[rsisk]

I see another way to divide types of leaders; strategic and tactical.

Strategic leaders are the visionaries of the team. They think in terms of years, direction, philosophy. The immediate impact of their decisions is not always visible, but in the long run, you sure are glad they guided the team in a certain direction. They are the Generals, the CEOs, the head coach.

Tactical leaders are the guys in the trenches getting the job done. They lead teams of doers to accomplish a goal. They are the ones planning out the build season, the days objectives, the competition. They buy into the vision of the strategic leaders and make it happen. They are the Captains and the Chief Master Sergeants, the senior managers, the team leaders.

Regardless of the type of leader, they all need to earn respect of those they lead. They don't need to be loved, but they do need respect in order to lead. They need to be confident in their decisions. They need to listen to many sources of input, process that information, then make the best decision they can, sometimes working on incomplete information. They need to be honest.

One of the cool things I have found mentoring an FRC team is to watch the development of students on the team as some of them grow into leadership roles. The change that occurs between freshman and senior is amazing especially when combined with the influence of a program like FIRST.