Discover Your Inner Leader: A Quiz for Women of Color
Over our years of working with hundreds and thousands of women of color leaders, we’ve learned a thing or two about how WOCs are unique in their leadership. And in looking for frameworks and rubrics that described what we were observing…And coming up short…We decided to create our own leadership styles quiz!
Leadership styles are a crucial factor in the success of women of color and nonbinary people of color leaders in the workplace–particularly because we face unique challenges and structural barriers. To help us deepen our understanding of our intrinsic leadership styles and strengths–and leverage them for success–we've created a specific leadership style quiz, for us, by us.
The quiz will tell you which of four leadership styles you may have: Relational Leader, Intuitive Leader, Strategic Problem-Solver Leader, and Agile-Versatile Leader. Uncover your primary style, ratio of leadership styles, and reflect on how you can best use them in different work and career contexts to get to your goals!
The specially tailored questions in the quiz will help you think about how you can further develop and strengthen certain leadership skills, team management strategies, and communication and negotiation tactics. You’ll also gain valuable insights into your inherent gifts when it comes to leading as a woman of color or nonbinary person of color.
So here it is! We hope you find it illuminating and helpful in your career and leadership journey. Scroll down for more about each of the 4 leadership styles we commonly observe in women of color leaders.
Relational Leader
Relational Leaders are highly skilled in building and nurturing relationships. They naturally build community wherever they go. They also excel at deep and empathetic listening, and are able to relate to, communicate effectively with, others.
Women of color may develop into this type of leader from being conditioned to prioritize the needs of others from an early age. They may also have experience as “cultural mediators,” taking on outsized responsibilities as a child helping their families navigate new cultures, languages, and norms.
These leaders are often the "glue" that holds their team or organization together, the pillars of their communities–mediating, connecting, and pouring into others. They may also be “super connectors” who have built broad networks.
Strategic Problem-Solving Leader
Strategic Problem-Solving Leaders are known for effectively and efficiently tackling complex problems in their work and leadership. They can juggle multiple projects, departments, and priorities at once.
Many women of color develop into this type of leader from being socially conditioned to make something out of nothing (e.g., no time, no money, no resources to waste). Or from being used to processing multiple cost-benefit analyses at one time, like doing your job, plus that of 2 other colleagues, while weighing the pros and cons of speaking out about an injustice, while taking care of multiple family units.
This type of leader has strong analytical and critical thinking skills. They’re often quick on their feet, decisive, and proactive.
Agile-Versatile Leader
Agile-Versatile Leaders are strategic, flexible, and adaptable. They have the remarkable ability to hold both a high-level mission or vision–and be “in the weeds” with the day-to-day, nitty-gritty details. They also excel at adjusting nimbly to the ever-changing reality we find ourselves in.
Many women of color develop into this type of leader from being asked to do so many things, be so many things to so many people–with the rules constantly being changed on them. They, therefore, grow adept at continually evolving, adapting, bobbing and weaving.
Agile-Versatile Leaders tend to be innovative, gritty, and undeterred by obstacles, challenges, and barriers–whether expected or unforeseen–because they can pivot and modify strategies to achieve their goals.
Intuitive Leader
Intuitive Leaders are especially adept at tapping into their instincts and generational wisdom. They are often able to understand and connect with others on an emotional, empathetic level. They can intuit the needs, feelings, and aspirations of others.
Women of color who are Intuitive Leaders are extremely culturally competent, skilled at navigating complex cultural environments that may require rapid or frequent code-switching, and thrive in diverse or cross-functional workplaces. They often have a deep appreciation of the cultural, historical, and societal context that created the world around them.
Consciously or not, Intuitive Leaders are likely to draw on the accumulated experience, insights, and lessons learned by previous generations, and will consider multiple viewpoints before making a decision.