It’s no joke that vibrant leaders can drive businesses to new heights.
But the common ideal of an all-encompassing business head is a misnomer.
In reality, leaders take on different roles to perform different services.
One of many hats and all that jazz.
A business owner charged with setting and establishing a company vision won’t be able to attend to the needs of his or her employees the way a floor manager might, but both provide valuable leadership.
From the founders of Google to Steve Jobs’ right-hand man, successful businesses are filled with different leadership archetypes.
And it’s a sure bet that until you understand your leadership role, your business may not be able to realize it’s full potential.
Looking in to your strengths and responsibilities will indicate your own leadership capacity and help you better understand how to lead more effectively.
And while leaders come in different forms, woven together their skills will amplify the business as a whole.
Ernst & Young chairman Mark Weinberger noticed a common trait of good leaders throughout his professional career.
“I found they listened really well and built good teams to debate issues,” Weinberger told the Washington Post.
The Visionary
Whether they come from fresh ideas or proven practices, all business start with a vision of how they can provide service. As businesses grow and succeed, sometimes leaders shift from a forward-thinking attitude to maintenance mode.
There’s nothing wrong with maintaining a thriving business, but without a proper perspective on future challenges and potential areas of improvement, your business could slam into a wall at full speed.
Visionary leaders keep business on the front foot, always looking for the next opportunity, a way around that roadblock, or a new advancement.
Recently, the some of the best examples of extraordinary vision have come from the technology sector.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin imagined a limitless portal for information before they wrote the code Big G, and the vision has become an integral part of everyday life for many. (Google, Google!)
The Catalyst
In a perfect world, the processes a business puts in place to guide day-to-day operations would be ever-motivating and without flaws. But businesses operate in the real world and things just aren’t that simple. (Like never eva, eva, eva.)
That’s where catalyst leaders come in.
Whether your employees deal with customers, operate machinery or analyze data, catalyst leaders support the workers on the front lines through motivation, training and support.
If the general manager of a sports team is its visionary, the coach is its catalyst leader, doing whatever it takes to put the team’s players in position to succeed.
Successful catalysts know your business operations inside and out, striving to get the most out of each day and keep that train rolling.
The Moderator
Different levels of a business speak different languages, and unless someone comes along to decode, vital information can get lost in translation.
Moderators act as the glue within a company, facilitating communication and resolving differences of opinion. A moderator could be a floor manager that relays resource deficiencies to an owner or a third party that provides context and clarity during disputes.
Many (or most) leadership positions won’t fit into any of these archetypes 100% perfectly, and often leaders may identify with traits of multiple leaders. (That’s perfectly OK too.)
However a clear picture of the most common leadership functions, like those from Mark Weinberger, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, can still help leaders more effectively guide their business on the way too often rocky shores of success.
Over to You
Do you identify with any of these roles? Do they help you in running an efficient and successful biz? Please share your thoughts in the comments below my brothahhh (or sistahhh… hehe). Thanks!