{"id":128,"date":"2014-02-04T13:08:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-04T13:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/?p=128"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:31:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T16:31:55","slug":"what-kind-of-leader-inspires-success-a-look-at-top-styles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/?p=128","title":{"rendered":"What Kind of Leader Inspires Success? A Look at the Top Styles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What makes a successful leader? Is it the hands-on type who rolls up their sleeves and works in the trenches? The goal-setter who drives results, rewards dedication, and isn&#8217;t afraid to confront problems head-on? Or the mentor who empowers, guides, and inspires?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The answer: all of the above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sounds impossible? Not according to our research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a study of 34,700 participants who took <span><a href=\"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/corporate\/tests\/leadership-potential-assessment-2nd-revision\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LEAP (Leadership Potential Assessment)<\/a><\/span>, we selected people who occupy a leadership position and used their most recent performance ratings to categorize them as excellent, good or average\/below average leaders. These are the leadership styles that emerged:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Sports Coach<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Breakdown:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>28% of excellent leaders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>43% of average\/below average leaders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Strengths:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Develop their staff to become self-sufficient, confident, and independent.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Practice &#8220;tough love.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Continuously set goals and inspire others to achieve.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have an energetic yet firm demeanor that commands respects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Give credit when it&#8217;s due and will compensate hard work and dedication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Downsides:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Will not delegate responsibilities\u2014they draw a line between leader and follower.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Will not endear themselves to others. These are no-nonsense leaders who are outgoing but will keep their relationship with their staff strictly professional&#8230; they will not become anyone&#8217;s friend.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can be short-tempered and might be difficult to get along with sometimes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don&#8217;t possess a great deal of long-term vision\u2014only focused on accomplishing short-term goals.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Director<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Breakdown:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>22% of excellent leaders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>17% of average\/below average leaders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Strengths:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hands-on leaders who will roll up their sleeves and work just as hard as the next person. They encompass the true value of hard work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Know exactly what they want to achieve and how to get there. Very ambitious and goal oriented, with a clear, long-term vision.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Very determined and perseverant\u2014once they set their sights on an objective, they will not stop until they attain it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Firm leadership style\u2014slackers will be set straight immediately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have a great deal of respect for people who are willing to work hard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Downsides:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Will not delegate their leadership responsibilities\u2014which can often mean they will work longer hours to get things done, because they don&#8217;t trust anyone else to get their part of the job done well.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don&#8217;t mince words or use flowery language to inspire others. They dictate orders and expect them to be done without question.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are not skilled in developing people. Would work better with an established, experienced staff.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can be &#8220;rough around the edges.&#8221; Not likely to give many second chances.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Mentor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Breakdown:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>17% of excellent leaders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>23% of poor to average\/below average leaders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Strengths:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strive to bring out the best in those they lead, and willing to spend the necessary time and effort to do so.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Will progressively delegate tasks that involve more and more responsibility, in order to empower employees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Will not give up on troublesome or difficult employees; they believe everyone deserves a second chance. And third. And fourth&#8230;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Believe that people are the most important resource a company has.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Downsides:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They are not comfortable directing a large group.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not a very outgoing or charismatic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Would not thrive in management of production and operations. They are people-oriented.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don&#8217;t possess a long-term vision.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Country Clubber<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Breakdown:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1% of excellent leaders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1% of average\/below average leaders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Strengths:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Big-picture leaders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Good at networking and drawing customers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dynamic and charming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Downsides:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>More of a figurehead than leader. They are not very involved with their staff and prefer to simply pass orders down the chain of command.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Not very hardworking, at least not in a practical sense. They delegate the more nitty-gritty tasks to others.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Understand the importance of nurturing and motivating staff&#8230; but will leave that duty to someone else.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Eclectic Leader<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><strong>Breakdown:<\/strong><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>32% of excellent leaders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>16% of average\/below average leaders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eclectic leaders have it all. They&#8217;re chameleons, shifting their style to fit the situation at hand. This adaptability showed up in a third of the excellent leaders in our study\u2014and it&#8217;s likely what earned them that distinction. Their toolkit isn&#8217;t limited to one way of leading; they can pull from every style when the moment calls for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So why don&#8217;t average or below average leaders do the same? Because they often swing to extremes. Some lean heavily on the Sports Coach style, obsessing over performance and production. Others overdo the Mentor style, focusing so much on people that results slip. In both cases, the imbalance undermines effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today&#8217;s leaders can&#8217;t afford to be one-dimensional. They need to balance the human side and the performance side of leadership. The days of barking orders like a drill sergeant\u2014or, conversely, spending afternoons on the golf course while others run the business\u2014are over. Modern leadership demands versatility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking to hire the right leaders? Explore <span><a href=\"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/corporate\/tests\/leadership-potential-assessment-2nd-revision\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">LEAP (Leadership Potential Assessment)<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to develop and improve the leaders you already have? Try our highly popular 360, <a href=\"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/corporate\/tests\/strengths-assessment-and-growth-evaluation-manager-360\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/corporate\/tests\/strengths-assessment-and-growth-evaluation-manager-360\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SAGE-M (Strengths Assessment &amp; Growth Evaluation)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Great leaders know it&#8217;s not all pep talks. Which leadership style gets it right?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership-management"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=128"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":824,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions\/824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archprofile.com\/archprofile_blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}