Favorite leadership style: Loud or Soft spoken?

My style is a happy medium between the two. Oddly enough when I get mad my voice is soft rather than loud. The intended effect is always achieved.

This is an interesting question. When I was a young NCO I started off with the loud iron discipline leadership style. Honestly, it was not effective at all. My mentor suggested I look at changing how I did things and see what happens. I changed to a more calm respecting style where I asked my subordinates to perform the tasks and I was shocked at the results. They responded really well to it. Even when they messed up I didn't raise my voice, I talked to them or counseled them privately. As a society the values have changed. The younger generation is brought up to question things and generally has a need to understand the purpose behind what they are doing. Taking a few extra seconds to explain why they are being told to do something can save you a mountain of headaches. As leaders we need to adapt to the changing society in our delivery. I am not say that the standards should be reduced at all, just simply how we deal with others should be adaptable.

Loud if I need to get your attention, very soft spoken when I want you to hear me while I am talking to you, face to face.

Something about carrying a big stick....

Soft spoken with a big stick...

I have always been laid back, or soft spoken. I always let my Soldiers know that even though I am easy going, when the right buttons were pushed I could be the biggest a$$hole on the earth. Even when I smoked my guys, I did so in a calm manner.
As far as constantly yelling at joes, I dont think that ever worked. Except maybe in the movies. Being loud dosent accomplish much

With the direction the military has taken, and taking in to consideration modern times, I believe neither loud or soft spoken. In efforts to train and lead Soldiers we as leaders must educate ourselves and develop our counseling skills as well as our vocabulary. We are in the business of teaching, mentoring and training Soldiers and developing them to the best of our ability. Our style must be and continue to be both tactical and technical.

90% of the time softly spoken and God help you the other 10%.

Every person in authority that I had the utmost respect for while on Active Duty (and still do to this day) were soft spoken. Loud, to me, just means someone is aggravated that you don't agree with what they have to say and they are trying to bully you into agreement. "A soft word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in trees of silver". You can show a lot of intelligence, class, and authority with the right words at the right time; especially when instructing someone in discipline. When that person is willing to listen; their application of what you said in their personal life will be the proof. It will sink in because it gets them... it makes them think and reach/draw their own conclusion(s).

My preferred style of leadership is that of even-toned, no-filler and  straight to the point. I'll explain things as needed but I find that its easier for a soldier to understand if you give it to them straight and fairly quick so as to not lose them in unneccessary verbage and loud inflections. It takes time to develop your style of leadership. Its a combination of the leadership you yourself were and are around and your own personality. Are you naturally soft spoken/deliberate, loud/abrasive? Im loud but I have no reason to be around my soldiers because the task gets understood and received better if I talk in a manner conducive to a professional which is what we as leaders are. If the job doesnt get done, then the situation/circumstances dictate if I raise my voice or not.