Anyone who has worked for more than one business can testify that there are many different types of bosses. Although all leaders have the best intentions, many unintentionally fall into unsuccessful management styles while others thrive as effective bosses.
How productive a boss is also depends on the type of business or company they are in charge of. There’s no doubt that certain types of bosses are more cut out for the various business models, workplace atmospheres, and employee personality types.
No matter the environment, there are types of bosses that tend to always come out on top. Here are the top 10 types of bosses and which make the best leaders!
The Peacemaker
Celebrated for their ability to facilitate close workplace relationships and strong communities, The Peacemaker is one of the best types of bosses out there. Not only do they value the comfort of their employees, but they are also known for being flexible.
The type of boss appeals to Millennial and Gen-Z employees who greatly appreciate freedom. However, as The Peacemaker types of bosses can be a bit too lenient, they are often taken advantage of in the workplace.
With the wrong types of employees, The Peacemaker can be too passive, which can lead to unproductive teams. Therefore, they are not as effective in situations where a more strong and more stern presence is needed.
Our How to Increase Productivity tips can be greatly beneficial to bosses who may need extra guidance in coaching teams on how to stay productive.
The Dictator
The Dictator types of bosses often follow the popular top-down management type. As defined by BetterUp, this type of structure “...is often the default. In this hierarchical style of management, the power and decision-making generally remain with those at the top (though there might be some input from middle management).”
As such, The Dictator expects those below them to follow their lead without question. Furthermore, they have zero intentions of interacting much with employees who may be lower down on the corporate totem pole.
You may have a dictator boss if you:
- Walk on eggshells
- Feel creatively stifled
- Cannot question their authority
- Never receive decision-making privileges
Companies that experience a slow death often discover that they were infected by Dictator bosses. This is because this type of management results in high turnover in employees. Also, young professionals can sense The Dictator a mile away and often do not bother applying for companies where they know they’ll be dictated over.
The Dreamer
Growing companies need The Dreamer types of bosses! These bosses have a vision for the company, and they are enthusiastic about hiring the right people to fulfill that dream.
The Dreamer bosses have nothing but good intentions, but they often lack follow-through. Therefore, it is important for these types of leaders to be talented in onboarding professionals that fit the needs of the company. Once The Dreamer has assembled their “dream team” they are unstoppable!
The Micromanager
If you’ve ever had a boss that reminds you of a high school principal, then you’ve probably had a Micromanager as a boss. These bosses run their offices almost like a school, where they expect everyone to follow directions without question.
Micromanagement tendencies stem from one of two things. This type of boss either feels compelled to control situations or lacks confidence in the team they’ve hired.
Either way, bosses who show signs of micromanagement should be forced to take a step back and learn leadership best practices. According to TrackTime24, “Low productivity, heightened stress, and reduced creativity are just three of the many negative effects of micromanagement.”
Not only will micromanagers cause burnout in talented colleagues, but they will also create team dynamics that stifle innovation. Furthermore, they are known for making their employees feel inadequate for the roles they are hired to perform.
The Empowerer
Every company should be looking for Empowerers to lead their forces. These types of bosses are professionals in being, well, good bosses. They know how to onboard the perfect employees for their team.
They also know how to let those experts do the job they were hired for rather than micromanaging them to death.
The Empowerer types of bosses are experts in coaching their staff to reach their highest potential. Due to their high level of integrity, they also tend to be extremely respected among their staff members.
Common traits of The Empowerer:
- Transparency
- Self-Confidence
- Integrity
- Fairness
- Tactfulness
- Flexibility
- Emotional Intelligence
As it turns out, high emotional intelligence (EI) is a common trait amongst the types of bosses who are most successful. MindTools defines EI as “the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and those of the people around you.”
In our 6 Characteristics of Effective Teams in the Workplace, The Empowerer is definitely the type of boss who facilitates highly efficient teams!
The Overworker
Overworking yourself and expecting others to overwork themselves is quickly becoming an outdated practice.
There was a time when employees strived to receive praise for picking up overtime, skipping breaks, and working into the wee hours of the night.
However, those days are long gone. In fact, The Overworked types of bosses tend to scare away new-age employees who expect work-life balance.
Moreover, bosses who celebrate employees who sacrifice rest, family time, space, and peace of mind are quickly followed by high employee turnover rates.
If you tend to overwork yourself or expect others to overwork, check out our article about How to Build Discipline. Here, we discuss the importance of establishing healthy work habits.
The PD Lover
Have you ever felt like your schedule at work is packed with training sessions? Does your boss enjoy having the team read books together?
The Professional Development (PD) lover is the type of boss that thinks anything can be resolved with the right amount of training!
In addition, they believe that they’ll create the perfect team if they have their staff read certain books or take a certain amount of classes.
The PD Lover types of bosses aren’t the worst type of leader to have in your company. After all, they are dedicated to developing the hired talent.
However, the PD Lover bosses must be careful not to distract their employees too much. Although PD is important, getting the job done is essential.
The Aggressively Insecure
You can spot an Aggressively Insecure boss from a mile away. These are the types of bosses that must be recognized as the smartest person in the room.
In addition, they are often the ones on the constant lookout for a way to position themselves above all others.
When it comes to having an Aggressively Insecure boss, you have to be careful not to attract too much positive attention.
After all, you wouldn’t want to make them feel as though your expertise is threatening their position.
Aggressively Insecure bosses are often similar to The Dictator types of bosses. However, they take things a step further by taking measured actions towards putting others in their place.
For example, they would be the first to passive-aggressively knock someone down a peg in a meeting. Or, they may send a veiled email to the entire staff with subtle callouts.
Like other authoritarian types of bosses, The Aggressively Insecure leaders often have trouble keeping employees under them. This is because they make others feel scared of shining or even thriving in their hired position.
The Best Friend
Depending on the type of company, these types of bosses can be quite effective. The Best Friend bosses are celebrated for their ability to retain employees and build a positive workplace culture.
In fact, employees are often willing to stay with a bad company if they are working under a Best Friend boss.
This is because, despite the downfalls of the company, the boss makes their work-life experience enjoyable.
As long as the Best Friend boss is willing to put their foot down when it counts, they can be valuable contributors to any company.
It’s the bosses that are too afraid to ruffle the feathers of their employees that can be detrimental in the long run. Like The Peacemaker bosses, Best Friend bosses can be easily taken advantage of for their kindness.
Become a Better Boss
Are you a boss or an employee placed in a leadership position? Did you identify with one, or more, of the different types of bosses listed above?
While it would be easy to just tell you to strive to be an Empowerer, Peacemaker, or Dreamer type of boss, that is easier said than done.
Breaking bad leadership habits can be just as difficult as forming healthy ones. To start, you can become a better boss by taking some work off of your employee’s plates.
To do this, you can outsource tasks to Legiit freelancers, who are experts in their chosen niches. Get started by checking out our comprehensive list of Vetted Freelancers.
For more information about working with freelancers, we encourage you to review our article about How to Outsource Your Content on Legiit!
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