exceptional results:

1. Transformational Leadership

Transformational leaders inspire teams to exceed expectations by focusing on innovation and ambitious goals. They challenge norms and create momentum for change. This leadership style is ideal for organizations requiring a cultural shift or fresh perspective.

2. Servant Leadership

This style emphasizes prioritizing the team’s needs over the leader’s. By cultivating trust and empathy, servant leaders strengthen loyalty and collaboration. It thrives in organizations that emphasize empathy and development. Leaders should focus on listening, mentoring, and supporting their teams.

3. Autocratic Leadership

When quick, decisive action is needed, autocratic leaders shine. They take charge, providing clear direction and control. Elon Musk is often associated with this style, particularly during critical decision-making phases. This style can be effective in crises or industries where precision is non-negotiable. However, overuse can stifle creativity and employee engagement.

4. Democratic Leadership

Democratic leaders prioritize collaboration, valuing input from their teams before making decisions. This approach fosters inclusivity and ensures employees feel heard. It’s particularly effective in industries where creativity and collective problem-solving drive success.

5. Laissez-Faire Leadership

Leaders who adopt this hands-off approach trust their teams to work independently while offering support when needed. It’s a great fit for managing experienced, self-driven professionals, but leaders must remain available for guidance.

6. Transactional Leadership

Transactional leaders focus on clear structures and performance metrics. Jeff Bezos exemplified this style during Amazon’s early growth, using measurable goals to drive efficiency and accountability. Recognizing individual contributions helps these leaders maintain morale while keeping efficiency high.

Trends in Leadership for 2025 and Beyond

As workplace priorities evolve, CEOs face new challenges like remote work and digital transformation. Key trends shaping leadership include:

• Empathy: Emotional intelligence fosters strong team connections.

• Inclusive Leadership: Focusing on diversity attracts talent.

• Purpose-Driven Leadership: Aligning goals with societal values meets expectations.

• Remote Work Adaptability: Effective management of virtual teams enhances productivity.

These trends emphasize the value of flexibility and emotional intelligence in leading teams effectively.

Which Style Fits You?

Each leadership style serves a specific purpose. Some situations demand bold, innovative thinking, while others require structure and clarity. Reflect on your current approach—do you inspire, collaborate, or encourage independence within your team? Pinpoint areas where you can change to better meet your team’s needs.

Initiate one change in your leadership style and see how it impacts your environment. Progress is built step by step, and thoughtful leadership can create lasting success.

Leading a new ministry is no easy task, but it’s one that many people feel they’re called by Jesus to do. Many pastors who have launched new churches with the help of the Association of Related Churches (ARC) feel this way.

Steve Gambill, the lead pastor of LIFE Church in the United Kingdom, is a prime example of this. He’s led his church successfully and has many great lessons that he can share with others who are looking to start new ARC churches.

There will be many trials and tribulations that you will experience along the way, but bringing everything back to the basics will help you to both improve your own life and lead others in the ways of Jesus.

Become More

Humans make a lot of choices every day. A Cornell University study revealed that the average person makes 35,000 of them every day—and most are conscious choices.

While many of these choices will be important, the greatest choice you can ever make is to get to know Jesus more. By doing so, you will learn that He wants us all to not know more or have more, but to become more.

As Gambill says, launching a new church with the Association of Related Churches is a journey that involves a lot of work, a lot of faith, and a lot of praying. It’s also a process that requires you to ask yourself whether you’ve chosen to become more.

By partnering with the Holy Spirit in your journey, you’re committing yourself to becoming more. This spiritual aspect of life and your ARC church launch is crucial. If you want to be successful, you must first make the choice to grow your spiritual capacity.

After all, if you want to carry more and be responsible for more alongside the Association of Related Churches, then you must choose to become more.

Learn the Unforced Rhythms of Grace

There is an art to becoming more, and it involves finding a graceful way of developing your spiritual habits. Gambill says this refers to how you read the Bible and how you pray.

While it’s not essential to pray multiple hours every day, it is important to pray and be disciplined in doing so.

When it comes to operating ARC churches, Gambill suggests getting on a daily schedule that revolves around prayer. Your day can start with praise, worship, prayer, meditation, and declaration. Throughout the day, write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal. Finally, end your day in the same manner as you started it.

All of this will help you to learn the unforced rhythms of grace. And in doing so, you’ll be on your journey to becoming more alongside the Association of Related Churches.

Find Your Calling

Finding your calling is crucial. If you’ve heard God’s call to build His church and extend His kingdom, you must remember that many other people are also being called to your location.

As the leader of an ARC church, you must realize that your role is to help people understand that the calling—or the vocational aspect—is so much wider than we ever imagined it to be.

Our calling isn’t just relegated to taking a few hours every Sunday to worship and pray in a church. It means extending that prayer and dedication throughout the week so that we can all be productive for the kingdom of God.

About the Association of Related Churches

The Association of Related Churches (ARC) represents a collaborative network comprising independent congregations from various denominations, networks, and backgrounds. Its primary mission is to provide essential support and resources to church planters and pastors, enabling them to effectively share the teachings of Jesus Christ. ARC’s operational approach revolves around empowering and equipping church leaders, thus helping them foster the widespread dissemination of Christ’s life-changing message. Established in 2000, the Association of Related Churches has evolved into a worldwide entity and has played a pivotal role in facilitating the establishment of over 1,000 new churches globally.