5 WHO DERAIL

TYPES OF LEADERS
PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO BECOME GOOD, OR EVEN GREAT,
LEADERS CAN GET PULLED OFF COURSE
SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY.
LEADERS OFTEN LOSE THEIR WAY
WHEN THEY GET CAUGHT UP
IN THEIR OWN SUCCESS,
FAIL TO STAY GROUNDED,
REJECT HONEST CRITICISM,
OR HAVE A FEAR OF FAILURE.
THERE ARE FIVE TYPES OF LEADERS WHO
SUFFER MOST FROM THESE SHORTCOMINGS.

Imposters
Rationalizers
Glory Seekers
Loners
Shooting Stars
1. IMPOSTERS
LACK SELF-AWARENESS AND SELF-ESTEEM

They are the ultimate political animals,

adept at figuring out who their competitors
are and then eliminating them one by one.
They have little appetite for self-reflection
or developing self-awareness.
IMPOSTERS NEED TO USE THEIR
POWER WISELY AND NOT ACT UNDER
THE ASSUMPTION THAT UNDERLINGS
ARE OUT TO GET THEM.
2. RATIONALIZERS
DEVIATE FROM THEIR VALUES

When things don’t go their way,

they blame external forces or
subordinates. As they advance and
face greater challenges, they transmit
pressure to their subordinates instead
of modulating it.
RATIONALIZERS SHOULD ACCEPT
RESPONSIBILITY. INSTEAD OF
BLAMING SUBORDINATES, THEY
SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON THE
FUTURE AND HOW THINGS CAN BE
DONE BETTER.
3. GLORY SEEKERS
MOTIVATED BY SEEKING THE WORLD’S ACCLAIM

Money, fame, and power are their

goals. Often it seems more important
to appear on lists of the most powerful
business leaders than it does to build
organizations of lasting value.
GLORY SEEKERS’ EXTREME FOCUS
ON WINNING CAN CONTRIBUTE TO
COMPETITIVE SUCCESS, BUT IT CAN
ALSO UNDERMINE CHARACTER.
TRUSTED COLLEAGUES EMPOWER
OTHERS TO SUCCEED.
4. LONERS
FAIL TO BUILD PERSONAL SUPPORT STRUCTURES

They avoid close relationships,

mentors, or support networks. Not to
be confused with introverts, Loners
often have a myriad of superficial
friends and acolytes but do not
actually listen to them.
LONERS SHOULD RECOGNIZE THEIR
BEHAVIOR MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE
FOR THEM TO REACH THEIR GOALS.
THEY NEED TO ACCEPT HONEST
FEEDBACK AND COUNSEL TO AVOID
MAKING MAJOR MISTAKES.
5. SHOOTING STARS
LACK THE GROUNDING OF AN INTEGRATED LIFE

The lives of Shooting Stars center

entirely on their careers. They
move up so rapidly in their careers
that they never have time to learn
from their mistakes.
SHOOTING STARS NEED TO BECOME
MORE AWARE OF THEMSELVES AND
THEIR PRIORITIES. THEY NEED TO INVEST
TIME WISELY AND BE WILLING TO LEARN
FROM THEIR MISTAKES, NOT RUN FROM
THEM BY CHANGING JOBS OR CLIMBING
THE CORPORATE LADDER.
ALL FIVE ARCHETYPAL LEADERS—IMPOSTERS,
RATIONALIZERS, GLORY SEEKERS, LONERS,
AND SHOOTING STARS—FRAME THEIR
LIFE STORIES IN THE MODEL
OF AN ALL-CONQUERING HERO.

Yet, this outlook utterly fails

precisely because being a hero
is not empowering to teammates
or subordinates.
THE ROLE OF A LEADER IS NOT TO
GET OTHERS TO FOLLOW BUT TO
EMPOWER OTHERS TO LEAD.
Leaders cannot elicit the best performance from their
teams if they are in the game primarily for themselves.
 EVEN LEADERS WHO
BECOME DERAILED CAN
GET BACK ON TRACK.
Discover more about authentic leadership
and finding your True North.

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