We all know that no two people are totally alike. Your corporate fingerprint is unique, which can prove invaluable to the brand you’re working to grow or refine.
Yet there are a few personality types that determine how you’ll lead a team. Employers want to have an idea of this before you start. When you’re hoping to fulfil a senior management role, you’ll certainly face some questions about your personal leadership style during the interview process.
Ever thought about where you might fit? As executive headhunters, here’s five kinds of leaders we’ve come across.
A democratic leader has a sense of their own judgement, but they seek the ideas and contributions of others before making the final decision. This leads to a higher degree of creativity, productivity and morale, as well as a diverse array of managerial personalities under their wing. Information flows up the chain more than it goes down with this leader at its helm.
On the opposite end of the spectrum to the democrat, the autocrat is a brash, decisive person who doesn’t tell their subordinates what’s in the pipeline until it’s happening. If you suspect you fall under this category, be careful: it’s the most troublesome personality. Whilst successes can be celebrated as yours and yours alone, there’s a high chance of failure if you don’t take other opinions into account. A lot of brands shy away from this type of leader.
Any kind of leader can inspire someone. However, some are naturally better at getting their hands dirty, which breaks any walls between you and the frontline staff you’ll rely on. The best inspirational roles don’t forget it. They leave some time to get back to basics, showing employees how to handle customers, equipment or admin duties. This leader is highly sought-after for hospitality ventures in particular.
Ever feel your values change as you listen to a person speak? The art of persuasion is very real in business. The charismatic leader can frame an organisation’s mission in a way that draws outsiders in, whether that’s a workforce or a new customer base. There’s a risk, though, of style over substance. No one wants a snake oil salesman.
It’s never been easier to collate evidence from various information points, package it up, and tell people what the figures really mean. You might be a leader who can’t think of anything better than a clear, reliable data set. That’s great: marketing, sales and manufacturing can use them to direct resources where they need to be. But they may be lacking when it comes to interpersonal management – people value emotive reasons more than a black-and-white quota chart.
So what might you identify as? Uncovering which kind of leader you are is part of our job, as executive search consultants who take candidates on their own terms. We can help you look at your experience, skills and career aims as if you’re seeing them for the first time.
SPE Resourcing may just give you a call soon… If we do, you could be given a fantastic new lease of professional life. Grab it with both hands.