The 20 Types of Executives (part 3) How to Improve Your Performance No Matter What Type You Are (Par

In our first two articles on this subject, we looked at the types of Executive personalities. Now, we'll continue with our overview, so you can be better aware of your own type of personality and see how executive coaching could benefit you.

9. The General.
The General is the old school command and control leader. He wants his people to be loyal, and to do what he wants them to do, on time, under budget, and his way. This leadership style can be effective, especially in organizations that need a clear direction. However, the "soldiers" who report to the General often complain that they don't feel part of the bigger vision, and burn out from doing project after project, task after task, without a greater purpose or mission. They also resent being in a "mushroom farm" where they only get information on a need to know basis. Finally, younger workers do not respond well to the command and control style. The coach can help the General develop new ways to motivate, involve, and bring together teams to get the same results.

10. The Bureaucrat.
The Bureaucrat needs specific processes followed and does things by the book. He is very similar to the "Safety First" archetype. The coach can work with the bureaucrat to focus on results instead of tasks, and to break out of his comfort zone.

11. The Perfectionist.
The Perfectionist needs to get the A+ every time, even if the requirements of the work don't demand a perfect score. He often makes decisions slowly, suffering from analysis paralysis, waiting for 100% complete and comprehensive information (which almost never exists). The coach needs to work with the perfectionist to do what's needed for the job, to make decisions with imperfect information, and to be more willing to take risks without guarantees of success.

12. The Loose Cannon.
This executive is the bull in the China shop. He says things that are politically incorrect, goes off topic in meetings to push his own agenda, pushes ideas without listening to others, and generally ignores the political structure of the organization to get things done. He also tends to be the "ready, fire, aim" type of leader. The coach can work with this person to become aware of the political nature of the organization, how to promote ideas more wisely, and how to do a bit more research before jumping to conclusions.

13. The Legal Liability.
Some superstars in organizations have blind spots that can create a legal liability for the company. For instance, the brilliant neurosurgeon might be abusive to his nurses. The law firm partner might yell and swear at associates, even making personal attacks. In too many cases, these people cross the line into sexual harassment as well. Your job as a coach is to make it clear how serious these issues are, and work with the person to correct their behaviors immediately. However, often the organization tolerates these behaviors, which means you may first have to go to the top levels of the organization and have them decide that they will no longer tolerate inappropriate behaviors, even if it means losing superstars (although the organization can make the case to the superstar that, if they do go elsewhere, other organizations will be far less tolerant). In other words, the neurosurgeon or other similar key person will not change if they don't have to, especially if senior leadership tacitly tolerates the poor behavior. You may have to change the organization's explicit values first in order to change the person second.

About the Author

Advance a career. Transform a company. Achieve incredible results. For executives who want to take their career to the next level - Executive Coaching can get you there. In business, the only thing that really counts is results. High achievers continually deliver results and they do it by performing at their best each and every day. For more information on executive coaching or coaches please visit http://exec.actioncoach.com/

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