Maximizing Your Natural Leadership Strengths
One key to effective leadership is to know your natural assets. Everyone has a personality, which directly influences nearly every aspect of one’s leadership. Thirty years ago, leadership training was based on the idea that all leaders should be very well-rounded in their approach. One would learn one’s basic style, then spend most of one’s development energy trying to gain the strengths of other leadership styles. Over time we discovered that this approach to leadership development did not work so well. Now we work from a strengths-based approach. We encourage leaders to know their natural strengths, work from them 80% of the time, while addressing their weaknesses 20% of the time. This seems to honor God’s good gifts to us; empowering us to live our callings as leaders more effectively. To that end, we use the Peoplemap Leadership Inventory and the Peoplemap Personality Inventory to identify one’s basic personality, along with one’s natural leadership style. The following leadership style descriptions will help encourage those who know their personality types to embrace their strengths more fully. For those who do not know their personality type, the following may raise their awareness, leading to leadership development.
Leader Type Leaders
Accomplishment and Achievement Oriented
Leadership Motto: “If we have a clear, compelling vision, then we can accomplish anything.”
Leadership Strengths: Great urgency about accomplishing the mission, high initiative, goal oriented, takes charge, invigorated by a big challenge, manages and directs others toward the goal.
Managing Others: Goal-directed, mission-focused approach, with high expectations – “Visionary Directors”
Natural with Hard People Skills
People Type Leaders
Relationship and Connection Oriented
Leadership Motto: “If we create a strong enough team, then we can accomplish anything.”
Leadership Strengths: Invests in people, great networker and community builder, brings out the potential in others, very caring and empathetic.
Guiding Perspective: “If you treat people right, they in turn will treat you right and be loyal and hardworking.”
Managing Others: Compassionate and caring approach, building a loyal team
Natural with Soft People Skills
Free Spirit Type Leaders
Autonomy and Innovation Oriented
Leadership Motto: “If we step out of our comfort zones and become creative, then we can accomplish anything.”
Leadership Strengths: Motivated by an innovative challenge, starts new activities, great reformer and excellent trouble-shooter.
Managing Others: Inspires others to be their best while managing in a hands-off autonomous way
Natural with a Mix of Hard and Soft People Skills
Task Type Leaders
Organization and Systems Oriented
Leadership Motto: “If we create and implement effective systems, then we can accomplish anything.”
Leadership Strengths: Great reliability and dependability, able to see projects through, excellent planning and implementations skills, follows through on Strategic Plans, organizer and system builder.
Managing Others: No nonsense, reasonable, reliable leader who follows standard operating procedure and who’s people can count on her/him.
Natural with a Mix of Hard and Soft People Skills
May we recognize our personalities as gifts from God, maximizing our natural strengths as good stewards of God’s good gifts.
Mark Tidsworth, President
PLA
Leader Type Leaders
Accomplishment and Achievement Oriented
Leadership Motto: “If we have a clear, compelling vision, then we can accomplish anything.”
Leadership Strengths: Great urgency about accomplishing the mission, high initiative, goal oriented, takes charge, invigorated by a big challenge, manages and directs others toward the goal.
Managing Others: Goal-directed, mission-focused approach, with high expectations – “Visionary Directors”
Natural with Hard People Skills
People Type Leaders
Relationship and Connection Oriented
Leadership Motto: “If we create a strong enough team, then we can accomplish anything.”
Leadership Strengths: Invests in people, great networker and community builder, brings out the potential in others, very caring and empathetic.
Guiding Perspective: “If you treat people right, they in turn will treat you right and be loyal and hardworking.”
Managing Others: Compassionate and caring approach, building a loyal team
Natural with Soft People Skills
Free Spirit Type Leaders
Autonomy and Innovation Oriented
Leadership Motto: “If we step out of our comfort zones and become creative, then we can accomplish anything.”
Leadership Strengths: Motivated by an innovative challenge, starts new activities, great reformer and excellent trouble-shooter.
Managing Others: Inspires others to be their best while managing in a hands-off autonomous way
Natural with a Mix of Hard and Soft People Skills
Task Type Leaders
Organization and Systems Oriented
Leadership Motto: “If we create and implement effective systems, then we can accomplish anything.”
Leadership Strengths: Great reliability and dependability, able to see projects through, excellent planning and implementations skills, follows through on Strategic Plans, organizer and system builder.
Managing Others: No nonsense, reasonable, reliable leader who follows standard operating procedure and who’s people can count on her/him.
Natural with a Mix of Hard and Soft People Skills
May we recognize our personalities as gifts from God, maximizing our natural strengths as good stewards of God’s good gifts.
Mark Tidsworth, President
PLA