What type of leader do want to be?

This article is written by Jenn Lofgren CPHR, MCC, ICD.D for Incito Executive & Leadership Development .

Leadership styles are not one-size-fits-all. In fact, there are a number of different types of leaders, all with different strengths and weaknesses. While there are many leadership styles ,?the real question isn’t about what type of leader you are, but about what type of leader you want to be. Knowing this, you can redirect your strengths to become the leader you want.

In working with my clients, we’ve explored different leadership skill sets?to highlight reactive versus strategic leadership, along with the strengths and effectiveness of each style. Once clients identify where they are now, we then build strategies to move them toward who they want to be.

Reactive Leadership

A common concern I hear from new clients is that they are always reacting to fires, never moving forward or completing strategic work. This is because they are typically leading from a reactive mindset, often falling into one of the following three types:

1. Controllers: If I’m not perfect, I’m not good enough.

Controllers rely on perfection, often leading to overwhelming and extreme control to make sure they and their team are perfect. A controller believes

• in control, not delegation.
• anything less than perfect is not okay.
• winning is a must; failure is not an option.
• in setting unachievable, unrealistically high standards, resulting in a burnt-out team.

While controllers can damage their relationships, they do have a number of strengths, including an ability to achieve short-term results, the willingness to take risks with decisions, and confidence to voice opinions, even if they’re controversial.

To become more effective, controllers must let go of their fear of failure.

?2. Protectors: If I’m not right, I’m not good enough.

Protectors tend to be distant, focused on protecting their organization. Often, they will have the underlying belief that to be right, they have to point out flaws in others. Other traits include

• asking critical, not constructive, questions.
• coming across as uncaring or insensitive.
• being unreceptive to feedback.
• not moving forward without knowing what’s “right.”

That said, protectors have gifts, such as the ability to objectively analyze a situation, deeply caring for their organization, and carrying great wisdom because they observe and explore before acting.

For protectors, a big hurdle is moving their leading approach from overly critical thinking and questioning to providing constructive feedback, helping others find their own answers.

3. Pleasers: If I’m not liked, I’m not good enough.

Pleasers do not want to rock the boat, but keep the peace. With this need to be liked, they

• always look for feedback before acting.
• aren’t assertive, but tend to be passively aggressive.
• do not make decisions, often abdicating – not delegating – this responsibility to others.
• struggle to be seen as a leader.

While pleasers do have their faults, their positive traits often include being very reliable, creating harmony between people, and having good listening skills.

For pleasers, it’s important to find ways to be more direct in their communication style and let go of being liked by everyone, helping to create a more efficient team.

Strategic Leadership

On the flip side, rather than being reactive, a leader can be strategic. There are two types of strategic leadership styles that I’ve seen as being effective in building productive, happy teams: relators and achievers.?

Relators?focus on growth and sustainability for their individual team members. They tend to be charismatic, focused on development and coaching, and committed to having strong relationships. Relators are willing to use themselves as examples, showing their team how to be vulnerable to grow their skill sets and reach specific goals.

Similar to relators in skill sets, achievers focus on growth and sustainability for the betterment of their organization. While they focus on individual growth for team members, this is typically to support the bigger picture achievement and outcome they want.

Becoming The Leader You Want To Be

If you’ve identified with a reactive leader type, that’s great, as being aware of your strengths and weaknesses is important. To move forward, it becomes about mindset shifts to create small, incremental changes to use your strengths proactively. Steps can include:

1. ?Work on vulnerability. Moving from a reactive leader into a strategic one takes vulnerability. After all, you’re opening yourself up to criticism, all while stepping outside of your comfort zone. This work helps you focus on using your strengths in a more strategic and proactive way.
2. Stop being the expert. Leaders are just that —?leaders. However, you likely moved into a leader role because of the expertise you showed previously. Here, you need to reframe your mindset, becoming the curious leader, rather than the subject matter expert .
3. Use your strengths. As highlighted above, each leader type — whether reactive or strategic — has its strengths. The trick is learning how to use your strengths to move into a place of effective leadership. Focus on enhancing your style from your strengths, not your fears.?

We all have a tendency to believe that we’re in a positive space and avoid admitting that we might be reactive leaders. But acceptance and acknowledgment of both your strengths and inefficiencies are the first steps to becoming a great leader. How are you holding yourself back from being effective? There’s no shame, only knowledge and growth based on your strengths that allow you to grow into the leader you want to be.

The original version of this article is found in The Inspired Leader . Compiled from more than a decade of coaching sessions with hundreds of leaders across diverse industries, The Inspired Leader serves as a comprehensive resource for both emerging and seasoned leaders alike.