I’ve been fortunate to build and lead many different teams across a variety of industries throughout my career. Whether in retail, at the university, the car rental industry, or leading a global product support team, I’ve also worked with many different types of leaders. Some were good; some were bad; a couple were terrible; a select few were exceptional. The difference between exceptional, good, bad, and terrible leaders is usually noticeable – ask anyone reporting to them. But what distinguishes an outstanding leader from someone good, bad, or terrible?
- Are leaders born exceptional? Nope.
- Does it come down to personality or communication style? Not really.
- Is it situational? Getting closer.
- Do years of experience matter? Sometimes it helps, but some terrible leaders have been doing it for a long time.
- Could it be confidence? While necessary, some people have false confidence combined with a lack of self-awareness, believing they can do no wrong.
In my experience, the best types of leaders are that way because they choose to be – it’s their will that aligns best with their skill, making them exceptional.
Leadership Choice
The choice to be great is just that, a choice. The best leaders choose to give their best every day, regardless of situation or obstacle to their team, organization, and customers. Ultimately, those who are the best of the best do so because they demand it of themselves first. They invest in their personal development and focus on evolving their approach to management and leadership.
If that’s true, why are there so many good (average), bad, or terrible leaders? Shouldn’t everyone in a leadership position decide to be the best that they can be? Unfortunately, the answer is no. The truth is that leadership isn’t for everyone. I’ve seen and heard it countless times throughout my career, people who want to be leaders only to regret it, hoping and wishing for an opportunity to become an individual contributor again. Some people just want the title, money, and status as a leader, without putting forth the effort and accountability required. When the going gets tough, they either give up or start taking the easy way out, hiding behind others who cover their mistakes and weak efforts.
Five Types Of Leaders
In my career, I’ve witnessed five distinct leadership types. Each type comes with its own challenges and opportunities.
The Mistake
Unfortunately, some people are not cut out to lead. Someone along the line decided to promote or hire someone who isn’t the right fit. Everyone else knows a mistake was made too, except for the Mistake themselves usually. Blind to their issues, they carry on, ineffective, creating more work for everyone else that fails to provide value. Team members often show frustration with how incompetent they are, combined with their inability to communicate effectively coherently. Driving forward with any initiative successfully is painful and usually only happens because someone covers for them. Those who hired or promoted them typically give them a long leash, realizing they’ve made a mistake that they would like to erase, hoping, and praying, the situation resolves itself. It won’t.
The Struggler
These types of leaders want to be successful but lack the talent to do so. Often buried in their work, they struggle to keep up. Don’t be surprised to see their email inboxes stacked up deep, with requests severely delayed. When someone does get a response, its half baked, usually not making much sense. Time management is a foreign concept to the Struggler. They overbook and commit themselves to things that should have been delegated. Oblivious to how they are perceived, this leader needs to rely on others’ goodwill and generosity to carry the load. Others will do so to make their work lives tolerable. Everyone has a limit, though, so, at some point, there might be a possibility that others will just let it burn for the Struggler.
The Time Waster
Usually, these leaders have the best intentions, but they waste everyone’s time chasing mindless tasks unbeknownst to them. Often these leaders suffer from shiny object syndrome, shifting priorities taking their teams in directions that provide little value. Shooting from the hip is common for them, as they cannot plan and strategize. Be careful sharing any data with them until it’s fully validated and vetted out. Time Wasters overreact to whatever they see. Items delegated by this type of leader are usually ones that team members spend an insufferable amount of time, only to find out the outputs were never used. Employees reporting to this leader are often more confused and frustrated than they are engaged. After seeing the lack of value this leader provides, it’s not a surprise to see a few employees workaround instead of with the Time Waster because it’s easier and more effective.
The Rookie Leader
At some point, everyone is new. When it comes to Rookie Leaders, there are two different ends of the spectrum. On one side, some Rookie Leaders know they have a lot to learn. They remain humble, listening, learning, and stepping in where they know they can provide value. These types of leaders slowly dip their toes into the water, getting deeper over time. Unfortunately, some are so reluctant to move forward that situations may force them to step up before they are fully ready, but that’s how experience develops.
On the other side of the spectrum, Rookie Leaders, once promoted or hired, solely rely on positional authority — demanding compliance because they see that with their title comes the power to influence. Some believe that becoming a leader instantly makes them appear to have mastered their role before even really gaining the experience required. If an ineffective rookie leader leads a team of already experienced leaders, it’s a recipe for disaster.
The Superstar
Of the five leadership profiles listed, the Superstar is the best of the rest. Confident in their abilities, yet humble enough to know and admit they are not strong, these leaders display balance. With an eye for being more proactive than reactive, the Superstar leader has a strategy for the short, mid, and long-term. Excellent communication skills are paramount and evident with Superstars.
They recognize that the key to their success as a leader is ensuring their team is successful first. They choose to bring their best selves forward, acknowledging their role in a positive employee experience but neglect to take full credit for all successes. Their mindset focuses on establishing win-win relationships. They work to break down walls and silos, removing obstacles in their team’s way. Mentoring others through a culture of coaching, Superstars focus on molding the next generation of new leaders. Superstars model the way, inspiring a shared vision of the future, challenging broken processes, and empowering others to act.
Judging Performance
Have you experienced or witnessed any of these five leadership types? Are you currently one of these leaders? Maybe you are, and you don’t know it. Sometimes, it can be hard for us to look in the mirror and see ourselves how others see or perceive us. Perception is so challenging to manage. Many leaders feel like they are performing well, meeting or exceeding expectations, when, in reality, they are still developing or incredibly inconsistent. Some fail to deliver results but are unaware of that fact too. Worse there are leaders casting judgment on their employees who are ineffective in their roles, ignorant, and unappreciative of team members’ contributions.
Final Thoughts About the Five Types of Leaders
As the end of the year rolls around, companies will engage in end-of-year evaluations, bucketing employees into categories. Failing to assess talent, strengths, and accomplishments, many ineffective leaders miscast and overlook superstar employees, resulting in a vicious cycle of disengagement. Many organizations are judging performance incorrectly, relying on subjective feelings instead of objective facts. Unfortunately, though, when some leaders and organizations try to create metrics, objectives, KPIs, etc., the way they measure performance is often wrong. You get what you reward. When the ways we measure success are flawed, the whole system suffers.
If the leader casting judgment is a Mistake, Struggler, Time Waster, or Rookie Leader, their assessments require additional review. Somewhere along the line, a decision made will be incorrect. Providing a Superstar with a wrong evaluation will often see that person check out, disengaged, and at-risk to leave the organization. For more on leadership best practices, evaluating talent, or evolving your approach to managing your team, organization, or career, connect with me.
