Dictator, Dumper, or Developer?

The Dictator – He walked into the kitchen during the middle of one of the busiest Saturday lunch rushes I could remember.  He was the owner of the restaurant I worked for at the time.  There was a 16-year-old kid operating the fryer and doing the best he could to keep up with the onslaught of orders.  The owner began with a shout, “No! You may think it is faster but I know better.  This is my restaurant.”  The shouts continued at a level that made the customers uncomfortable. 

The young man at the fryer conceded to the owner’s demand to operate his kitchen position as desired.  The result was a 3 to 4 minute addition to customer wait time.  The owner disappeared into the back office and began questioning the manager on duty about what kind of training we provided to kitchen staff.  Angry and without apology, the staff bore the wrath of the owner for the next hour. 

The Dictator always knows best, even when they are wrong.  He cannot conceive of someone who could come up with a better idea than his own.   This kind of leader doesn’t ask for input, because they are only concerned with getting their own ideas out on the table.  The organization or business will never excel beyond the dictator’s weaknesses.  The best and brightest will eventually leave the dictator because they cannot contribute.

The Dumper – It was thirty minutes before the end of the workweek when Betty got the news.  For months, the team she was a part of had been working on a campaign that was launching the first thing the following week.  She had done everything she had been asked to do and more to contribute to the campaign’s launch.  Now, as she answered the last few emails in her inbox, the point leader walked into her office with a document in his right hand.

“I was thinking about the content we are handing out to our associated,” her boss said casually.  “I think it needs to be reworked.  You’ll need to get on this over the weekend.” 

Betty was shocked, especially because the point leader was the one responsible for content and its distribution to the associates.  She was being asked to take on the job that was her boss’s.  Before she could respond, her boss was out the door.  Less than thirty minutes later, she saw her boss walk back by her office with coat and briefcase in hand.  She stared back at the document her boss handed her.  This would take at least 3 to 4 hours to get ready.  It was going to be a long night.

The Dumper believes that the people on his or her team are there to serve the leader.  If something needs to be done, it is time to look for the closest employee to push it off on.  This is not about delegating appropriate tasks to the people who do them best.  It is about doing as little as possible for the dumper.  If the task list gets too long or the workload is more than the dumper thinks they can accomplish before quitting time, they dump. Their team will resent them and eventually quit them.

The Developer – It was the most exhausting 8 weeks of work I had ever accomplished.  My job had taken me out on the road nearly 5 of the last 8 weeks.  The work was important and I enjoyed it, but I was burning up quick.  Once again, I was on a trip with several other staff.  As I walked past the room of our point leader, he pulled me in to talk.

For the next 2 hours we talked about the last 8 weeks.  He asked where I saw the strengths and weaknesses in my area of responsibility.  I gave my honest opinions and he genuinely listened.  Afterward, he made some much need suggestions about my leadership.  We talked about strategies for confrontation, delegation, and accountability.  The vast majority of the time we spent together was simply him pouring positive encouragement out on me.  I walked away from the impromptu meeting feeling refreshed, encouraged, and energized to continue on.

The Developer spends their time pouring into their team.  The developer seeks to serve.  They have high expectations, but they also take the time to help their team see how to reach goals.  They invite input and encourage thinking outside the box.  Everyone wants to work for a Developer.  Eventually, the developer will be able to hand away more to his or her team because their team has been prepared to handle it.

So here is the question…. Which kind of leader are you?  Dictator, Dumper, or Developer.