The Four Leadership Archetypes

Examining who we are and how we interact with the world around us is a cornerstone of the coaching experience, and before beginning the journey of betterment, one must prepare to look inward. But even before beginning to dive deep, it’s crucial to hold foundational knowledge that provides the context to look inward with meaning. Enter the four leadership mindsets: Striving, People-Pleasing, Rising, and Flourishing. Understanding the nuances of these archetypes is an incredibly valuable tool in maximizing one’s leadership potential.?

Perhaps you’ll see yourself, or someone you know, in one of the archetypes outlined in the amended excerpt below from our forthcoming book, Becoming Coachable. And I suspect that not only will you see yourself, but you’ll also see who you hope to become in the days, months, and years to come. Because who we are as leaders isn’t static: We are ever-evolving in how we lead, live, and show up for those in our lives.?

With love, gratitude, and wonder,

Scott

Amended Excerpt from Chapter Eight, “Within You”

To better understand what we believe to be the most powerful leadership mindset, we will examine all four different approaches to leadership: Striving, People-Pleasing, Rising, and Flourishing. The four do not form inescapable silos; a leader may switch management strategies at different stages of their career. Given the amount of information we have imparted in this chapter, it is first useful to illustrate each of the leadership approaches from a high level.?

What follows is a two-by-two grid. The x-axis (the horizontal) has two elements: “Me” on the left; “We” on the right. This refers to the leader’s perspective as either self-centric or relationship/ team-centric. The y-axis (the vertical) also has two labels: “extractive” on the bottom; “expansive” on the top. This refers to whether a leadership approach is extracting (subtracting) or expanding (adding) value to an organization. When we plug in our four approaches, this is the result:

On the bottom left, we see that Striving is rooted in a self-seeking effort to continuously achieve outcomes for themselves, prioritizing those over the journey or the fellow travelers on the journey. Strivers often do not understand how to enlist a valuable team and lead well, so they achieve little growth. Extraction of value from the organization is likely due to poor collaboration and reduced morale. In sum: Strivers take more for their own benefit, ultimately extracting value from an organization.

Bottom right, we see that while People-Pleasing involves a praiseworthy collective perspective, its inefficiencies and continual self-sacrifice can exact their toll and extract value certainly from the individual and often from the organization as well. In sum: People-Pleasers give more for the benefit of others, often at the cost of themselves. Ultimately, this extracts value from an organization.

Top left, we see that Rising also has a self-centric perspective. But Risers know how to create value for their organizations. Their driving factor in creating that value is to ultimately move into positions of greater responsibility or authority. In sum: Risers create more for their own benefit. While this leadership approach ultimately expands the value of a company, the self-centric nature of this leader hinders their growth long-term.

Finally, at the top right, we see Flourishing. The Flourishing leader honors the collective health of the team and organization and can chart the path to expanding value for the organization while prioritizing both themselves and those in their orbit. It is expansive and generative in nature. In sum: Flourishing creates more for the benefit of all. This leader is invested in the success of their organization, their stakeholders, and themselves while appreciating and channeling the impact they can have on the world.

When a leader is truly Flourishing, they’re not only lifting themselves up but also everyone around them up. Like the notion of a tide lifting all the boats in a harbor, living a life with a Flourishing perspective allows the career you have and the life you live to be more influential and more far-reaching than it could have been otherwise.?

? 2023 Scott Osman, Jacquelyn Lane, and Marshall Goldsmith from Becoming Coachable: Unleashing the Power of Executive Coaching to Transform Your Leadership and Life. Not to be reproduced without permission.?

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We discuss leadership archetypes and Flourishing at length in our new book, Becoming Coachable, available now for preorder on Amazon.

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