What Kind of Leader Are You?

You are a leader if someone is following you. This could be as simple as one person watching you and following your example and encouragement, to being a leader in your home, your community, your workplace or even your nation. Leadership can take many forms, but typically it often involves managing people- one of the most difficult of all tasks. It means coordinating and motivating the actions of others to achieve a common goal. A leader has to establish that goal, and gain the willing agreement of others to be governed by and work together towards that goal.

The style of leadership taken by any leader is usually predetermined by the personality and motivational values of that person. They are who they are, as a personality, and that has a strong influence on the way they lead and communicate with others.

The study of personality traits has been on going for centuries, and there is a great deal of agreement in the conclusions and findings of personality characteristics. In this article I am going to refer to the different types of personality in color form, adopts the categories applied by Linda Berens and Don Lowry.

Every personality type has particular talents and skills that lend themselves to good leadership. Any form of leadership however, is greatly enriched and enhanced if it is able to draw on the strengths and characteristics of the other styles.

A leader who has a strong Gold personality type is personally committed and dedicated to the goal. They work hard, and expect their team to do the same. They lead from a place of belief that the work is important, and has to be done right. Gold leaders value tradition- the ways of the past are proven ways, and so do not take well to new ideas unless they are well proven to have potential.

Leaders with a strong Blue personality are motivated by their commitment to the people involved, and a strong sense of community. They have a democratic style of management, valuing the input of employees and team workers. Blue leaders tend to see the big picture, and have the ability to inspire others with the vision.

The strong Green leadership style also sees the big picture as well as the complexity of detail. Green leaders excel in strategy. They bring intellect, ingenuity and design into the leadership role. They research and analyze facts and concepts, constantly looking for improvements for working smarter rather than harder. Facts and information are all important to the Green leader, and they pay little attention to the value of feelings and relationships.

Action is the focus of the Orange leader. Administration and organization exist to make action possible. They are great troubleshooters. The Orange leader leads by example, setting the standard to follow. Orange management style can be quite authoritarian and abrupt as they are impatient with opposition, and expect their directions to be followed. Above all Orange leaders welcome change believing that the old ways can always be improved on. A new project represents, adventure, a challenge and potential fun, all of which the Orange personality thrives on.

Every leader has a combination of all four personalities, but one will always be the stronger, more natural way to operate in. A leader's style may also be a blend of their main strength, combined with their second strongest style. A wise leader will understand the strengths and weaknesses of their personal leadership style and use those team members with different styles to bring balance and greater efficiency in meeting the shared goal.

For more leadership and teambuilding resources.

Barbara White is the President of Beyond Better Development. As a speaker and author, Barbara brings her passion and expertise in leadership development to work with people to help them grow towards excellence in their personal and professional life. For more articles visit http://www.livingbeyondbetter.com

---

Google News Updated : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:51:32 GMT Manatee dies before reaching Florida - South Coast Today WHDH-TV Manatee dies before reaching Florida South Coast Today - 36 minutes ago By AARON GOUVEIA and KC MYERS EAST DENNIS - After a dramatic rescue Saturday morning, a wayward manatee known affectionately as Dennis died Sunday with just one hour before he reached SeaWorld in Florida. Manatee almost gave them the slip Boston Globe Cape Cod Manatee Dies on Way Back to Florida WLNE-TV (ABC6) My Fox Boston - The Associated Press - Cape Cod Times - SouthCoastToday.com all 542 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:14:57 GMT Alaska ethics probe says Palin abused her power - Reuters BBC News Alaska ethics probe says Palin abused her power Reuters - 40 minutes ago By Caren Bohan CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (Reuters) - An Alaska ethics inquiry found on Friday that Gov. Sarah Palin, the US Republican vice presidential candidate, abused her authority by pressuring subordinates to fire a state trooper involved in a feud with ... Palin: Bad Guys vs. Good Guys FOXNews Palin talks economic worries in Appalachian Ohio The Associated Press International Herald Tribune - CNN Political Ticker - Columbus Dispatch all 1,431 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:10:53 GMT Doubling of Vitamin D for Children Is Urged - New York Times The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com Doubling of Vitamin D for Children Is Urged New York Times - 3 hours ago By AP CHICAGO (AP) - The country’s leading group of pediatricians is recommending that children receive double the usually suggested amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it might help prevent serious diseases. Pediatricians double vitamin D recommendations The Associated Press Pediatricians double vitamin D recommendations WLOS The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com - Examiner.com all 90 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:45:16 GMT Television Review | 'My Own Worst Enemy' - New York Times New York Times Television Review | 'My Own Worst Enemy' New York Times - 56 minutes ago By ALESSANDRA STANLEY Most people sometimes wake up on the wrong side of bed. The hero of “My Own Worst Enemy” on NBC wakes up on the wrong side of his brain. 'Worst Enemy' Just Isn't Bourne-Again Bond Washington Post Spy-vs.-normal-guy premise of 'Worst Enemy' doesn't work USA Today San Francisco Chronicle - Los Angeles Times - Boston Herald - Fort Worth Star Telegram all 101 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:54:37 GMT Worth the trouble - Boston Herald Worth the trouble Boston Herald - 39 minutes ago By Dan Duggan As Red Sox [team stats] fans shook out the cobwebs yesterday morning after yet another marathon postseason game, it would have been easy to forget some of the positive developments from the Sox’ 9-8, 11-inning loss to Tampa Bay in Game 2 ... Video: Tampa Bay Wins Slugfest on Sacrifice Fly AssociatedPress Rays win respect, too Washington Times USA Today - Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader - SouthCoastToday.com all 3,671 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:12:18 GMT Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony renew vows along with Carlos Beltran ... - New York Daily News New York Daily News Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony renew vows along with Carlos Beltran ... New York Daily News - 1 hour ago BY DAVE GOLDINER Just four years after saying "I do," Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony reportedly secretly renewed their vows in Las Vegas Sunday - and they had company at the altar. Inside Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony's Renewal Ceremony People Magazine J.Lo’s vows not staying in Vegas Boston Herald Singersroom News - AceShowbiz - United Press International - Actress Archives all 37 news articles Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:39:55 GMT UPDATE 1-Tropical Storm Nana forms in Atlantic - Reuters Javno.hr UPDATE 1-Tropical Storm Nana forms in Atlantic Reuters - 8 hours ago MIAMI, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Nana, the 14th of the Atlantic hurricane season, formed on Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean east of the Caribbean islands, the US National Hurricane Center said. Tropical Storm Nana forms in Atlantic eTaiwan News Tropical Storm Nana Forms Over Eastern Atlantic RTT News CNN - The Associated Press - eFluxMedia - Central Florida News 13| all 199 news articles Publ.Date : Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:29:57 GMT RSS to HTML Website Traffic Promotion

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1

Great Leaders are optimists first and foremost. Their tendency is... Read More

Leadership Challenges: The Walls In Our Lives

We have all experienced walls or challenges in our work... Read More

The Death of Potential

... Read More

5 Human Capital Asset Enrichment Strategies for Leaders!

Here's a really simple way to think about the ins... Read More

Five Surprisingly Hip Politicial Ideas From Plato

Don't you love politics?Me, neither. But I do like thinking... Read More

Are You a Leader or a Manager?

President Ike Eisenhower once demonstrated the difference between leadership and... Read More

Who Needs Heroes?

When we were talking the other day we started to... Read More

None of Us Arrived with an Owners Manual: A Fresh Perspective on the Drive to Lead (part 2)

Why didn't I get an Owner's ManualAfter a little while... Read More

Leadership For Deep Results: Without Them Are You Wasting Your Leadership And Your Life? (Part Two)

How does one go about getting deep results? There are... Read More

Is Your Life Ready For Groundhog Day?

In the hit comedic movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray's character,... Read More

The Challenge to Lead

The topic of leadership has been and continues to be... Read More

Dissolving Conflict Through Reframing

Reframing is looking at the situation with a new set... Read More

The Three Factors of Leadership Motivation

Leaders do nothing more important than get results. But you... Read More

Pure Discipline

General George S. Patton was born on November 11, 1885... Read More

7 AAA Ways To Succeed!

[Abounding Abundant Ample Ways To Boost Your Growth!] This may... Read More

Having Fun In Leadership

"Don't measure your life by your goals, but rather by... Read More

Strengthening Leadership Development with Employees

Within every business lies a network of people who are... Read More

Leaders ARE; Are you?

Identity CrisisIt's not only the knowledge you carry around in... Read More

Leadership Training: The Bit They Didn?t Tell You About Changing!

A willingness to change first is one of the major... Read More

Abe Lincoln: An Extraordinary Leader

Perhaps noted as one of the greatest United States presidents... Read More

Get What You Want - Negotiating Skills for the Timid!

OK, I know this title sounds self-serving and hard nosed,... Read More

Coaching a Leader

One of my favorite memories growing up as a child... Read More

Leadership ? Push vs. Pull?

At your next staff meeting consider leading your team through... Read More

Sometimes Leaders Need to Get the Boot

Today I stood up to a guy right in front... Read More

Mentor? Who Needs A Mentor?

Who needs a mentor. . .everyone who is truly serious... Read More