WHO DERAILTYPES OF LEADERS5

PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME GOOD, OR EVEN GREAT, LEADERS CAN GET PULLED OFF COURSE SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY.

LEADERS OFTEN LOSE THEIR WAY WHEN THEY GET CAUGHT UP IN THEIR OWN SUCCESS, FAIL TO STAY GROUNDED, REJECT HONEST CRITICISM, OR HAVE A FEAR OF FAILURE.

THERE ARE FIVE TYPES OF LEADERS WHO SUFFER MOST FROM THESE SHORTCOMINGS.

ImpostersRationalizers

Glory SeekersLoners

Shooting Stars

1. IMPOSTERS

They are the ultimate political animals, adept at figuring out who their competitors are and then eliminating them one by one. They have little appetite for self-reflection or developing self-awareness.

LACK SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-ESTEEM

IMPOSTERS NEED TO USE THEIR POWER WISELY AND NOT ACT UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT UNDERLINGS ARE OUT TO GET THEM.

2. RATIONALIZERS

When things don’t go their way, they blame external forces or subordinates. As they advance and face greater challenges, they transmit pressure to their subordinates instead of modulating it.

DEVIATE FROM THEIR VALUES

RATIONALIZERS SHOULD ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY. INSTEAD OF BLAMING SUBORDINATES, THEY SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON THE FUTURE AND HOW THINGS CAN BE DONE BETTER.

3. GLORY SEEKERS

Money, fame, and power are their goals. Often it seems more important to appear on lists of the most powerful business leaders than it does to build organizations of lasting value.

MOTIVATED BY SEEKING THE WORLD’S ACCLAIM

GLORY SEEKERS’ EXTREME FOCUS ON WINNING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO COMPETITIVE SUCCESS, BUT IT CAN ALSO UNDERMINE CHARACTER. TRUSTED COLLEAGUES EMPOWER OTHERS TO SUCCEED.

4. LONERSThey avoid close relationships, mentors, or support networks. Not to be confused with introverts, Loners often have a myriad of superficial friends and acolytes but do not actually listen to them.

FAIL TO BUILD PERSONAL SUPPORT STRUCTURES

LONERS SHOULD RECOGNIZE THEIR BEHAVIOR MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO REACH THEIR GOALS. THEY NEED TO ACCEPT HONEST FEEDBACK AND COUNSEL TO AVOID MAKING MAJOR MISTAKES.

5. SHOOTING STARS

The lives of Shooting Stars center entirely on their careers. They move up so rapidly in their careers that they never have time to learn from their mistakes.

LACK THE GROUNDING OF AN INTEGRATED LIFE

SHOOTING STARS NEED TO BECOME MORE AWARE OF THEMSELVES AND THEIR PRIORITIES. THEY NEED TO INVEST TIME WISELY AND BE WILLING TO LEARN FROM THEIR MISTAKES, NOT RUN FROM THEM BY CHANGING JOBS OR CLIMBING THE CORPORATE LADDER.

ALL FIVE ARCHETYPAL LEADERS—IMPOSTERS, RATIONALIZERS, GLORY SEEKERS, LONERS, AND SHOOTING STARS—FRAME THEIR LIFE STORIES IN THE MODEL OF AN ALL-CONQUERING HERO.

Yet, this outlook utterly fails precisely because being a hero is not empowering to teammates or subordinates.

THE ROLE OF A LEADER IS NOT TO GET OTHERS TO FOLLOW BUT TO EMPOWER OTHERS TO LEAD. Leaders cannot elicit the best performance from their teams if they are in the game primarily for themselves.

Discover more about authentic leadership and finding your True North.

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EVEN LEADERS WHO BECOME DERAILED CAN GET BACK ON TRACK.