There are three types of leaders in this world. Have a look at these descriptions and give some thought to where you fit in, and if that is where you want to be.

Keep in mind that most people will not fall squarely into one single category but will exhibit behavioural tendencies. What I really want to do here is to get you thinking about where you are strong, what to keep, what to build and what does not serve you or your people.

The Enhancer: These leaders are self confident, strong, they walk their talk and so have earned the respect of those around them. They lead from a place of personal power ( see below for power vs authority). These are the men and women whom others want to work for because they are known to show a positive attitude, they know how to foster cooperation among others and they are dedicated to spotting the best in others.  People produce results for enhancers because they want to and not because they feel they have no choice. Enhancers love to share the credit with their team members and will always protect others from the fall out of things gone wrong.

The Neutralizer: This person will often fall back on authority rather than personal power to get those things done. The neutralizer is generally looked upon with the respect of some, some of the time and the disdain of others, some of the time. Although a neutralizer is capable of expressing emotions, they often don’t so they come across as being impersonal or gaurded. Those who report to a neutralizer will do what they have to do to get things done but not a spark of energy more than that.

The Diminisher: Oh my, you don’t want to be this one, thats for sure! These poor souls are the ones with no self confidence and have no clue when it comes to personal power. Falling back on the authority of their title is key for them, plus they will intimidate others. Diminishers are looking out for number one and will not hesitate to hog credit or shift blame. We call them diminishers because they will diminish the organization.

Like I said at the beginning, these are broad stereotypes; however the descriptions do make the point about the direction we should all be heading in. Give some thought to what you can do to develop your own style so that you can land squarely in the Enhancer catagory. Once you have some ideas about how you can improve, then set your goals, plan your actions and make it happen! Yes you can!