Douglas McArthur once said, “Leadership is action, not position.” Leaders inspire, influence, and instill in others the motivation, enthusiasm and the drive to achieve and be successful. As a leader takes his or her team into the unknown, he or she must have the confidence, courage, and compassion to be an effective leader.

When we think of traditional leaders, we may think of management or the power and control that goes with it. However, good leadership can be exhibited regardless of whether you are a CEO with 40 years of experience, a mid-level lab manager, or a PhD bench scientist with only a year or two of experience.

What makes a good leader?
When a leader fully understands his or her purpose and role, and how this fits into the overall mission and vision of the company, this creates true value for his or her employer and an impact across the entire organization.

His or her goal is to breed confidence and contagiously spread inspiration throughout the team and organization, as great leaders coach, teach, and mentor their team. The leader drives team members to accomplish their own personal goals and reach new heights, accelerating the team and company forward.

In the fast-paced biopharma world, personal growth and success depends on decisive action. Leaders must remain open to adaptive change, be able to make important decisions, and yet always be held accountable. A good leader is not afraid to admit when they don’t know all the answers. A leader is hungry to become a credible expert in their field and continuously acquire knowledge. He or she is also an effective problem solver and positive motivator.

Above all, good leaders know how to listen, and they do so in a selfless, humble manner. A ‘know it all’ leader will be counterproductive for any team and will only hurt team morale.

What type of leader are you?
When it comes to leadership style, one size certainly does not fit all. The style must be appropriate to the person or task(s) at hand. An effective leader should adapt their style to a team member’s strengths or experience, and apply a unique combination of styles. Knowing how to “read” others will depend on high emotional intelligence and good listening skills. 
According to Dr. Daniel Goleman in his Harvard Business Review article titled, “Leadership that Gets Results,” there are common styles of workplace leadership based on his data from more than 3,000 executives. Following are Goleman’s six types of leaders, with my interpretation for our industry.

The Visionary – “Come with Me”
A visionary leader is motivated by guiding a vision, and he or she knows how to use this to inspire. This type of leader provides clarity on the shared vision, and allows team members to find the best way to get there. Having a strong sense of the leader’s vision allows the team members to manage change easier and with less stress; changes are executed because of a commitment of the members within the group. Sometimes a visionary leader will charge forward and yet have trouble with some in the team because they have more experience in the organization than the leader.

The Affiliate – “People Come First”
An affiliative leader is driven by building teams to make sure followers, teammates, and departments all feel connected—he or she is often a master at building relationships and bringing people together. He promotes unity and collaboration among followers, and is driven to solve conflicts that present themselves. While followers typically receive praise from this style of leader, poor performance may often go unchecked. 

The Coach – “Try This”
The coaching or mentoring style of leadership aims to develop people for the future, specifically to help an employee improve performance or develop strengths, with a long term focus on impact and value creation. A coach typically has high emotional intelligence, is empathetic, and is ideal for those who are early in their career. However, the downside of being a coach long-term is that it can lead to micromanagement.

The Democrat – “What do you think?”
The democratic leader creates consensus through participation and collaboration. The goal is to gain buy-in, while gathering valuable input from team members to leverage their expertise to help shape or drive decisions, giving them a ‘voice’ in the process. However, it can have the effect of slowing down projects, decision making, or overall progress.

The Commander – “Do what I tell you”
The commander demands immediate compliance when it comes to her instructions. He or she tends to be competitive, driven, and assertive. He enjoys blazing new trails, and making high impact decisions. This is typically seen during a crisis stage, such as with a pressing business issue or problem employee, where a quick turnaround is needed and immediate action is required to course-correct. But the negative side of this type of leadership is it can result in seeming cold or distant, and may fall short when it comes to team buy-in.

The Pacesetter – “Do as I do, now”
The pacesetting leader sets very high performance standards and exemplifies them. This style of leadership is all about doing things better and faster, and having everyone on the same page. The goal is to get quick results from a highly motivated, competent, and independent team. But this can also be a negative style of leadership as it may make team members feel is if they are falling short, and can result in fatigue or burn out.

Develop the “Inner Leader” in you
As Goleman describes, leadership styles are adaptable and unique to your situation, but incorporating them means that you have to know yourself well. It may be time for some self-discovery and assessment. The best leaders are the best learners as a good leadership development plan requires you to have a solid grasp on where you are now.

Acknowledge and build your unique inner strengths: A good leader is a continuous, lifelong learner. He or she recognizes and understands inner strengths, current limitations, and is aware of what it takes to further develop and grow. If you are not already self-aware of your strengths and weaknesses, a feedback process (such as a 360 degree feedback) may help these come to light.

Map out traits and actionable items to become a better leader: Think of ways that you are evolving as a leader in your current role. Did you train your team on how to use a new system or application? Maybe it was a new lab bench skill, experiment, or assay that you pioneered and passed onto others? If so, make a list of these behaviors and try to come up with creative ways that will further develop them.

It’s useful to think of someone who is a leader, someone you admire, and examine their leadership traits. Your professional development plan should include these as actionable items. Lastly, a mentor, ideally outside your organization, will help coach you through your career and provide a ‘reality check’ of where you can improve.

Recognize your mistakes or failures, and learn from them: They are actually an essential part of becoming a greater leader. Your journey here begins with being able to reflect on the feedback you get from others on those mistakes, as well as your own critical review, and then adopting new ways of thinking from these valuable lessons.

Embrace and learn to overcome your fears: Make a list of challenges that have been weighing you down. Don’t be afraid to confront issues or step out of your comfort zone. You are not on your own, so reach out to your network for guidance and support. If you give in every time, you won’t advance and the fears that you face today will continue tomorrow. Focus your energies on developing new, healthy leadership habits founded on courage.

Be proactive about the change you want to see: In many ways, we have to be the CEO of our own careers. An “Intrapreneur” is an employee of an organization who acts and thinks like an entrepreneur, and these are highly regarded staff in many organizations. Put yourself in your manager’s shoes and ask- what can we do better, and what questions haven’t we addressed already for our customers? Look for ways where you can get “small wins,” which will build over time and gain some needed visibility.

Build on your expertise and credibility: Be a leader who is curious, enthusiastic, and passionate. In the world of science, there is something new to learn every day. As you become more of an expert in your field, credibility will follow along with team buy-in and trust.

The shift from growing your career to growing others
Jack Welch in his book, Winning, hits the nail on the head. He says, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
Developing yourself and others into leaders is a process. Don’t rush it; you will see that once you have the motivation to grow, coupled with execution, it becomes a natural part of your life as a leader.

Your leadership development list does not have to be exhaustive, as there is no perfect leader. As you go down your career path, be patient in the journey of becoming a better leader and giving back to others. The time invested will pay huge career dividends.