I am often asked if there is a specific personality style that someone needs to have in order to be a successful leader. I often answer this question by saying yes and no. I have seen trends that suggest that certain personality types are more successful leaders, but then you always find people that don’t “fit the mold” and are highly successful. This brings us back to the question of whether great leaders are born that way or whether you can develop skills necessary to become a successful leader. I think that some people are born with natural leadership tendencies, but that the people who aren’t can learn how to master those skills.
In order to understand your own natural style, you should take a personality assessment. I would not suggest using a style inventory like the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, MBTI or the DISC profile, because these assessments only give you an overall style of your personality. I suggest taking a trait based assessment like the ECI Behavioral Insight®, which allows you to understand individual traits and why you have certain behavioral preferences. This is where you really discover your personal style. Once you recognize your personal or leadership style, then you can work on developing the factors that can drive success in leadership roles.
Using your personality results you can work on your areas that you feel are holding you back from being a better leader. Maybe you need to work on your communication style, decision making or organization skills. I suggest working on only a few skills a year and focusing on one strength as well as one of your weaknesses or developmental opportunities.
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