Characteristics 

• Very hardworking and task-oriented, able to pursue goals to completion. 

• Identification with organisational goals and policies replaces personal needs and feelings. 

• Personal style emphasises assertion and confidence. 

• Action-oriented, able to move quickly and efficiently. 

• Very adaptable to the expectations of others. 

• Basic self-perception emphasises the need to be successful. 

• Avoids failure or the appearance of failure.

Strengths 

• Have the capacity to be active and energetic in all aspects of life. They can stay ‘on the go’ for long periods of time and accomplish large amounts of work. 

• Usually high in self-esteem, believe in ability to perform well and get the job done. 

• Willing to jump into situations, activities and projects with enthusiasm and confidence. 

• Able to identify the social and cultural norms and performance expectations and able to present themselves well in areas of expertise. 

• Highly motivated to do well and be the best possible in any endeavour. 

• Pragmatic about getting things done, and not overly bound by tradition, fears, worries or inflexible attitudes.

Potential Problems 

• This need to achieve immediate results can interfere with building relationships that are necessary for long-term success. 

• Personal life and physical health may suffer due to overwork. 

• May come across to others as insincere or overly competitive. 

• The need to stay busy doing things may obscure priorities. Sometimes quantity replaces quality. 

• The tendency to seek approval by maintaining a successful image may lead to being perceived as unclear about who they are or where they stand. Can have difficulty acknowledging or learning from mistakes, limitations or failure. 

• Can be controlled by conformity while creativity and risk-taking may be reduced. 

General Focus 

Enjoys working hard, being successful and producing what is expected of them. This may lead to neglecting the personal needs of oneself and others.

Application to Your Leadership Style 

Major Assets 

Able to chart a clear direction, you communicate with conviction and move quickly to results. You have an outstanding capacity for focusing and harnessing your energy to the task at hand. Your approach is generally confident, assertive and rational. You are highly adaptable, good at decision-making and time management and excel at achieving organisational goals. 

Major Challenges 

Remember to pay attention to relationships as well as task. It’s important to consider other people’s needs and feelings in order to maximise teamwork and productivity. Remember also to take care of yourself – chronic over-exertion can lead to burnout or impaired performance. Pay attention to quality as well as quantity. 

Preferred Learning Style 

• Prefers fast-paced, clear and challenging learning process. 

• Usually looking toward the application of new material. 

• Wants the instructor to be competent and successful. 

• Biased in favour of action, doesn’t have to understand everything at the outset, willing to take results as they come (tendency to ‘wing it’). 

Suggestions for Your Professional Development 

• Don’t over-rely on enthusiasm and clarity as a primary leadership strategy. When initiating change, obtain support and assess people’s current experience before trying to lead them to desired results. Consider what it takes to get other people on board with a project. 

• Your enthusiastic and urgent style of communicating may cause others to feel unrecognised or deficient and may lead to their increased resistance. Recognise that other people move at a different pace when thinking, planning and acting, and have other interpersonal needs in addition to achievement. 

• Your tendency to move quickly and talk fast may distance others and lose their involvement. Slow down when necessary for effective interpersonal communication. 

• Maintain the go-forward vision while allowing for problems, active resistance and setbacks. These are all part of the process and may in fact contribute to the final result. With this in mind, develop your depth of awareness in assessing situations. 

• Pay attention to and work with both developmental needs and group dynamics that occur when leading a group toward a common goal. Learn to work with the resistance and understand what the resistance is saying. Be careful how you communicate your impatience or frustration. 

• Watch out for making sudden shifts in personal to impersonal approaches that may distance people and result in their avoiding or withdrawing from you. If you step out of your formal role with people, notice when and how you step back into it. Acknowledging or signalling these shifts will help people adjust. 

• Be willing to waive short-term results or profits in favour of long-term progress. Keep in mind the big picture. 

• Because you are so goal-oriented, be sure to periodically re-examine the goals, review priorities and understand the larger context. 

• Acknowledge the feelings and progress of others. Take time to celebrate achievements. 

Suggestions for the Leader 

• Focus on tasks and results more than process. 

• Get to the point quickly. Don’t overdo preface, context or structure. 

• Don’t overemphasise theory. 

• Define what success means in the specific learning situation. 

• Encourage high visibility and risk-taking. 

• Present problems as challenges. 

• Maintain an image of success and competence.