Which Type of Leader Are You?

Here are pen pictures of four types of leader and approaches to leading others. Which one fits you best?  Why does it matter?  And how can you enable others to give their best?

Which one fits you?

Are you someone who has a strong sense of duty, enjoys being responsible, and likes to lead a team that gets results? You probably have logistical skills and create a planned and organised environment. You’ll expect others to be responsible too. Sometimes you’ll take on too much yourself, and this can cause stress for you and those around you. This is the Stabiliser pattern – people who are motivated primarily by the need to belong.

Or perhaps you like to be free to act in the moment, trouble-shooting problems, and seeing immediate results? You probably have tactical skills and create a fast-moving, fun environment. You’ll expect others to react quickly too. Sometimes you’ll feel constrained by rules, and this will make you feel trapped and bored. This is the Improviser pattern – people who are motivated primarily by the need for freedom to act.

Maybe you enjoy mastering new things, building your expertise, and contributing to progress? You probably have strategic skills and create an innovative environment. You’ll expect others to show initiative. Sometimes you’ll feel frustrated by routine and repetitive demands on your time. This is the Theorist pattern – people who are motivated primarily by the need for competence.

Or are you someone who wants to be true to themselves, help others be the best they can be and enjoys collaborating with others? You probably have diplomatic skills and create a caring, harmonious environment. You’ll expect others to collaborate. Sometimes you’ll feel stressed by conflict and criticism. This is the Catalyst pattern – people who are motivated by fulfilling potential.

Why does it matter?

Knowing what type of leader you are matters because we expect others to be like us, and we tend to undervalue other approaches. If we are responsible, we expect others to be the same. If we are fast-acting, we want others to respond quickly too. If we have initiative, we value that in others. If we are collaborative, we expect others to collaborate.

When we find other people are not the same as us, we risk overlooking their unique contribution and fail to capitalise on what they bring to the team. We may even make it hard for them to work with us, by insisting on ways of working that don’t work for them.

When I managed an HR department, one of my team (an Improviser) was good at reacting to events on the spur of the moment, but not so good at initiating new policies and procedures. I wanted him to be like me (a Theorist), and I undervalued his ability to trouble-shoot.

One of my coachees (a Theorist) was recruited to his role to bring in technical innovations, but he got bogged down by his boss’s demands (a Stabiliser) that he attend meetings and produce regular reports and statistics – he had no time to innovate and he eventually left the role.

A team I worked with had someone (a Catalyst) who really disliked the atmosphere of blame in the team when something went wrong. None of her colleagues were aware of the impact of their behaviour and how it made her feel.

Being aware of your own approach also matters so that you can make choices about your life and career that fit with who you are. You can spend more time on the things that energise you and less on the things that drain you. You’ll be able to meet your core psychological needs, and you’ll feel fulfilled.

These four leaders (real people, names changed), were all successful in their roles heading up a luxury car dealership. They displayed different strengths, related to their different core needs.

Abdul was motivated by the need to have freedom to act (Improviser) and be able to get impressive quick results. He had his “finger on the pulse”, knew exactly what was going on around him and acted quickly to deal with problems. He was quick witted and able to think on his feet. He easily built rapport with customers, and he enjoyed being around the luxury cars in the showroom.

Gemma was motivated by the need for competence (Theorist), and her priority was to run an efficient and effective operation that would be seen as a benchmark for others. She promoted her site as the proving ground for using new technology both in its customer-facing side and in the back-office activities.

Mike was motivated by taking responsibility and belonging (Stabiliser) to a group. He had a reputation for being reliable, delivering what he said he would, following through on actions and picking up tasks that no-one else wanted to do. He liked to feel that he was keeping the wheels of the organisation turning.

Shanta was motivated by her desire to help others fulfil their potential (Catalyst). She always had time for her team members and made it a priority to give feedback and coach them. She felt fulfilled when they went on to bigger roles. She was quick to pick up on any signs that people were not happy and dealt with this sensitively.

All four types of leader and approaches are valuable and valid ways of managing. If we could blend them all into one person, we’d have the perfect leader – organised, responsive, innovative and empathetic!

What can you do to enable others to give their best?

Start by understanding what type of leader you are and what impact you have on those around you. Knowledge of personality type, temperament and interaction styles is a great place to start.

Find out more about what motivates you, how you express this in your behaviour, and how this impacts your team in my book, Motivation: The Ultimate Guide to Leading Your Team. Use code MTCS25 for 25% off.  Take my free quiz and get a personal report of the likely strengths and challenges of your own style.

Knowing yourself gives you a head start in leading others!

 

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