By Knowing Types of Leadership, Intentionally Become the Leader You Want to Be
There are many different types of leadership, and each type may have several different names, depending on the thought leader you are reading/watching/listening to. The name doesn’t matter, though. What matters is understanding what types you embody and the related skills you bring to your team and organization.
10 types of leadership
Coaching Leaders
Coaching leaders focus on helping their teams build skills to improve their performance and advance their careers. These leaders know what each team members’ professional goals are, they ask what they want to do or learn next, and they connect them with the resources to make it happen.
Servant Leaders
Servant leaders find great satisfaction in helping their direct reports be successful – no project or task is too small or “beneath” them. They are always willing to jump in and help, whether it’s conducting research or making a few phone calls to get answers from key people.
Overachieving Leaders
Here in the DC area, overachieving leaders are all around us. They focus on doing their job better than anyone else. Working for an overachiever can be both inspirational and exhausting. You may learn that you can achieve anything, but you will feel as if you will never surpass them.
Relational Leaders
As the name implies, building relationships with their teams, their peers, and others in their network is very important to them. They will get to know you very well – your hobbies, interests, travel plans, family.
Because relational leaders have so many connections, this is the type of leader that can make things happen for you – it’s almost like having a sponsor.
Visionary Leaders
Working with a visionary leader can be a very exciting, motivating time in your career. They see possibilities that few others can – and this includes possibilities for you. If they see the direction you are headed in, well, it’s like jumping on a bullet train.
Some are so visionary that they get a new idea daily, and it can be challenging to bring them back to the present.
Delegative Leaders
A big benefit of working for a leader who is great at delegating is how many things you learn to do. Instead of taking ownership of everything on their plate, they trust that their team is fully capable of completing things on time and to scope.
Before you know it, you’re gaining new experiences that can propel your career forward.
Strategic Leaders
Strategic leaders are not the same as visionary leaders. Visionary leaders have ideas. Strategic leaders have a plan. They know how to get from point A to point B to point C and so on. They have backup plans, just in case.
Strategic leaders are aware of your skills and they put you in positions and on projects where you will excel.
Transactional Leaders
Transactional leaders love structure, and they set clear goals and expectations to drive results. They can be focused on getting one thing done and then move on to the next thing. This type of leader can be more focused on tasks than their people. They believe in extrinsic rewards (such as cash bonuses) to drive performance.
Transactional leaders are not micromanagers, though; their team members work independently with check-ins to ensure they stay on task.
Transformational Leaders
Transformational leaders believe results are achieved through their people. They are great at motivating their workforce, because they know what motivates each person on their team, and they invest time and energy into ensuring individuals grow and develop professionally.
Teams who work for transformational leaders are innovative, creative, and productive.
Democratic Leaders
We are not talking politics here! Democratic leaders are democratic with a small “d”. They want everyone on the team to provide input, and they often have very high levels of employee engagement.
A democratic leader always keeps their door open and intentionally creates a psychologically safe work environment.
Most leaders embody a mix of these styles
As you were reading through the descriptions of the types of leadership, you probably thought, “Oh, I am that kind of leader and also a bit of these two other types.” Most leaders are not one type, but a mix of two, three, or even four.
It’s really important as your career progresses to be intentional about the type of leader you want to become. What skills come naturally to you? What traits do you want to be known for?
Transformational + servant leader: You motivate people to achieve great things while supporting them from behind.
Coaching + democratic leader: You ask your team for their input and coach each person to make their idea a reality.
Delegative + relational: You delegate tasks that will help your team grow in their career, and you make connections that will move their career forward. This combination is like having two sponsors.
Overachieving + transactional: You provide clear structure, expectations, and goals for your team and demonstrate what it takes to succeed.
Visionary + strategic leader: You explain your vision, lay out the strategy of how to get there, and unleash your team to work on it.
(A visionary leader combined with any of these leadership styles is a huge plus for any organization. Visionary leaders achieve big things!)
What type of leader do you want to be?
Are you now contemplating how to embody some of these traits to become an even more effective leader? Coaching can help you prioritize what skills to strengthen and how to strengthen them. Email us at [email protected] to learn more or schedule a coaching session.
