Behavioral Styles Can Make or Break Your Team

Cathie Leimbach • August 2, 2021

Do you ever experience this? Teams that aren’t effective, even though the members are talented. Conversations that go off track, no matter how hard you try to communicate. There’s one employee you can’t get through to no matter how hard you try. You are left with one question – why isn’t this working?

 

Here’s the thing. All of us have our own behavioral style. How do we communicate with others? Are we productive on our own, or need to be motivated? Do we question things or follow directions? 

 

Behavioral style is a pattern of habits and behaviors that can be observed. It is how you handle tasks and interact with other people. And behavioral styles impact productivity and how each of your employees interacts with their colleagues.

 

So why does it matter? Understanding how we approach the goals and tasks in front of us versus our employees’ approach helps us be better leaders. When we build teams based upon the team members’ behavioral styles, they are stronger and more productive. Creating a culture that is sensitive to how each colleague is wired decreases misunderstandings and increases productivity.

 

There are four styles outlined below. Most of us have a primary and secondary style, with bits and pieces from other styles appearing from time to time.  We rely mainly on our primary style to achieve our workplace tasks and goals. It explains 50% of how we behave at work. We exercise our secondary style when the primary style is not achieving our desired results. Our primary and secondary styles together explain 80% of our behavior. When we understand our own style and the style of each of our employees and colleagues, we can lead and work together more effectively. 

 

The Decisive Style blends a low level of emotional responsiveness with a high degree of assertiveness. People with this work style tend to be task-oriented, know where they are going and what they want. They get to the point quickly, are pragmatic and results-oriented. Limitations include impatience, being demanding, poor listening skills, and being quickly bored by routines and details.

 

The Expressive Style blends a high level of emotional responsiveness and assertiveness. People with this work style look at the big picture, often taking fresh and creative approaches to problems. They are willing to take risks to seize opportunities. They thrive in interactive situations, and their ability to charm, persuade, excite, and inspire people can be a strong motivating factor. Limitations include being unrealistic, not detail oriented, reactive, excitable, and having a tendency to listen to feelings more than logic.

 

The Steady Style combines higher than average responsiveness with comparatively low levels of assertiveness. Individuals with this style tend to be sympathetic to the needs of others and are sensitive to what lies beneath someone’s outward behavior. They are most likely to use empathy and understanding in interpersonal problem-solving situations. Limitations include being over accommodating, avoiding conflict, and resistance to change.

 

The Analytical Style tends to take a precise, deliberate, and systematic approach to work. They usually gather and evaluate a lot of data before acting. They are self-controlled, cautious, and prefer analysis over emotion. Limitations include being too hard on themselves, critical of others, overly cautious, and indecisive without “all” of the facts. 

 

Each behavioral style contributes to your organization. Understanding yours and adapting it to meet team members where they are helps you communicate and lead more effectively. Helping your employees understand their style increases productivity, improves communication, and builds more effective teams.

Are you Supporting Your Employees to Overcome Hurdles?

By Cathie Leimbach • September 8, 2026
For weeks, Mary had been frustrated with frequently occurring delays in shipping. During her one-on-one with her supervisor, she finally told him what was going on. He listened, asked questions, and said he would look into it. She left the meeting feeling encouraged. Maybe this situation would finally get resolved. A week later, her supervisor started their one-on-one by asking “So, what do you want to talk about today?” He didn’t mention what he had learned about the problem in shipping. “Of course not!,” she thought. “Nothing is going to change.” So, she sadly replied, “Nothing really. Everything’s fine.” Sometimes employees stop talking because experience has taught them that speaking up doesn’t make any difference. One-on-ones are an opportunity to change that. Give the employee a voice in what gets discussed. Help them address bottlenecks. Follow-up on your to dos from the conversation. It can be as simple as: “Last week we talked about the shipping problem. I checked into it, and here’s what I found out. A possible solution would be this .... How do think that might work? ... What other ideas do you have?” The message is clear: I heard you. I remembered. What you have to say matters. And when employees believe their concerns and ideas matter, they’re more likely to keep speaking up. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ What Workplace Conversation Are You Struggling With? Maybe an employee has stopped talking. Maybe you’re dealing with accountability, conflict, attendance, performance—or simply a conversation you’re not quite sure how to approach. Bring it to the FREE Workplace Conversations Clinic on September 21. Join Cathie Leimbach and other leaders to talk through real workplace people challenges, hear different perspectives, and get ideas for moving forward. Register Here 

Build Thinkers, Not Followers

By Cathie Leimbach • September 2, 2026
Many leaders don't set out to become the answer to every question. It happens gradually. Someone asks their leader how to do it because it's faster than figuring it out. Another employee waits because they don't want to make the wrong decision. Before long, you're answering questions your team should be able to answer on their own. The good news is that you don't have to be the answer to every question. You can build a team that thinks, solves problems, and takes ownership without you giving up appropriate control. Here are a few places to start: Ask Before You Answer When someone brings you a problem, don't start by giving them the solution. Instead, ask:  What do you think? What options have you considered? What would you do if I wasn't here? People grow when they think through problems—not when someone else thinks for them. Let Small Decisions Stay Small. Not every decision needs your approval. Look for low-risk opportunities where employees or supervisors can tell the employee to make the call themselves. Confidence grows with experience. Praise Initiative, Even When It's Imperfect. If people believe they'll be criticized every time they make a decision, they'll stop making them. When someone takes ownership, recognize their initiative. Coaching them to make a better decision is easier in the long run than making every decision yourself. Notice the Questions That Keep Coming Back. If you're answering the same questions week after week, don't just answer them faster. Ask why they're still being asked. The issue may not be your people. It may be an unclear expectation, an inconsistent process, lack of training, or a conversation that never happened. Helping people think for themselves doesn't happen in one meeting. It happens through dozens of everyday collaborative conversations that gradually build confidence, judgment, and ownership. Conversation is Where Leadership Happens™ You don't have to figure it all out alone. Bring your workplace people challenges to the FREE Workplace Conversations Clinic September 21. Join Cathie Leimbach and other leaders for a practical conversation about the people challenges you're facing—and leave with fresh perspectives you can put to work. Register HERE