What makes a great leader? Is it the way a person takes charge of projects? Or is it the way a person leads teams? Many find the integral qualities that make a great leader are more than the sum of these. Today’s great leader has several traits — organizational skills, excellent people management and confidence. Putting them all together with consistency and integrity is what counts.

Authentic leaders are likely more personable, willing to share personal experiences, and create a more open environment for the team. However, this type of leader may not be right for every situation. The leader that is chosen for a particular mission must meet the demand of the situation. Being an authentic leader can help, but it’s also not the end-all, be-all trait.

Here are the 6 types of leaders as identified by author Daniel Goleman in his landmark study “Leadership That Gets Results.” Replies from more than 3,000 middle-level and upper-level executives gave Goleman a closer look at leadership styles.

Democratic leader: One of the key traits here is building team consensus through participation. Democratic leaders ask “What do you think” and then carry your approval right along. It’s a more patient way of building decisions, but with time and the right team can be a very good way to lead.

Pacesetter leader: This self-directed leader expects excellence. If this leader’s team is on board and motivated, quick results can happen. Caution remains if the model can be sustained by the team over time.

Coaching leader: As the term implies, this leader is building for the future. Coaching leaders want to help teammates become successful. But it can only work if the team wants to learn. Without agreement, or a strong coach, this model can falter.

Authoritative leader: Many people use the term ‘boss’ when describing an authoritative leader. This person moves the team single-mindedly toward a common goal. This approach is a good one when a team desperately needs a strong vision during transitional phases. Perhaps the operations set up recently changed and the solution is to move to NetSuite Retail Software. Having a type of authoritative leader who can make this quick decision will shore up flagging spirits and bring some entrepreneurial zeal to the team’s mission.

Affiliative leader: An affiliative leader works to create strong emotional bonds between the company and the teams. It’s all about giving back to the people on the team people in this equation. Using praise and a nurturing component can be good for a while, but over time could lead to mediocre work performances.

Coercive leader: “This is what I am telling you to do.” The coercive leader uses this language, which can be effective in a crisis situation, especially if the leader is a known performer (people’s feelings be damned). Misused, this style of leadership can hurt team morale or stifle inventiveness from the team.

What types of leaders have you found in your work? Leave a note in the comments.