What kind of leader are you ?

Power holder or power sharer ?

In the traditional approach, leaders lead from the top, making decisions unilaterally – but this risks alienating promising talent. By contrast, emergent leaders empower others to achieve goals – but should be careful not to undermine their own authority by sharing power too broadly.

Tactician or visionary ?

The traditional leader is a tactician who values operational clarity and well-defined plans. If this isn’t managed wisely, leaders risk not providing a compass for team members. Emergent leaders have a clear vision of where they want to go, without needing a concrete roadmap for how to get there. However, if the vision is not realistic, they may set unachievable or intangible goals.

Constant or adapter ?

Traditional leadership values decision making, conviction, and consistency. But, in fast-changing environments, decisions are often reversed or adapted. Here, changing course in response to new information is a must for survival; hence adaptability is a strength rather than a weakness.

Perfectionist or accelerator ?

The old-school way asserts that leaders should be perfectionists, taking time to deliver a finished product. But this risks delaying the launch of key initiatives for fear of imperfection. In the new-school approach, failing fast is often more important than doing it perfectly. Conversely, moving initiatives forward without proper testing can lead to embarrassing results.

Intuitionist or analyst ?

Traditional leaders use their expert gut to make intuitive decisions, but these may be based on outdated or biased heuristics. In the emergent approach, decisions are based largely on data. However, leaders should also heed their inner compass or risk overlooking valuable insights gleaned from their extensive experience.

Miner or prospector ?

Traditionally, leaders built their careers by developing deep expertise in certain areas of the business, assuming this brought superior insight to organizational challenges. The emergent school holds that leaders should accept that their expertise is limited – or even obsolete – and remain open to learning from others with who can provide specialized knowledge and insights. 

Teller or listener ?

Traditionalists tell others what to do and how to do it, which risks missing important team contributions. The emergent approach values listening carefully to others before taking decisions, but leaders may omit to apply their own knowledge if they don’t provide their own viewpoint.

Further reading:

Finding the Right Balance — and Flexibility — in Your Leadership Style 

Every Leader Needs to Navigate These 7 Tensions 

From Boomers to Gen Z: Managing generational dynamics in the workplace 

How to embrace the Use of Self concept for impactful leadership  

Is the single CEO leadership model still fit for purpose?  

Decision-making under pressure 

All views expressed herein are those of the author and have been specifically developed and published in accordance with the principles of academic freedom. As such, such views are not necessarily held or endorsed by TONOMUS or its affiliates.