Identifying your leadership style can be a helpful exercise that enables self awareness and intentionality. However, some people take a quiz and then think the results dictate all their future interactions: this is how they lead (and how they’ll always lead). The label becomes restrictive. There is not a one size fits all approach to leadership. Effective leaders recognize that different contexts call for a variety of methods.

In an article in Harvard Business Review, psychologist Daniel Goleman explains how emotional intelligence is the foundation that enables us to pivot into successful leadership approaches.