Introduction
Where it all began
On a muggy night in the early 1980s I sat stranded in an Asian airport. Imelda Marcos had comandeered my plane to escort her jet-set companions to a party in Malaysia. Only the sweepers punctuated the late night desolation. It was the end of a long, overscheduled business trip, one of the many I took every year to search for new banking clients. In the middle of large pile of debris I noticed a book. Dog-eared and well used, it caught my attention. I picked it up, and from that moment on my view of the world was altered forever.
"If a man does not keep pace with others, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer," it began, using the oft quoted statement by Henry David Thoreau. The book, an obscure and out-of-print interpretation of Jungian thought, outlined the seemingly obvious differences in the ways people take in information and make decisions. Some of this I knew intuitively, yet the information hinted at a new framework for dealing with clients and associates. Returning to Hong Kong, I set out to organize all my customers by personality type, with a color-coded file for each type. Each file contained brief instructions for support staff to follow in the event of my absence: "When Gold comes in, make sure all statements are up to date and organized in date-sequential order. If Blue makes an appointment, call our investment guys in New York and get three new ideas." And so it continued, outlining a strategy for each of four color groups. It proved uncannily effective. Almost overnight our new business increased by 60 percent, but there was more. I began to enjoy my clients more, my stress level went down, and in time, relationships with others began to improve.
For some 10 years, I continued to use the model. The bank sent me back to the United States, and the clients grew more diverse-white-robed sheiks in Abu Dhabi, shipping magnates in Athens, aristocratic landowners in Spain-with the same color-coding instructions dotting their files: "If Gold comes in, make sure their statements are. . . ."
In that decade I never met another individual who spoke of Jung-at least not in terms of his marketing wisdom. Neither did I. After all, this was the domain of high finance, and pop psychology was not the subject of our Monday morning meetings. Most of us toiled in a world governed mostly by greed and fear, not human connectedness. Then, in 1990, I joined some friends in Maine. It was an escape from burnout and institutional reorganization; I needed to rethink my career. The small Port Clyde Inn sparkled in the crisp October sunlight, and on the front porch sat a lanky dark-haired man reading a book. We began to chat and he spoke of the author, Isabel Myers, and her new applications of the work of Carl Jung. It was the conversation I had been looking for.
That moment was a turning point, a seemingly accidental event that steered my life in a new direction. Over the next few years I would discover a hidden universe. There were books, seminars, tapes, and associations involving hundreds of people around the world dedicated to exploring the same personality-coding system that had intrigued me for years. Compared with others, I knew little, but I knew I had a new commitment and a strong sense of internal direction. I knew that this material would prove to be an organizing force that would weave a tapestry of experiences culled from several careers over the years. Suddenly, assistance came out of nowhere and things just began to happen. The right people and events began to materialize. Jung would have chuckled. He would have called it synchronicity.
It would be a couple of years before I could undertake my own research, applying these concepts to areas of personal interests such as investment behavior and leadership. The material that follows is the result of this research on leadership. It sums up the information provided by the over 1000 participants in my seminars. It is also based on the written works of "personality type" experts who for the last two decades have laid the intellectual groundwork that serves as the basis of this book. I have pulled their principles together, viewed them through the lens of my own experience, and tested them through the lenses of others. For the sake of simplicity, I have returned to my own color-coding system of earlier times. "When you meet a Gold, make sure that. . . ." It served me well for many years. I hope it will work for you!
Purpose, Scope, and Methodology
There are many systems for understanding people. This is the one I have found the most profound, the one that probes most deeply into the recesses of human behavior. It shows that one size does not fit all; that there are many styles of leading; that those styles are natural, observable, and predictable; and that each one can be effective. Once mastered, this model provides practical tools and techniques to maximize natural leadership talent. It is not the answer to all management problems. It is not a shortcut to maturity and wisdom. Most of all, it is not a labeling system that denies the individuality of each person.
Many people share the fantasy that with just a little more effort they can do anything and be anyone. This is an illusion that blocks real development. Growth does not require significant change or the emulation of others. It requires that we understand and accept the dynamics of our style-its unique strengths and weaknesses-and in time soften some of the blind spots. It also demands that we appreciate the styles of others and willingly make use of qualities that complement our own.
The framework does not claim to offer a complete description of any person. There are billions of unique people on this planet and only eight leadership styles.
The framework is not gender-specific: It works equally for male and female leaders. Both men and women are found in each style, though in some groups the percentages differ. My focus on women came out of the access to large groups of female executives provided by membership in the Financial Women's Association of New York and affiliated organizations. The participation of these of women in seminars and surveys provided valuable data and an opportunity to retest the conclusions.
In time it also became clear that there was a need for a book that would showcase a wide range of natural styles through the personal stories and views of women who have achieved success by embracing their individuality.
Thus the format was conceived. I created Leadership Q a self-scoring questionnaire (Chap. 1) and asked each woman to fill it out and consent to be interviewed about issues related to her style of leading. Individuals were chosen because they were recognized by the press or their peers as significant leaders in their field or avocation. The interview questions included what they perceived to be their strengths and weaknesses and the activities they found energizing, stressful, or boring. I also explored their failures and turning points, the impact of family, role models, and their advice to young women pursuing ambitious goals.
For the most part these leaders were dissimilar; there was no common external pattern to their success. Some came from tenements, and others from mansions. Only a few were firstborns, not all had college degrees, and many had advanced degrees. Some were aggressive; others were more self-contained or collaborative. A number dressed elegantly; others paid less attention to personal appearance. They represented a broad range of fields: corporate work, politics, broadcasting, entrepreneurship, the arts, social activism and philanthropy. Most had had parents with high expectations, but a small minority did not. Thirty-six were Americans by birth or residence, and two were based in Europe. In age they ranged from 38 to 80.
Their managerial styles were noticably different, but all acknowledged the validity and truth of the color-coded leadership characteristics presented during the interviews. They spoke with authenticity. Their words reflected the particular values, their priorities, and the communication texture of each individual style. Their quotes have not been altered.
Evolution of the Model
In reality, while people are unique, professionals have been coding them for over 25 centuries. Even Hippocrates got into the act in 450 B.C., and a host of renowned sages, including Plato, followed suit. Today's sophisticated brain imaging continues the tradition, validating many of the earlier theories by showing how chemicals and activities in different parts of the brain affect behavior. While each person is unique, there is a part of everyone-a core if you will-that is solid and predictable.
The personality model which follows is based on the work of a several important twentieth century thinkers. First, the groundwork was developed over 70 years ago by the famed Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, who spent most of his life studying people's similarities and differences. He concluded that many behavior traits are due to certain preferences which are inborn or emerge early in life to become the core of what people like and dislike in other people, activities, tasks, careers, and so on. Jung outlined his ideas in the book Psychological Types in 1921.
Jung, however, was very abstract. Fortunately, a mother-daughter team would provide a practical key to unlocking his work. These two American women, Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs, individually and together, would spend the next 40 years testing Jung's ideas by observing the people around them. They quantified their observations and then rigorously tested and validated them. Ultimately, they produced the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®), a personality-coding questionnaire that identifies 16 personality types on the basis of four sets of preferences. Today the MBTI is the most widely used psychological instrument in the world. It has been administered to more than 15 million people worldwide and is the only psychological instrument that has its own membership organization and research center.
In the 1950s Dr. David Keirsey did work that overlaid the four-part framework begun by Hippocrates and culminated in the Jungian/Myers-Briggs types. In his book Please Understand Me, he outlined four temperament groups correlated to the 16 types. These two models combined serve as the basis of the four color groups and the eight leadership styles presented in this book.
Today the work is being continued by another family group, Peter and Katharine Myers, coguardians of the MBTI. Katharine D. Myers, whose work with the instrument began in 1942, was one of the founding board members of CAPT, the research laboratory and resource center in Gainesville, Florida. In 1979 she became the first president of the Association for Psychological Type (APT), the leading membership organization of the "type" community.
Twenty years later her strong sense of stewardship is still in evidence. Myers is a mentor to those seeking new insights and applications. Leadership is an area of evolving interest. "The Jungian model for growth is an excellent nonthreatening tool for developing leadership," she said in a recently telephone interview. "A good leader understands herself well-her strengths and weaknesses. She also understands the styles of others-their motivations, priorities, and communication styles. This enables her to consult and work with those whose strengths complement her weaknesses. It took me many years to own and understand my way of leading. I never wanted to head anything; I wanted a voice in decision making on matters important to me. I am a good catalyst. I scan for possibilities, and when I see something that seems really important to do, then I will work to make it happen." Myers is a Green Advocate, as defined Chap. 16. And like many in her group, she excels at identifying the common denominator in a discussion and summarizing the points of agreement to move the group forward in a constructive way.
On a hot humid morning in July she can be seen standing at the entrance of an opulent ballroom that shortly will be filled with over 600 members of the type community. It is one of the many meetings around the world she will attend each year. She is a self-contained presence with considerable influence. Her brand of power-personal as opposed to positional-is of particular interest since she does not have any formal authority. She does not command a budget or resources that enable her to hire, fire, or keep others from publishing their work. Hers is a power that comes from within. Fueled by passion and commitment, it projects its own brand of charisma and, in the words of Otto Kroeger, incoming president of the association, "keeps in front of us all the need to show respect for each other and the work we do around the MBTI."
How To Use This Book
Women and the Leadership Q is an interactive book. It is meant to be read with paper and pencil in hand. Your leadership style, as revealed by the self-scoring Leadership Q questionnaire, is meant to be shared with your partner, associates, and family. This system is not intended to label you! It is designed to explain how personality differences affect the way you lead and relate to others. Optimally, you will revisit it over and over again.
Here is what you will find in the book:
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The Leadership Q self-scoring questionnaire.
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An explanation of what kinds of traits the Leadership Q examines to determine leadership styles, and a fuller picture of the four most basic leadership personalities: Gold, Red, Blue, and Green.
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A closer look at each leadership personality, including lists of the traits typical of that personality, most typical careers for that personality, and well-known leaders of the same leadership with that personality.
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Descriptions of the two major leadership styles of each leadership personality: Gold Trustees and Gold Conservators, Red Tacticians and Red Realists, Blue Strategists and Blue Innovators, and Green Mentors and Green Advocates.
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Each leadership style is highlighted in a separate chapter, with overviews of leadership style; optimal and least preferred working environments; other attributes relevant to a working environment, such as contribution to a team, decision-making style, and potential blind spots; and even suggestions for the best ways to persuade colleagues with that leadership type.
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Since even the strongest leaders have blind spots, each chapter on leadership style also includes style-specific strategies for increasing leadership effectiveness and development exercises specific to that style's typical blind spots.
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Finally, each chapter provides leadership profiles of successful women and sketches out of their leadership history, their strengths and weaknesses, and their advice to young women hoping to succeed.
Even the most talented women may find that they have not maximized their potential. Dr. Bonnie Kellen, a practicing psychologist, has provided a chapter on the "sag" factors that can limit otherwise strong leaders, including a self-test to diagnose your susceptibility to those factors.
For readers who need a few extra pointers to determine their leadership personality and style, Appendix A, "When You Have Close Scores," features additional self-assessment questions designed to help you pinpoint your profile.
Leadership and work have changed tremendously since the days when our grandmothers faced their own leadership challenges. For readers who want more information on how great those changes have been and how they have affected the jobs of today's leaders, Dr. Kellen has written on "Leadership, Revisited" (Appendix B).
Finally, for the most scrupulous readers; and for those who want to learn more, there are notes and resources listed at the back of the book.
How you use the book, however, is entirely up to you.
If you are the kind of person who likes to explore new ideas with others, fill out the Leadership Q questionnaire, read profiles in your color group, and share the results with someone else. I guarantee a lively discussion!
If you are the type who needs to reflect on what you have learned, by all means take some quiet time, study it by yourself, and then share it with others.
If you are organized and goal-oriented, pencil in a block of time, say 20 to 30 minutes, in your calendar for daily sessions with this material. Let material sink in rationally and predictably before charging ahead to new sections.
If you hate planning and prefer to do things on the spur of the moment, leave the book by your favorite reading chair and pick it up whenever you can. Don't worry if in a couple of months it turns up again with the pile you are taking on vacation. You will already have begun to apply whatever you have read to your daily life. If it takes you 5 years to finish it, so what!
However, you are one of these people who love anything to do with psychology, then go for it. Stay up all night and read it. Analyze all your bosses, subordinates, competitors, clients, donors, family members, and friends. Take note of the bibliography. Order other resource materials. Arrange for an MBTI specialist to come in and run training sessions for your group. Just remember that not everyone wants to hear your latest analysis at every meal.
As you can see, there are many legitimate ways to approach new material. That is the thesis of this book Each way is valid, and each works for a different type of individual.
Enjoy your journey!
Shoya Zichy
