Level Up: Shift from Type B to Type A Leadership

Over the last year, I have had the privilege of reading books like Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Relentless by Tim Grover, Principles by Ray Dalio, and Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson. One thing that sticks out to me in these books is the personality traits of these individuals: they all appear to have Type A personalities. These personalities seem to contribute to the great successes that these individuals enjoy. The flip-side of it is, they also, at times, can be off-putting to those around them.

According to Google AI, Type A personalities are competitive and driven, while Type B personalities are laid-back and patient, working well with others. If I’m being honest, I feel like I’m somewhere in the middle. I am very competitive and can often be pretty aggressive and intense. I am also very patient with people, willing to help them work through issues.

Can I inspire and be Type A

One downside of being Type B is the people-pleasing aspect. I tend to not want to disappoint people or hurt feelings, otherwise, I end up feeling bad for a little while. When I read the biographies of Steve Jobs or Elon Musk, these guys cared less about the feelings they hurt and more about completing the mission. It has me thinking, “is that the most effective to push a product forward?”. Now, start-up culture is of course different than consulting with a company like Booz Allen. If I go around hurting feelings, it seems that would make people not want to work with me; I wouldn’t be able to inspire people if they do not want to work with me.

While I’m sure I won’t be going on any rants that would make people hate me, I do want to lean towards letting my Type A show more. I think it’s the only way to figure out what my balance is. I don’t want to lean on sugar-coating my words anymore. If something is wrong, I want to plainly say, “that’s wrong”. I will treat it as a muscle that I need to strengthen everyday. I do believe that my team will benefit more from this approach. It will ideally open the door for people to speak more freely instead of tip-toeing or mincing words, hopefully leading to faster growth and better team dynamics.