In our previous post, we discussed about Ranjan Mitra, a very cordial, articulate and competent professional who is facing a trouble since the time new manager Mohan joined the organization. Ranjan is struggling to cope up with Mohan’s style of working. In this process, as a self check, he looked back at his career and broadly could think of all those distinct leaders that he worked or watched. There are several different types of leaders. The question is “which leader brings the best out of you?”
Types of leaders:
Ranjan could categorize the leaders that he came across into six types.
Task oriented: Such leaders are solely focused on the tasks, results and business; they are least bothered about people and their emotions. Teams may get success; but can they sustain the pressure? Not sure.
People oriented: They are nice to all people; they cannot hurt or speak rudely. They believe in relationships more than business. Results may get delayed or sometimes people may take advantage of their gentleness also.
Middle of the Road: They will keep the ball rolling by balancing and making necessary compromises. They may not take a tough stand and they may not play to their potential.
Touch-me-not: They are aloof; do not take any close interest except complying with organizational routines. Just sitting in the chair of a leader!
Inspirational: They work with people closely; they argue where required; they listen where there is merit; they lift the entire team to next level.
Breeding Loyalty: They are nice to those who listen to them; they are vindictive towards others; “you be loyal to me and I will take care of you”
Having listed down the types of leaders, Ranjan started replaying in his mind which type of leader he clicked well with. And interestingly, his mind also started judging Mohan’s leadership style and why he is finding it difficult to work with him.
It is important to reflect on yourself as a person and see which leadership style works best. For example, there could be some people who may say we need bosses like Mohan who creates a sense of urgency and pushes people for something higher. What if Ranjan did not like it?
After all, the leader that brings the best out of you may not work for Ranjan!
Excerpts from the article – Who owns your career
By: Dr.Raj,
Published in HR Mirror, Hans India.
Follow Dr.Raj on Twitter @drraj29.
