[Part 1 of 6 in a continuing series] There are many different types of people in the world, and many different types of leaders.  Unfortunately, most do irreparable harm to those they surround themselves with.  But, what are the different kinds of leaders?  What, if anything, can we take from them?  And is there a better approach to leading people?  Take a look.

This person may have a team.  They may even have people working directly with or under them.  But, inevitably, their focus is centralized on doing things themselves.  The lone wolf wants to go it alone.

If you’d ask them, most would probably even admit that they would rather the rest of the team work on something entirely different.  Those who don’t are hard pressed to provide detail about what it is the rest of the team should be doing.  That’s because the lone wolf is so focused on the task at hand that anyone who doesn’t intuitively know what needs to be done isn’t worth their time.  The lone wolf has no time for hand-holding or babysitting.

The best training you’ll get from this type of leader is how to better press on without needing or asking for help.  Useful in a pinch, but not exactly the way you’d want to approach things all the time.

They end up being a natural inhibitor for growth for very obvious reasons- they don’t take time to develop anyone and have no desire to do so.  In short, even if the lone wolf believes their actions are in the best interest of the company or team, their desires are ultimately self-centered and too focused on results and their own success.  This carries no long-term benefits to the people around them.

I know this type well.  It’s my natural tendency.  I’m not really a people person.  I like my systems and data and analytics and oh please, don’t make me talk to anyone right now.  This is a hard thing for me to overcome and it takes a real conscious effort.  Because what seems to come naturally to most people, the lone wolf struggles with- desiring actual human interaction.

What are some ways for the Lone Wolf to improve on their methods without compromising who they are as a person?