Richard was a former CEO, a gregarious man who took great pride in his storied career. He loved talking about his business conquests. Richard had started a technology company that attracted massive government contracts. He was financially savvy and it was reported that his net worth soared to hundreds of millions of dollars when he sold his company.
After his “retirement,” Richard had been asked to serve on the board of a company whose CEO I was coaching. Richard was famous in CEO circles for strategy and implementation, and in our first few conversations, I noticed that he frequently began sentences with “The way I always did it was . . .”.
Observing Richard at a board meeting was eye-opening. Clearly, he had a keen ability for solving complex strategic problems and making quick, pragmatic decisions—skills he honed over many decades as a trusted CEO. But every time he spoke, the resentment of other board members was palpable. When he was asked a question, his reply was short, clipped, and blunt.
He appeared to answer before hearing the question, and he came across as aggressive and arrogant. In fact, his most frequent response to others was “I know.” Given his past success and reputation, I was sure he did know. But he created a gap between himself and the other board members, and his attitude destroyed the spirit of teamwork that should have existed among his colleagues.
Richard had a problem that high performers rarely confront on their way up, but all inevitably face. One day, suddenly, what once worked so well to propel their rise to the top stops working. And the very same traits that had worked for them start working against them.
There comes a time when very successful people strength's become their flaws. After decades of coaching and advising top CEOs and executives, I have identified seven key leadership archetypes shared by great leaders and successful people. Each carries a set of opposing attributes that form a polarity of character—a dynamic that can either compel us to greatness or leave us struggling to lead from our gaps.
These polarity of character between strengths and flaws are:
The Rebel, driven by confidence; can become the Imposter, plagued by self-doubt.
The Explorer, fueled by intuition; can become the Exploiter, master of manipulation.
The Truth Teller, who embraces candor; can become the Deceiver, who creates suspicion.
The Hero, who embodies courage; can become the Bystander, who is fearful.
The Inventor, brimming with integrity; can become the Destroyer, who is morally corrupt.
The Navigator, who trusts and is trusted; can become the Fixer, endlessly arrogant.
The Knight, for whom loyalty is everything; can become the Mercenary, who is perpetually self-serving.
You may recognize yourself and your leadership strengths in multiple archetypes, and in fact, you should. As leaders, we assume particular roles based on the situation: in a meeting, you may have to be an explorer, a truth teller, and a hero.
In a team, you may have to be a navigator and a knight. In a conversation with your board, you may have to be the inventor who speaks and acts with integrity. We must be careful not to become like Richard, who refused to accept that his leadership style had become ineffective, or that he was perceived as a know-it-all. He wasn’t interested in learning how his flaw could become a key to success.
Instead, he held tightly to what had worked in the past, making him, paradoxically, a shadow of his own success. His failure was not due to a lack of skill, experience, or opportunity. Richard could have been a Navigator, but he let his flaw- his gap- the endlessly arrogant Fixer – dominate, and as a result, he was asked to leave the Board.
This can happen to all of us. So we must be mindful to make our flaws our key to success and not allow them to turn into our leadership gaps and we can do it by the following:
1. Get Feedback – Leaders can be wary of asking for feedback, but hearing truth from those you trust is often the only way to recognize your gaps. Receiving praise might make you feel good, but authentic feedback will make you a better leader.
2. Cultivate a Culture of Candor – When you create an environment where people can speak their truth, you empower everyone, including yourself, to be able to make mistakes, learn from them, and improve, together. Candor cultivates honest individuals and a culture of integrity.
3. Take Measure – For a leader, measuring your effectiveness starts with accountability, to yourself and those you lead. Make your own growth an important part of your business development. Hiring a nonpartisan coach can help you recognize your leadership gaps and develop your strengths.
Good leaders define themselves based on what they’ve done—the immutable past—while great leaders have the unique ability to define, and redefine, themselves based on who they are. As a result, they are open to learning, changing, and growing. They are open to viewing how their strengths can become their flaws.