Activity: Exploring the Four Leadership Styles

Every student can be a leader within their action team. This activity helps young people to understand and value different
kinds of leadership, and to discover their own strengths and challenges as a leader, which they can then apply to their
teamwork. By giving each student the power to be a leader, no one person will feel the burden of being responsible for the
entire project.

Record and Reflect:

Before beginning this classroom activity, assign students a take-home written reflection, in which they respond to the
following questions:
 What qualities make a good leader?
 What leadership qualities do I want to develop?
 Who are the role models I look to for inspiration?
 Which traits of those role models would I want to emulate?
 Do these role models exhibit all the qualities and characteristics that I’ve listed in my response to the
first question?

With markers and paper, create four signs with one of each of the following colors: Red, Green, Yellow, Blue (or any four
colors you like). Prior to the class session, set up four stations by taping the four signs to different walls in the room (to be
used in the second part of the activity).

For this activity, have students independently complete the Four Leadership Styles worksheet. Once completed, provide
students with the leadership code provided in the Explanation of Leadership Styles section, which they will enter in the
third column of their worksheet. Ask students to tally their scores. The color with the highest total will identify their most
prominent leadership style.

Exploring the Four Leadership Styles: Copyright © 2016 WE. All rights reserved.

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Explanation of Leadership Styles

Green Yellow

GREEN LEADERS bring everyone together. They resolve YELLOW LEADERS propel the team with action. They
conflicts amongst team members and ensure that lead by example, motivating people and maintaining the
all team members are feeling good. Greens are great team’s momentum as they move toward the goal. They
at building relationships within groups and creating a keep teams focused and can be persuasive in getting
positive environment for groups. They are often seen as their way. They are often seen as reliable people who
great “people people.” follow through and get things done.

Red Blue

RED LEADERS use their logic-based skills to make BLUE LEADERS dream and inspire. They are the idea-
sure that groups are being realistic and achievement makers, they approach problems in new ways and tackle
focused. They analyze the team’s goals and actions and tasks differently than others. Blues are always thinking,
decide the best possible way to achieve the goals, given brainstorming, suggesting and looking ahead at where
specific conditions and circumstances. Reds do a lot of the team can go. They are often seen as “big picture”
calculating, analyzing, systematizing, organizing and thinkers.
budgeting. They are great at providing solutions that
“make the most logical sense.”

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Direct students to the four stations of the room based on their dominant leadership style (the color with the highest score)
to meet with others of the same leadership style. Provide a copy of the leadership styles explanation at each station. Now,
ask them to brainstorm the strengths and challenges of their particular leadership style and to consider how they relate to
people with other leadership styles by using the questions below. This will be the foundation for identifying the roles and
responsibilities they should take on in their teams, according to their leadership qualities, as well as the approaches they
might take to negotiate team conflict. It isn’t necessary to have each leadership style represented in a group. Any mix of
leadership styles on each team is fine. The purpose of this activity is to help students identify their style so they will feel
more confident in their role and understand the styles of their teammates.

As students are clustered according to leadership style, ask them to discuss the following questions, while one
person acts as recorder:
 What are the greatest strengths and advantages of our leadership style?
 In what circumstances does our leadership style thrive?
 What group roles are we best suited for?
 How do we think the different styles work with each other?
 What are the challenges/disadvantages of this leadership style?
 In what ways might our approach to leadership be a challenge for people with other leadership styles?
 When there is conflict among team members, how would we advise others to approach people with our
leadership style?
 How can we integrate the different leadership styles in a team dynamic?

Based on these discussions, students should share what they learned about their leadership style, particularly the
strengths, challenge areas, and best approaches for coping with conflict. This may take place through groups reporting to
the full class initially, but should ideally include a segment where students re-assemble into their action teams, to share
with the students with whom they will be working most closely.

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 Record and Reflect:

Following this activity, provide students with a reflection assignment on the following questions:
 Why is it important to understand different leadership styles?
 Do you think we possess more than one leadership style? Why?
 What key insights do you now have about your leadership style that you did not have before?
 What will you do differently because of your new perspective about leadership?
 How will this affect our class or the service project we are working on?

Complete this activity by sharing with students that each one of them carries all four of the leadership styles. Some styles
are just more dominant than others. In fact, each student may demonstrate different styles of leadership depending on the
situation they may be dealing with—stress, excitement, conflict-resolution, etc. As they grow in their leadership capacity
and opportunities (now and in the future), styles will change and students will adapt to their environment. Self-awareness
of their styles and strengths will be key to success.

Teacher Tip
Students can repeat the exercise with the Four Leadership Styles Worksheet in their action teams by changing
the initial statement (“When I am among a group of friends or classmates…”) to one that changes the situation
(“When I am in a stressful situation…” OR “The pressure is on and we’re two days away from the speech…”) and
allows students to explore their leadership style in those different situations.

Look for this activity and worksheet online at WE.org/ap/fourleaderstyles .

The Four Leadership Styles Activity Copyright © WE Day 2004. All rights reserved.

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 FOUR LEADERSHIP STYLES

Rate how true the following statements are as they pertain to you, with 1 being untrue and 10 being true. Once everyone is
finished, your teacher will read out the color that corresponds with each question, and you will enter this in the “Leadership
Code” column. Once you’ve tallied your scores for each color, your teacher will read out what each color means in terms of
your leadership style. It is important to note that you may have more than one leadership style, but in this exercise, you are
identifying your strongest leadership tendency.

From 1-10, rate how STATEMENTS LEADERSHIP

true these statements When I am among a group of friends or classmates… CODE
are with 1 being untrue
and 10 being true

1 I don’t need to be in charge of a group, but I enjoy making detailed plans

that everyone will carry out.

2 I am the nurturing type who takes care of everyone.

3 I am the listener. I hear what people are saying and make sure everyone
has a voice.

4 I am the logical one. I enjoy working through puzzles and equations.

5 I am the peacekeeper who listens to everyone and finds a reasonable

compromise.

6 I look at all sides of a situation before arriving at a solution.

7 I can be stubborn when I feel passionately about something going my

own way.

8 I am the dreamer who is always thinking of new and exciting ideas. I

believe there is no limit to what we can achieve.

9 I like to tackle tasks, problems, and projects with a well-thought out plan.

10 I am friends with just about everyone I meet.

11 I am drawn to hands-on tasks. I like making tangible products.

12 I like to take risks and try ideas before knowing if they will work or not.

13 I like to think of new solutions to old problems.

14 I am the energetic one who is always ready to roll up my sleeves and get
to work.

15 I am the artistic one and people see me as creative.

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 16 I don’t like trying something unless I’m pretty sure it will work the first
time.

17 I like to get things done quickly.

18 Sometimes I can seem disorganized.

19 People are quick to trust me.

20 I make most decisions based on facts, data and numbers.

21 I am good at coming up with big ideas, but not always good at following
through to make them happen.

22 Often it takes me a long time to make decisions because I need more

information.

23 I am good at being in charge of groups and keeping groups focused.

24 People see me as someone who will get the job done, no matter what.

25 Sometimes I have a hard time saying no to people, and end up taking on

too much.

Tally up the scores

Get the leadership code for each question from your teacher and then tally up your scores! The color with the highest score
is your most dominant leadership style.

1. Red 6. Red 11. Yellow 16. Red 21. Blue

2. Green 7. Yellow 12. Blue 17. Yellow 22. Red
3. Green 8. Blue 13. Blue 18. Blue 23. Yellow
4. Red 9. Red 14. Yellow 19. Green 24. Yellow
5. Green 10. Green 15. Blue 20. Red 25. Green

Green Yellow Red Blue

SCORE: SCORE: SCORE: SCORE:

The Four Leadership Styles Worksheet: Copyright © 2016 WE. All rights reserved.

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