JFDI
As an employee, I've lost count of the times I've asked myself "why the hell does [boss] want me to do that?!". And as a boss, yeah, I confess, there have been times when I have asked someone to do something without explaining why, and I'm sure they asked themselves the same question. And probably had a grumble at the water cooler because that's what people do when they're working in the dark. And that's awful.
I've worked with an array of boss personality-types through my career, and although I've always personally managed to develop strong relationships with them. But some, at times, have polarised the wider team.
Here are the main boss-characteristics that I've observed over the years:
The Visionary
Big-picture thinker who inspires with purpose and bold ideas. Often charismatic, future-focused, and driven by mission
Strengths: Innovation, motivation, rallying people around a cause
Weaknesses: May overlook details and struggle with execution or completion
The Micromanager
Control freak, involved in everything - can be distracted by unimportant details. Has trouble trusting others to get things done without oversight
Strengths: Detail-oriented, high standards, thorough
Weaknesses: Stifles autonomy and creativity, creates bottlenecks, burns out teams
The Servant
Puts the team’s needs first, supports growth and well-being - sometimes at the cost of progress. Leads with empathy, humility, and listening
Strengths: Builds trust, fosters loyalty, encourages collaboration
Weaknesses: Can struggle with tough calls or confrontation which can lead to opacity and frustration
The Tactician
Focused on KPIs, systems, and performance. Analytical, practical, thrives in complexity and pressure
Strengths: Drives efficiency, scales processes, loves data
Weaknesses: Can be emotionally distant, overly rigid, or over-reactive - jeopardising long term strategic goals
The Ghost
Hands-off to the point of being absent - physically or emotionally. Delegates everything, avoids conflict, often uninvolved in team development
Strengths: Can give team freedom and trust
Weaknesses: Lacks guidance, accountability, and presence when needed most
The A-hole
Uncommunicative, “JFDI” approach without context or explanation. Aggressive, impatient, with emotional or disproportionate responses to low priority issues
Strengths: none, other than unifying a team operating under fire
Weaknesses: Destroys morale, respect and drives staff churn
The perfect boss isn’t one fixed archetype - it’s a thoughtful blend. Early-stage businesses need a Visionary’s ambition and a Tactician’s attention to detail. As teams grow, amplifying the Servant's empathy fosters culture and retention. In moments of crisis, a dash of Micromanager precision may be necessary - but only temporarily. And sometimes - very rarely - taking a ghost approach to drive team autonomy and decision-making.
But NEVER be an A-hole.
I once had a boss who unilaterally cancelled the entire company’s booked PTO because we were working on a mission-critical project. Despite only about 30% of the team actually working on the project. He sent an @all email one morning without first consulting with the leadership team. What do you think was the fallout of that?! Obviously everyone, including the leadership team, ignored the request whilst privately sharing their opinions of him. #morale
The key is self-awareness: knowing which traits to dial up or down based on the company’s stage and needs. Whilst remembering the entire company is looking to the example that leadership sets.
Great leaders evolve, combining strategic clarity, emotional intelligence, and adaptability. They tweak the levers to blend the most suitable traits to serve what the business needs now or next, without losing their core integrity.
Which traits have you encountered, and which have you learnt the most from?
