Types of Leadership

     There are many ways to classify leadership.  Today I want to focus on levels of leadership.  I see 3 or 4 basic levels.  This is based on time and geography.   To me there are executive, managerial, and supervisory leaders.  There is a hybrid fourth that I am choosing to call coaching leadership.
     An executive leader is one whose focus is the big picture.  Where are we going in the next ten years?  The next generation? How big will our scope be?  These are the CEO's and Presiding Bishops.  These are the statesmen and Monarchs.  These are the ones who are transforming our world.
     Managers are the ones with midsize jurisdictions and time focuses.  How will we achieve our monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals?  How are things going in my area?   These are the operations officers, the chiefs of staff, the regional VP's.  The middle managers who keep the ball rolling.
     Next come the supervisors.  They run things on a day to day basis.  Did we meet our weekly goals?  How is my team doing right now?  These are the ones who train the entry level employees.  These are the most hands on of all the leaders.  And if they don't look up and around they will cement themselves in place. We call them team leads, squad leaders, and shift supervisors.
   Finally, we have the coach. The coach has to be all of the above.  She has to slide between all the levels of leadership, all the different scopes of focus.  A CEO is the supervisor of the leadership team, yet is planning for the next market to enter, the next product that will carry the company into the next decade.  A manager trains his reports or makes sure they are all on the same pager.  A manager may be preparing to take over the company or start his own.  A supervisor may be earning a degree to prepare  to be a manager.  They may have  selected a mentor to learn from.  They may be looking up and around.
     My conclusion is obvious.  The best leaders are coaches.  Great coaches want to win the next game.  They also want their players to be winners in life.  They are conscious of the ticks of the game clock as well as the long term image of their sport and profession.  They get their hands dirty and can give a presentation to a board of directors.  We are all leaders.  We lead our families, communities, churches.  If you are an adult someone expects you to be able lead, even if only on a temporary basis.  So what kind of leader are you?  And is it time to expand your horizons?