16 Different Types of Bosses – Which Are You?
National Bosses Day was October 16th, so hats off to all of you BOSSES out there!
There are many different types of bosses and many of us are a combination of several different styles. Not any one style is the “secret sauce” for being a great boss. Whichever style(s) is yours, how can you be a better boss?
Do you need to be a better listener, a better delegator, hold people more accountable, be more accessible, be a better mentor, be a better decision maker, be more understanding and empathetic?
In their August 15, 2024 article, the Indeed Editorial Team, identified 16 different types of bosses (read the full article to learn how to successfully work for each style):
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The coach. Managers with coach personalities strive to motivate their employees to achieve their full potential. They start challenging conversations and may encourage you to set goals to progress in your career. They often discuss plans and strategies to help you manage your assigned tasks effectively. This type of manager may help you identify ways to perform your duties faster or more efficiently.
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The workaholic. A workaholic manager spends most of their time devoted to working. They consider work as one of their highest priorities, and they often work outside their scheduled hours, such as evenings and weekends. They may take limited vacation days or personal time because they prefer to be working.
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The goal-setter. A goal-setter manager explains objectives and sets challenges to help their teams meet goals within a set period. They expect their employees to perform tasks to the best of their abilities and produce high-quality results. They lead by example to show employees how their efforts can impact their performance.
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The autocrat. An autocrat manager often makes decisions with little input from other managers or team members. They make choices based on their ideas and judgments without taking advice from others. Autocratic leaders typically provide clear directions and expect their teams to follow the established rules.
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The empathetic. An empathetic manager strives to understand their employees’ viewpoints. They encourage team members to create connections and build collaborative relationships with each other. They understand how to manage conflict to help team members continue working toward their shared goals.
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The participant. A participant manager often wants to engage directly with the team to complete tasks or projects. They often perform duties outside of their job description to help the team achieve its goals. A participant manager typically provides motivation for other team members. They genuinely want to see the team or company succeed.
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The traditionalist. The traditionalist is a manager who has a fixed mindset about the best ways to lead a team. They focus on their ability to use power and influence to lead others, and they expect employees to have loyalty to their positions and what they represent, rather than to the leaders in departments. Traditionalist leaders often prefer to perform tasks in the same way, rather than enacting changes.
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The democrat. A democratic manager wants input from every team member. They strive to have a consensus on major decisions and identify a collaborative path for working together. This type of manager encourages teamwork and asks members to work together on shared goals.
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The micromanager. The micromanager boss often wants to be involved throughout your working process. They may provide little guidance or input to help you perform your tasks. This type of manager may expect you to complete detailed reports summarizing your progress on tasks or projects.
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The inexperienced. An inexperienced manager may be new to their position and have little or no experience leading others. They may be unfamiliar with the industry or company and ask questions to help them understand policies or procedures. In some cases, an inexperienced manager may have lower qualifications than you.
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The bold. A bold manager typically thinks outside traditional conventions and challenges teams to achieve lofty goals. They believe in the company or team and their methods of accomplishing goals. They’re often receptive to suggestions and encourage team members to try new processes to achieve higher-quality results.
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The leader. Some managers earn their promotions because they exhibit natural leadership skills. A leader manager typically has various soft skills, such as communication and decision-making, to help them manage teams effectively. They use their leadership capabilities to set goals and inspire team members to work toward them.
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The introvert. Often, an introvert manager has advanced in their career because of their hard skills, rather than their communication or charisma. They may prefer to work alone and complete tasks independently. They often have strong introspection and listening skills, which can help make them effective leaders.
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The visionary. A visionary manager sets goals to help the team or company achieve long-term success. While they communicate effectively to explain their goals, they may provide less direction about the methods for achieving those objectives. They believe in working as a team to identify strategies for accomplishing goals.
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The experienced. An experienced manager has often been working in their position for many years. They have a deep understanding of the company or industry. They often use their knowledge to develop efficient workflows or processes to keep a team progressing toward its goals.
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The best friend. This type of manager wants to be friends with the employees they manage. They strive to make everyone on the team, including themselves, feel like equals. They typically have a friendly, warm demeanor and want to be well-liked by others.
Here’s to all the bosses out there – helping to mentor, coach, guide, lead, motivate, and direct their teams to success!
Source:
“16 Different Types of Bosses (And How To Work for Them)”, written by the Indeed Editorial Team, August 15, 2024.
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