Which Leadership Animal are you?

or… Which leadership traits can you celebrate?

(And which traits do you need to work on?)

In my younger days, I worked for an organisation which prided itself on identifying potential leaders. If a person took charge of a situation and others were happy to follow along, they were a leader.

If they were unafraid to express their opinions, if they were confident enough to stand up in front of others and speak, if they were bossy enough to tell others what to do, they had leadership written all over them.

It was a natural gift.

The trouble is I was never chosen. I was like the kid in the line, where two football captains took it in turns to pick a player. One by one, the best and most gifted were called out, leaving the rest of us at the end to be reluctantly pointed towards a team.

You can play in defence! But stay out of the way.

I didn’t fit the profile of a ‘natural’ leader.

Apparently, I wasn’t bossy enough, or loud enough, or decisive enough.

Strangely, though, I always felt I had something to offer in the leadership space. But no-one else seemed to see it.

In 2013, my friend, Dr Brian Harris wrote an important book called The Tortoise Usually Wins: Biblical Reflections on Quiet Leadership For Reluctant Leaders. 

The book explored the concept of ‘quiet’ leadership, with particular focus on modesty, restraint, tenacity, interdependence and other centeredness.

It seemed to describe me!

Or at least, traits that were not entirely out of my reach. Ones I could go for.

I could be a leader without necessarily being loud, or completely confident in every situation. I could be who God made me to be and be the leader that fitted my personality.

There has been a shift in what defines an effective leader in the last few decades, and Dr Harris’ book identified it well.

In broad terms (and there are exceptions, of course), where once effective leadership was seen as commanding and authoritative, in many circles today it is now more collaborative, relying on influence and teamwork, rather than on simply giving orders.

The confident and decisive figure back then is today required to listen a bit more before making those decisions. She still needs to be able to make decisions and have some confidence in her position, but she has discovered that she will get more out of her team by being humble and empathetic.

And if she inspires and empowers them, even more so.

The good news is that leadership isn't a personality type

Many of the old character traits that defined good leadership in the past are still valid, but today’s world rightly points to others that are equally important.

Back then, a good leader made the difficult decisions. That’s still true today, but a good leader also listens carefully, involves others where appropriate, and then has the courage to make the difficult decision.

In the past, a good leader knew all the answers. Now, he knows when he doesn’t have the answers.

In short, many more of us have the opportunity today to lead and serve others—an opportunity that might not have been available to us 40 years ago.

And that’s a good thing.

You don't have to be the loudest person in the room. You don't have to be naturally charismatic. And you don't have to have every answer. You can be who you are and still be a great leader.

What has opened up is a much bigger pool of traits that define good leadership.

Words that defined effective leadership in the past might have been: Decisive, Confident, Strong, Authoritative, Intelligent, Ambitious, Disciplined, Courageous, Competitive and so on.

We don’t want to lose any of these but, today we also add: Self-aware, Empathetic, Adaptable, Collaborative, Humble, Trustworthy, Emotionally intelligent, Inclusive, Curious, Resilient, A good listener and Able to develop others

So… what leadership traits do you have?

And which do you need to work on?

Welcome to Animal Instincts where we discover wisdom in the natural world and apply it to work, rest, leadership, and daily life.

The animal kingdom displays some incredible examples of these leadership traits—and all without thinking about it.

Octopuses are remarkably adaptable. Ravens are curious and intelligent. Elephants display extraordinary social awareness.

And there are plenty more.

So, which leadership animal are you?

I've created a free self-assessment to help you discover which leadership qualities are already among your strengths—and which ones might be worth developing.

You'll discover the animal that best reflects your leadership style, the strengths you can celebrate, and some practical ideas for developing the areas where you may be less confident.

It's free, and it takes just a few minutes.

Why not discover your leadership animal today?

Return to the resources page or click here: https://www.animalinstincts2026.au/resources