Knowing your intuitive tendencies can help you be more effective and grow more healthy.
What does it mean?
Your Skill, Effort, and Confidence scores help you understand the way you intuitively approach leadership.
Leaders tend into one of six types:
Technicians, Renegades, Workhorses, Novices, Mystics, and Prodigies.
Read on to understand how your intuitive type leads and how you can leverage your type to be a Healthy Leader.
Six Intuitive Tendencies
Technicians
Leaders who are strong in Skill but not in Effort or secure Confidence are Technicians.
They are outstanding specialists who are often able to accomplish with ease what would require a massive investment of time and resources for others.
At their best Technicians use their focus and insight to serve the greater good in powerful ways, at their worst they get lost in their projects and fall in love with their creations.
Think Steve Wozniak, Michelangelo, stereotypical genius.
Novices
I’ve been told that someone who achieves a black belt in karate is considered skilled enough to be a novice. The journey of skill development is endless among those who are truly martial artists.
Leaders with strong confidence and effort who are lacking the skills required for their role quickly reach the limits of their capacity.
Skill deficits are often exposed faster than other issues. Taking the mindset of a Novice who is eager to learn can guide growth. Fortunately there are also extensive resources and opportunities to address these shortcomings with a wide variety of pedagogical approaches to suit every type of learner.
Think of the Karate Kid.
Renegades
Leaders who are strong in Skill and Effort but not in secure Confidence are Renegades.
They are often popular for their vision and energy, and they can build a passionate following. They can be relentless in their drive for success and achieve phenomenal things; but those closest to them are often the first to see the lack of depth or centre to them. Their character can’t support the weight of their charisma and eventually things fall apart.
Think Samson or Jacob in the Hebrew Scriptures, or Hollywood examples from the Wolf of Wall Street, A Star Is Born.
Mystics
In cartoons there’s the trope of the wise guru receiving traveler at the top of a mountain and bestowing the meaning of life.
In a similar way, there are leaders who are so deeply rooted in their identity that they radiate a rare and magnetic confidence. Like an anchor they are undisturbed by circumstances and they can provide needed perspective but can also keep things from progressing or changing when necessary.
Yoda was like this in the original Star Wars trilogy, Maya Angelou, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth in the New Testament.
Workhorses
Leaders who are strong in Effort but not in Skill or Confidence are Workhorses.
These are reliable teammates who are willing to do the stuff others avoid and don’t quit until the job is done.
They’re dedication and hustle are huge contributions but they can lack perspective and struggle to change approaches midstream. Hard work and consistency can achieve a lot and these leaders prove it.
Think Rudy (Notre Dame football), Bruce Springsteen, Horton Hears A Who, Samwise Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings.
Prodigies
There are endless sad examples of highly talented and confident people who squandered their potential due to a lack of effort.
These prodigy leaders begin with early promise and can get away with natural skill for a while, but eventually laziness, distraction, or lack of discipline reveal themselves.
But few of us are lazy; we just have many competing demands for our attention and energy. The challenge for many leaders is actually in setting priorities and deciding what is okay to be mediocre at.
Go Deeper
Identifying your Intuitive Tendency is a step on the path to being a Healthy Leader. Understanding your strengths and vulnerabilities gives you a head start in determining where to focus your own development to be better able to lead effectively in the widest range of leadership situations.
But to make the most of your efforts you will benefit from having a capable and insightful guide.
Contact Us to arrange a personal PACE Session or a Team Training workshop on how to be Healthy Leaders, Healthy Teams, and a Healthy Organization.
