What Kind of Leader Are You?

Again i am discussing leadership in this post because I find it important. I have attended many leadership conferences and panels. I want to take the knowledge I have learned and apply it to not only help myself, but to benefit others. Here we will take what we have learned in the previous post to figure out what type of leader you are.

The five factors (Imposing Context, Having Conviction, Making and Taking Risks, Generating Critical Mass, and Challenging and Changing the status quo)are the elements that make up leaders. In order to determine what kind of leader you are, let us look at the seven different types of leaders.

The Transformational Leader
Leaders who show strength in all five leadership behaviors are those who are able to transform the commitment levels of those around them. They have deep conviction about goals; determination to execute plans and are prepared to go against conventional wisdom.

The Enforcer
These are leaders who act in ways characterized by cautious optimism and a drive to make sure specific objectives are achieved. They display strong belief in what they are doing and commitment to stay the course, but tend to limit options and avoid taking action where risk is associated.

The Deal Maker
These leaders attract followers largely because of their energy and excitement for anything new. They thrive on change and frequently break the mold. In the business world, they often rise to prominence on the back of their reputation for the deals they pull off, but can be bored easily and have little regard for sustaining the performance of their efforts after initial success is achieved.

The Administrator
These leaders are strategic executors who are clear in what needs to be achieved and ruthlessly follow through. They are autocratic in approach, letting nothing stand in the way of achieving the overall objective, and are likely to prefer detailed and rigorous project plans, constant monitoring and updating, and tight control over resources and people.

The Visonary
These leaders inspire people to dream of greatness but fail to follow through. They have all the qualities of the transformational leader, including their ability to elevate ambition, but are weak at generating critical mass.

The Serial Entrepreneur
These leaders are imaginative, but calculating, gamblers. They display huge energy and commitment and sweep people along with them because they make seemingly impossible challenges achievable. They care deeply about their legacy but struggle to articulate the wider context of their decisions in a way that's meaningful to their followers.

The Spin Doctor
These leaders seem to be everything a leader should be, but their behavior is inconsistent and self-serving - they have underdeveloped conviction. What distinguishes these leaders most is their ability to convincingly argue the case, any case, and justify the change to followers.

If, none of these seem to fit you exactly or maybe you think you might be more than one of the seven types of leaders, you are not alone. I am still developing my leadership style and I jump from style to style in order to find my place and where I feel I am the most comfortable. The type of leadership you display also depends on the company you are working for.

So what kind of leader do you think you are? Let me know by posting in the comments below! ^_^