Which Type Of Leader are You?

April 17, 2008

by Steven

There are many types of leadership approaches. However, when we think of defining leadership, there are mainly two definitions.

When most people think of a leader, they picture someone who is very well known and the head of a group. We might also tend to think about someone who is the best in sports or business. Tiger Woods leads the way in golf, while Apple products practically rule the portable music industry.

However, there’s a lot more to leadership than just someone who’s leading a group, a business, or leading in sports. People usually give orders when they’re trying to lead a group of people, or they may do underhanded things to trick people into following their lead.

Thanks to the more shady types, people learn to be careful around “leaders.” They’re not interested in letting someone trick or take advantage of them.

If you want to develop types of leadership that are long-lasting you need to stay away from tricks and mistrust. If your followers sense any kind of trickery, you will lose the credibility you possible began with.

Developing trust in your followers demands integrity. This means that you will do what you say you will do - you will walk the talk.

One of the most common ways leaders hurt their reputation is by making promises that they can’t deliver on. It’s important to be careful about what you say.

People won’t be turned off by someone who is cautious with promises. They know you’ll only make commitments you keep. Since they can trust that you won’t back out of your promises, they will be better followers as a result.

What if you promised one of your employees that you are going to give them a raise next year? That is a problem.

A raise is often out of your hands, particularly if you don’t know how well the company is going to do this year. It’s better to think about approaching the subject of a raise in regards to your followers meeting sales goals.

Keeping your promises will occasionally be inconvenient. Even so, keeping them will only be to your benefit. If you should ever find yourself unable to make good on a promise, you should apologize and come up with a compromise.

All types of leadership can benefit from incorporating integrity. Leaders who demonstrate integrity are a lot more successful.