What's your leadership archetype?

Quiz Questions

• 1.
  I am best at ____

  • A.
    Solving problems that others find too challenging.
  • B.
    Inspiring clients and employees to see the big picture.
  • C.
    Recognizing what we've tried already and encouraging the team to try something new.
  • D.
    Helping team members grow and challenge themselves.
• 2.
  When working on the strategy for the company in the next year, I am more likely to ____

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  • A.
    Evaluate last year’s performance, consider the changes in the market and propose a new strategy that I've been thinking about.
  • B.
    Have a day-long retrospective with breakout sessions to include everyone's voice. Show off the productive successes of the previous year and how they align with our core values.
  • C.
    Give an inspirational talk about the high level vision and future impact the organization can make next year in order to start the year with a bang. We got this!
  • D.
    Lead an informal gathering to exchange dreams and personal projects to get to know my team better because detailed strategy sessions have been unproductive in the past.
• 3.
  A client is upset about a recent project presentation your team delivered. I am most likely to: 

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  • A.
    Talk to the client and really listen to their issues. If it makes sense to me, I'll let them know that my team will take those points and integrate them into the project. If the client's ideas are counter to what my team believes is the right vision I will explain the vision again and describe why our deliverable is in the client's best interest.
  • B.
    Give the client's feedback to the team and call for an internal meeting to discuss putting in a better pre-presentation review process.
  • C.
    Reflect if this client is a good fit for my team. Give the client the option to start over but remind them that it will take extra time.
  • D.
    Discuss things with the team, go back to my firm's core values and principles and determine if something actually went wrong.
• 4.
  I tend to solve problems by: 

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  • A.
    Creating a detailed draft solution, and then bringing it to the team for edits and approval.
  • B.
    I ask my employees for their insights, and collaborate on a solution from the start. I hired them to hear their ideas and trust we'll solve it together.
  • C.
    Delegating the largest tasks to the most productive team members while reminding them why I have faith in them.
  • D.
    Push the team for immediate solutions. Get the project done, and then reflect on what to change later.
• 5.
  ________ is most challenging for me.

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  • A.
    When I feel the work isn't providing the impact I am seeking to make.
  • B.
    When the team or client doesn't understand my vision.
  • C.
    When people don't follow the processes I created (and they previously agreed to follow).
  • D.
    Long, unnecessary meetings.
• 6.
  I've got a new hire. How do I train them up?

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  • A.
    I sit with them and explain the vision of the organization in hopes to inspiring them to do their best work.
  • B.
    I put them through a detailed onboarding process that I've created in order to help them be more effective as soon as possible.
  • C.
    I explain to them the history of the company as well as mine and ask them about their dreams and vision.
  • D.
    Depends on the type of job and personality. I try to pair them up with the right mix to encourage them to be themselves.
• 7.
  My reputation as a leader is built around:

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  • A.
    Confidently solving problems.
  • B.
    Staying true to my values.
  • C.
    Challenging the status quo.
  • D.
    Building on solid relationships.
• 8.
     Leadership can happen at any level.          My organizational leadership level is _____.

  • A.
    I'm at the top. (CEO, founder, owner, etc.)
  • B.
    I'm one level from the top (COO, VP, etc.)
  • C.
    I'm 2 or more levels from the top (e.g. Director)
  • D.
    I'm an individual contributor
• 9.
  The size of my organization is...

  • A.
    1-20 people
  • B.
    21-50 people
  • C.
    51-200 people
  • D.
    201-1000 people
  • E.
    over 1000 people

Quiz Outcomes

• 1.
  Your Archetype is... Rebel

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  Your REBEL leadership style indicates you value autonomy and creativity. You get a quiet pleasure from being a little bit different from the pack and you love to question the status quo. You love learning new things and taking on exciting new projects doing work you have not mastered before. You are smart and may have a dry wit or cynical nature that others either love or are put off by. Your co-worker: "You look so unapproachable". You: "Yet here you are". Leverage your unique strengths as a leaderYou challenge the status-quo by questioning the way "we have always done things" and you seek to bring creative solutions to bear, while also valuing others' perspectives. Use your skepticism for good by calling into question processes and meetings that have little or no value. You know how to be yourself, and take pride in being a little outside the box. This puts you are in a unique position to openly and authentically share your perspective with others without fear of how you'll be perceived.Because you value autonomy so much, you offer this to your employees as well. You are not a "micromanager". This likely has attracted and kept competent and self assured employees within your team. Your thirst for learning has given you a deep sense of intuition and you are likely able to see connections between things that others miss. This can be a great asset to a team because you can provide solutions and ideas that may seem like magic to other people. You are highly intuitive and this allows you to react in a wide variety of situations without formal processes and procedures for the good of the organization.Challenges and growth opportunities for the Rebel ArchetypeBecause you value autonomy both for yourself and others you may struggle with creating clear structures and roles for yourself, and your team members. You may also struggle with giving constructive feedback to others. Your hesitancy to micromanage others can be useful for employees that have significant task level maturity, but some employees may need and want more direction from you. You may assume that others are as comfortable in their own skin as you are, and that they will ask for what they need without fear of how they are perceived. This may not be true so it can be useful for you to check in with people to ensure they are getting what they need, and encourage them to come to you with questions and concerns. You may have a natural skepticism of processes and systems. This can be a useful perspective to bring when collaborating with your peers and superiors, but it can be confusing and disruptive for people that report up to you. Every high performing organization has alignment on values, behaviors and processes. It is important, but can be particularly challenging for you to defend alignment outward into your team, if you are not aligned yourself. In order for you to be aligned, you'll want to ensure you take the time to engage in the process of creating or refining these values, behaviors and processes. You may need to learn the skill of "decent and commit", meaning that even if you don't agree with something, you can say your peace, fight the battle for your perspective, but then commit to and defend a decision that went a different way than you wanted.
• 2.
  Your Archetype is... Rock Star

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  You are a ROCKSTAR! You are an inspiring performer at heart. Clients and employees feel inspired in your presence and you are very good at wining people over with your brilliance and charisma. You have a natural ability to enroll others in your vision and ideas.Your team looks up to you and admires your rockstar capabilities, but they can sometimes feel like they are in your shadow.Life is all there is. And if that’s true, then we have to really live it — we have to take it for everything it has and “die enormous” instead of “living dormant.” ~ Jay-ZLeverage your unique strengths as a leader You have a natural charisma that draws people in, and makes them happy to be in your orbit. This allows you to attract clients, supporters, and team members and to have them wanting to learn from you. If you aren't already, you should consider taking on a role in sales or client management to make full use of your talent of winning others over. You enjoy presenting and talking about your ideas. You take pride in delivering exceptional work, and hold yourself to your team to a high standard. If you aren't already, use your influence to generate a shared purpose between your vision and your team members' goals.You likely enjoy teaching others and have a lot of knowledge to share. Challenges and growth opportunities for the Rock Star ArchetypeBecause you are naturally charismatic and capable, you may struggle with employees that cannot perform in the same way that you can. It can be helpful for you to take an inventory of the different strengths that everyone on your team brings to the organization. There are likely people doing work that you have no interest in because it better suits their strengths and interests. Being grateful, and recognizing others for their unique contributions is important so that you don't create a team of people that worship you, follow you blindly, or get discouraged.Your team may try to emulate your style when talking with clients or prospects. This can cause them to feel incapable and lose confidence. You should encourage them to find their own style. Allow them the space and safety for them to do things their own way. You can coach them and give them ideas for improving their presentation and communication skills, but make sure they know they can bring their own style to bear and that they may learn (vs. fail) over time without fear of having to live up to some standard that they see in you.Problems that you didn't see coming can throw you off your game because it rarely happens. You might be tempted to not look at yourself as part of the problem because you place such a high value on excellence and others perceiving you as excellent.
• 3.
  Your Archetype is... Missionary

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  You are on a MISSION to make the world a better place! You work to fulfill a purpose greater than yourself. You are drawn to work that has a purpose that fits your values. It may be that you are drawn to a mission driven organization. Or, you bring your passion for helping others grow, into your leadership."There is no greater gift you can give or receive than to honor your calling. It's why you were born. And how you become most truly alive." ~ Oprah WinfreyLeverage your unique strengths as a leaderYour desire for all to have a better experience likely makes you an inspiring leader that garners a lot of loyalty from your team. To get the most out of your team and accomplish your purpose, make sure you take the time to understand what motivates each team member individually. Then, look for ways that you can align individual's goals with your organization's or projects goals. Your values and vision are likely clear to you. Ensure that you clarify them for the rest of the team. An aligned team is a high performing team.Your idealistic values make you a natural collaborator. You can model collaboration by being open to receiving the opinions of everyone on your team so they feel heard.Leverage your passion by openly sharing your vision and values. This will likely to inspire others and attract a loyal and likeminded team to you. Your desire to see others grow makes you a natural mentor. Consider growing your impact by sharing your knowledge and guidance with others, even if they are outside of your area of responsibility. Challenges and growth opportunities for the Missionary ArchetypeYou can sometimes experience disappointment and frustration when your vision is not being realized quickly enough. When things are not progressing as you imagined it can be a challenge for you to know when to pivot to a new goal and when to be patient and stay the course. You might prioritize impact and effectiveness over profit. This can lead to conflict with those who in your eyes sacrifice values for profitability and efficiencies. Consider learning new communication and conflict resolution skills and then putting them into practice.Your desire to grow others, may result in overpromising or creating conflicts if you try to keep everyone happy. You can listen to everyone's hopes and desires, consider them seriously, and then get back to people with an "I looked at how to get you x, but it just isn't possible right now given that our goal is y". Your team will value that you took their desires into account and they will likely respect your decision as a leader with her eye on the bigger picture.
• 4.
  Your Archetype is..... Fixer

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  As a Fixer archetype, you thrive when there are new and interesting problems to be solved.While others may be put off by unique and complex problems, you prefer to dive right into the challenge.You see problems (and solutions) everywhere and are driven to turn things around in order to make things better for everyone."We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them". ~ Albert EinsteinLeverage your unique strengths as a leaderYou are able to see and apply patterns in problems and solutions. For you, seemingly dissimilar things have commonalities that you see but others may not. Your reputation as someone with solutions at the ready makes you valuable. You may be most fulfilled if you can work on new projects and turn arounds as you may get bored if things are mostly running smoothly or problems are just the "usual small stuff".Your ability to structure and clarify complex problems makes you an ideal person for a strategy team.Challenges and growth opportunities for the Fixer ArchetypeMost fixers, myself included, can benefit by slowing down. To you, the solution may be obvious, but your speed can frustrate others and leave them behind. Consider slowing down. To start, make sure you have found a problem that others want to solve. Engage others in the steps of defining and structuring the problem before jumping in to fix it. Seek input and collaboration from others, in particular the people that will need to implement the solution. This may seem to slow things down, but a solution where you engage the right people will be much easier to implement. As a good fellow-fixer friend of mine likes to say "Sometimes you have to go slow to go fast".Because you've seen it all before, and can spot the pattern so quickly, you may believe you've found "the" solution when it may not be the most impactful. Slowing down also has the benefit of letting you discover and find "out-of-the-box", solutions you may not have considered.An area of growth for you may be to develop a strong but collaborative style of facilitation. Your capabilities and confidence give you the ability to guide a team to a solution. Your challenge is to learn how to guide the team at a pace and through a process that works for them as well as for you.You can potentially get attached to solutions in the form of processes and procedures. While clarity of process is important and helpful, make sure you allow space for others to implement and potentially improvise in a way that works for them but still gets the job done.