What's Your Leadership Style?

Monday night, we said goodbye to our Leadership class in the form of a three-hour take-home final. It wasn't my favorite way to wrap up a three-day weekend, that's for sure.

But even more frustrating was the fact that I didn't really take away too much from the class itself. Maybe it's my journalism background, but I was hoping for some hands-on, practical advice about becoming a better leader. What I got was a bunch of theories.

As I was slogging through my essay exam, comparing and contrasting this theory with that, I started wondering, once again, how much leadership theory really matters. Do people sit around at work and decide to abandon the Situational Approach in favor of the Path-Goal Theory?

And so I thought I'd put it to you guys. After all, you're the ones out there in the trenches, dealing with the day-to-day aspects of leadership, from performance reviews to hiring to disciplining.

Last week, I asked you about the real-world uses of Porter's Five Forces, and I was glad to hear from you that, yes, you do use this methodology in your organization -- and it does have a place in the real world. Reading your responses was very reassuring.

So, now I'm asking you another question: Those of you in leadership positions, do you rely on a specific leadership approach or theory, or do you have your own philosophy? Are leadership skills something you strive to improve, or do you focus on more tangible goals that are easier to measure?