Strategists come in different breeds. Some know it all or are full of ideas, while others prefer to involve their people or focus on maintaining the status quo. Which type are you?

Type 1. The King Strategist
The know-it-all strong and independent Chief Executive, having a clear vision of where to take the organization. Capable thinkers and forward-looking.

Strengths: have strong, well-founded ideas about where to take their organization the next couple of years. Often they are right.

Weaknesses: can lose touch with the rest of the organization. Too far ahead and expect too much of others, thereby creating frustration.

Type 2. The Servant Strategist
Favor a participative, or democratic approach to strategizing. Instead of defining the strategy themselves, they rather want to hear what others in the organization are saying.

Strengths: strong in creating harmony, engagement and commitment. Able to create a shared strategy of which people feel ownership.

Weaknesses: Because they hardly share their own vision and let others do this, they may easily be seen as weak and indecisive.

Type 3: The Elder Strategist
Often have been decades with the organization and have been in a leading position for a long time. They appreciate continuity and are hesitant in embracing new developments.

Strengths: strong sense of history and continuity. Rather than jumping on hypes, they embrace what the organization is already good at.

Weaknesses: can be defensive and with their focus on tradition can lose touch with internal and external developments.

Type 4: The Prince Strategist
Embraces change and innovation and often are themselves the main source of new ideas. Full of creativity and enthusiasm and see opportunities for change everywhere.

Strengths: able to spot new opportunities and bring in new ideas. Can motivate others to be innovative too.

Weaknesses: make the organization jump from one idea to the next, change strategy regularly and never get into delivery mode.

Type 5. The Joker Strategist
A non-strategist. Have no clear ideas about where to take their organization, and have limited abilities to make decisions or enforce action. Like to joke around and stay popular.

Strengths: their weakness may trigger others to step up and take their role as one of the other four types of strategist.

Weaknesses: the lack of clear strategy and the lack of execution, as well as their general ineffectiveness.

Are you a King, a Servant, an Elder, a Prince, or a Joker Strategist?

Note: this post is based on my recent Forbes article. The link to the full article appears in the comment below.

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