While one might think it is easier at the top, one would be none the wiser to assume they all lead the same. There are as many leadership styles as there are leaders and here's a scientifically inaccurate albeit fun list of different types of leaders. I’ve endeavoured to keep in mind all kinds of leaders from the diligent ones who wrote ‘names’ in big bold letters on the black board in grade 6 to the ones that single-handedly contribute to 75% of coffee consumption in the country. Pick your poison!
When Logan Roy meets Miranda Priestly
This kind of a leader will sooner have you annihilated than have you question their ways. They’ve made it to the top from the bottom-most circle of hell so excuse their old fashion ways that will budge for none. You have to prove yourself worthy for them to notice you but rest assured, once you are under their wings, you’re bound to learn more about life than work.
The Devil works hard, but I work harder
If you ever walk into the office on a Saturday at 4PM to retrieve some of your forgotten goods, you’ll notice lights flickering in the corner cabin. Slowly as you walk further along to inspect this paranormal activity, you’ll notice your boss alongside a coffee molehill. This kind of a leader is overcompensating Monday to Friday, on weekends and on holidays working at what could only be dubbed an uninspiring French Revolution.
The boss who makes it to your guest list
This kind of a leader has made it clear that they’re not superior to you (while making infinitely more than you). They are friendly and are considerate of your suggestions. They hang out with you after work and you tell them about your neighbour who wants you to keep your volume down. There’s just the perfect balance of personal and professional and you are grateful for this camaraderie.
I’m clueless!
This kind of a leader walks into the room as nonchalantly as a kid who put his hands on a Monet painting and ate clay for breakfast- entirely unaware of the consequences of their actions. Sometimes you wonder how they ever got the role or if you’d be a better leader than them. But they rank above and so you, sulking, heed their decisions.
The Corporate Napoleon
This kind of leader wants to conquer deadlines, achieve goals, make newer ones and finish all 12 hours worth of work in 6. They have ambitions beyond rationality can permit and push everyone to strive for the same standards as them. They are perfectionists who micromanage. Suffocatingly so, you learn to be a better leader from them.
If you identify any of these to best suit the leaders in your life or are one yourself, good luck dealing with the guilt. It is true that with great power comes great responsibility; and the Peter Parker principle has never really been falsified.
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