There are many kinds of leaders in the world. I'm sure dozens of categories could be created.
But over the years, in many schools and jobs, I've noticed three types of leaders.
There are the leaders referred to as being in the "ivory tower," often found at large corporations or nonprofits.
This is the head of the entire organization, the CEO-type.
People don't see the "ivory tower" leader very much. And when they do, it feels a bit like seeing a celebrity. It's a rare sighting.
We watch what we say, on the rare occasion we end up in a conversation.
But the problem with the "ivory tower" is just that. They live in the ivory tower.
Eventually, people wonder...what exactly does this leader do for the organization...???
Other than appoint second-tier admins (often referred to as VP's) to carry out most of the work with their own teams.
Because no one sees the work the "ivory tower" leaders does, resentment slowly builds over time. Employees feel like a cog in a machine. And eventually, they look for a more exciting story.
Not to say that all CEO's are ivory tower leaders. The key difference is whether it's clear the CEO is invested in the mission, the employees, and the customers.
Which typically requires showing face, doing work that people can see, and being human on a regular basis.
And then, there's the "boss" leader. These are the leaders that most people report to every day of the week.
The "boss" leader might mean well, but the dynamic is clear. The boss gives the orders, you do them. That's the natural order of things.
You might be welcome to give feedback, and it may or may not be listened to.
If you get upset with the boss, there's not much recourse.
Why? Well...because, they're the boss.
And then, there's the servant leader. This is the rarest leader of all.
The servant leader understands that in order to lead, you need to serve. That an organization is meaningless without the people who make that happen.
The servant leader provides direct and real service to the people who are doing the work.
Making sure they're happy with their work, and fixing anything that gets in the way of that.
Making them feel valued on a regular basis.
Making sure they have things to be excited about in their work, beyond the love of the work (with tangible things, like money and benefits).
In this way, the servant leader has a boss...their employees.
Because if they're not kept happy, then you won't have employees anymore. Or an organization.
But a leader serving its employees is not a bad thing. In fact, it's exciting as can be.
It creates a synergy.
Because when people feel loved and appreciated by the leader of the organization, they want to return that in kind.
Through the work. And through the culture.
No weird politics. No power struggles. Just people serving each other and a mission that's bigger than all of them.
There are no doubt many more types of leaders in the world.
But of the three in this post, which would you guess runs the organization with the greatest likelihood of success?
