Online you will find many descriptions of leadership styles, and perhaps you are left confused wondering: What is the best leadership style?
Let’s have a look at this model proposed by McKeown (2014), who lists 4 kind of leaders:
1. The Visionary
Lover of all things strategy. Excited by change, risk, new ideas. Exposure makes you feel satisfied and useful. You are charismatic, a great communicator and you lead with passion. Bored by details, you create, launch and delegate!
BLIND SPOT: Easily distracted, you need a great team to bring projects to completion. Your fast changing mood can generate frustration amongst team members.
2. The Operator
You get a buzz from a job well done! You build great things from the wildest ideas…as long as a clear picture is provided! With a strong commitment, you do whatever it takes (even bending some rules…) to finish your task. You prefer to work independently and hate micro-managing.
BLIND SPOT: You don’t delegate because you think you can do things faster on your own. Because you are so goal-focused you can come across as ruthless and insensitive.
3. The Processor
Data, systems and processes are your best friends! You can bring order in the most chaotic environments using your logical thinking. You are the backbone of every project: reliable, accurate, objective. You achieve success through systematic action and continuous improvement.
BLIND SPOT: You can overthink data, don’t like surprises and are prone to say no… some people will find your love for precision very challenging!
4. The Synergist
Your only concern is for what’s best for the enterprise, the project, the team. You have a radar for picking up on others’ problems, emotions, challenges. You like to observe all the elements coming together, chipping in only to move things forward, when needed. Your help is essential when Visionaries, Operators and Processors get into each others’ way.
BLIND SPOT: Because you are so concerned about others, you might lose sight of your own needs and burn out!
The important lesson to consider is: there are no better or worse leadership styles.
“Good” leadership in the wrong situation becomes bad leadership.
What I would encourage you to think is:
What kind of leader do you want to be?
Read through all the styles.
What resonates?
What is more like you?
How can you build a leadership style that is sustainable (aka you don’t have to fake it all the time and burn out as a consequence) and effective?
Then practice, ask for feedback, admit your mistakes, try again.
“Leaders are made, they are not born” – V. Lombardi