There Are 6 Types of Great Leaders — Which One Do You Fall Into? Leadership matters more than ever before. But leadership styles of the past aren't the ones that resonate most with today's employees. Here are the top six that do.

Nowadays, leadership is a hot topic. It's obvious that today's employees are different than generations past. Today's employees want more than just job security, a steady paycheck and benefits. They know they have options when it comes to their employment.

If culture or leadership isn't satisfactory, people have no problem jumping ship and finding opportunities elsewhere. So, leadership matters. Thus, figuring out your leadership style is more important than ever before. Here are some of the best leadership styles I've seen as an executive coach and former chief operating officer.

More from the author: 6 H.A.B.I.T.S. of Powerful People

1. The Inspirer

Truly great leaders don't just leave it to their employees to inspire themselves. Rather, they play an active role in creating an inspiring environment. Great leaders get others excited about the task at hand. They routinely connect people's day-to-day work with the overarching vision or mission of the company. They constantly tie things back to the "why" — why the work matters so much. They're terrific about reminding others of the valuable and unique role they play in achieving an organization's goals. They help people feel that what they do actually matters, and because of that, people become more motivated and driven to perform.

2. The Enlister

Leaders who empower others at every step of the way are the best kind of leaders. Today, people don't want to be told what to think or do, they want to think for themselves. Today's employees want to participate in dialogues and have a seat at the decision-making table. The command-and-control structures of past organizations are long gone.

Related: If You Want People to Follow You, Stop Being a Boss — 8 Steps to Truly Effective Leadership

Today's employees want to be actively involved in the planning and execution of their work. Most employees do their best when they get a say in how their work is done, and strong leaders are comfortable extending trust and space for that to happen. They regularly ask questions that start with: "What do you think?" and truly value the answers they get. Great leaders know that leadership isn't about what they can do. It's what they can help others do.

3. The Listener

Leaders who are continually curious about how others feel and seek to understand the viewpoints of others — instead of just their own — gain a tremendous amount of respect and admiration from their people. Leaders who take the time to ask questions and are open to being influenced have the most loyal employees. They also get to the best solutions, since they regularly consider and entertain multiple points of view, instead of just one or two. As they create this safe and secure space for idea-sharing, they show others that they really want input. This allows people to feel free to be their true selves, and that's when the best work gets done.

Related: Check Out Amy Chamber's YouTube Channel For Motivation Content

4. The Challenger

Great leaders challenge their people to get out of their comfort zones and take on difficult projects and new assignments. Challengers are not satisfied with the status quo and believe it's their job as leaders to help others grow and evolve. For this to happen, they're consistently finding opportunities that will stretch others.

Change is the name of the game for leaders like this. They want their people in a constant state of development and know that means taking on new endeavors and tasks often. These leaders are highly adaptable and flexible and ask their people to cultivate the same skills. They recognize that mistakes and failures are a part of success, so they routinely encourage others to be uncomfortable for the sake of learning. Because of this, everyone gets better under them.

5. The Coach, Mentor and Advisor

Outstanding leaders consistently teach, coach and advise. They have regularly scheduled meetings and 1:1s just to learn more about how things are going and what problems their teams are facing. Then, they leverage those difficult situations as teachable moments.

Great leaders get outside their offices and spend time with their people in the field. They carefully watch and observe what their teams are specifically working on so they can give guidance on how to do it better. They know it's their job to educate and upskill others, and that's a job they take very seriously. They constantly figure out what new classes, certifications, committees or conferences their people can attend or join to develop better skills. They know that being a leader is all about helping others grow, not staying static.

Related: How True Leaders Create More Leaders — Not Followers

6. The Believer and Cheerleader

Exceptional leaders are those who truly believe in their team's abilities to accomplish great things, and they don't make this a secret. They often tell their teams how much they believe in the abilities of those around them. They make time to notice and celebrate small wins along the way. Great leaders routinely recognize and reward great work. They are very aware of their team's accomplishments and make a point of acknowledging them frequently. They focus on the positive and what's going well, but also encourage the team to do even more. Everything seems possible with them around, and that's because they regularly show people what really is possible. Because of this, people feel valued and appreciated for how hard they work, and this fuels future efforts.

It's harder than ever to attract and retain top talent today. It's also harder than ever to lead well. But, if you focus on these six styles of leadership, I assure you the job won't be as hard as it seems.

Check out Amy Chambers' book, The 6 H.A.B.I.T.S. of Powerful People which is out now.