A Typology of Impactful Leaders: Which One Are You?

Key points

Leadership types and their patterns of behavior can be a guide to developing as a leader.

Leader types range from thought leaders, to pragmatic-task leaders, to servant leaders.

Many leaders embody a combination of leadership types.

This post was coauthored by author and speaker, Paul B. Thornton.

A key goal of effective leadership is to try to improve the status quo in an effort to help individuals, teams, and organizations perform at a higher level.

There are 4 main types of leaders (see Thornton, 2023; Hunter & Lovelace, 2022), and understanding these can provide a framework for leaders to develop and grow. Each of these types uses a specific approach to influence and inspire people to make positive changes. It is important to note that these frameworks can also be us