What kind of business leader are you?

What is your leadership sweet spot? While there are infinite variations, let’s consider these three entrepreneur women:

1) Haley Hardnose

Oh, my. Haley has a tough, dog-eat-dog attitude that leaves a trail of raised eyebrows in her wake. She stuffs her emotions, thinking that showing them would be revealing weakness.

This may be a leftover from her struggles to compete in a traditionally man’s world. For years, she had to be assertive to get noticed.

Unfortunately, her assertiveness has turned to aggression. She gets whatever she goes after regardless of what she has to do or who she has to step on to get it.

True, she has a hu-mongo biz now, tons of recognition, and the money is rolling in… but at what cost?

Employees and associates may be polite and attentive in Haley’s presence and they do her bidding. But not out of loyalty or respect. Out of fear. They are constantly thinking (and sharing among each other) about their dread of Haley’s presence. Haley’s associates will jump ship as soon as they find a viable option.

Haley may be respected by other leaders, but no one really likes her. She has no close relationships, except with her dog, because she isn’t trusted.

I surmise that unless Haley steps back and genuinely looks at how she treats others, she will remain driven and unfulfilled because with that attitude, she will never have enough to fill the void.

2) Melinda Mushmuffin

Talk about a flip side of the coin! Melinda is soooo stinkin’ nice! She’s service oriented, compassionate, and willing to give, give, give.

As a matter of fact, she gives so much that people take her for granted. They even unknowingly take advantage of her because… well, hey, Melinda always steps in to make sure things happen, right? She will never let anyone down.

She is loved and trusted by everyone, except Haley Hardnose who thinks Melinda is a squishy push-over. There may be some truth to that.

While Melinda is very capable, she doesn’t get compensated for her efforts nearly as much as she’s worth. She hopes to be rewarded but doesn’t ask for it. As a result, she is always stretched thin… with her time, money, energy… and that leaves her continually overwhelmed.

It looks to me like if Melinda doesn’t place more value on herself and her business, she will either get deathly ill or her company will fold. Or both. Her overload can’t continue indefinitely. At some point, the stress will manifest in a major negative way.

3) Lucy Lighthouse

Ah, Lucy, what a treasure!

She has learned to balance her traditionally feminine traits of nurturing, compassion, and congeniality with her traditionally masculine characteristics of strength, courage, and assertiveness. She is able to discern which characteristics are needed at any particular moment.

She is a beacon of light to everyone in her circle of influence. However, she also stands firm in her commitment to correct principles. She has integrity. That means she gets the most out of every situation… for herself AND others. She believes in finding win-win situations.

If she makes a mistake, she owns up to it. If others make a mistake, she helps them correct it but doesn’t hold it against them.

Lucy is both respected and loved, even by Haley and Melinda. She’s so genuine, they can’t help it.

She has found the sweet spot of balance.

How about you?

In looking at these three women entrepreneurs, whom are you most like? Should you present your views with less aggression? Or do you need to step up your assertiveness a notch?

I challenge you to look deep inside and be honest with yourself. In your gut, you know what changes are needed to bring more success in your business, your relationships, your life.

No one does everything right OR everything wrong all the time. It helps to evaluate ourselves to see where we are on the spectrum. Then we can make a conscious effort to change our course to become the best leader possible!

Even small steps in the right direction can change your trajectory toward finding your leadership sweet spot.

Happy journey!

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