Drivers like to lead, win, and control their environments. When they derail, they put their personal goals above the interests of their organizations. The Driver leadership type can be highly effective when mature enough to consider the goals and interests of others.

“Assertiveness is not what you do. It’s who you are.” – Shakti Gawain.

Leaders with predominantly Driver tendencies love to control their environments aggressively. This leadership type is assertive, larger-than-life, and drawn to leadership like a moth to a flame. For Drivers, leadership represents an opportunity and a potent tool for controlling their environments, including other people.

A Driver relishes attention and the reactions it elicits from other people. Using this attention as their perpetual energy source and leadership purpose, Drivers amass an impressive reservoir of self-confidence they can use to improve themselves, their environments, and the people with whom they interact.

Self-confidence can make great things happen.

Characteristics of the Driver Leadership Type

Ego and maturity are the difference makers in how Drivers lead. According to John Mattone’s Wheel of Intelligent Leadership, mature Drivers achieve alignment between their inner core (character, values) and outer core (strategic competencies). By focusing on their inner-core maturity, Drivers can lead with purpose, creating a leadership style that is inspirational and grounded in service to others.

Mature Drivers are confident and decisive. Their energy and enthusiasm are contagious. They inspire their followers, setting an example and finding it easy and natural to win others’ admiration.

Successful Drivers are keen on aligning their interests with those of their organizations and other essential stakeholders. They promote worthwhile causes and fight heroically to achieve their objectives.

From a leadership coaching perspective, the central problem of the driver leadership type is an exaggerated dependence on one’s environment. Driver leaders’ relationship with their surroundings is the source of most challenges.

Challenges Faced by Driver Leaders

They may derail once drivers lose control of how they relate to their environments. By letting their egos off the leash, they compare themselves to others, leading to frustrations, resentment, and toxic behaviors.

Compared to mature Drivers, middle-of-the-road Drivers shift their focus from others to themselves.

They become aggressive and forceful, and their leadership may exhibit dictatorial tendencies. While the urge to dominate their environments remains strong for these leaders, their motivations become self-serving.

“The health and vibrancy of your inner core predicts the health and vibrancy of your outer core, which is what the world sees.” – John Mattone, Law #14 of Intelligent Leadership.

Derailing Drivers no longer care about others and the costs their egomaniacal trips may entail for their peers and employees. To achieve their self-serving goals, derailing Drivers become hostile, even violent, and turn leadership into a survival-of-the-fittest contest.

In positions of power, derailing Drivers lose sight of the organization’s interests. They are ready to sacrifice the company for their grandeur and personal interests.

Recognizing the Driver Trait in Yourself

If you are self-confident and assertive in your leadership, you may be a Driver. Are you a mature Driver, however? Or do you harbor derailing tendencies?

From the perspective of intelligent leadership coaching, assertive leadership means taking responsibility for your actions. It also means being an active listener, communicating effectively, and knowing when to say yes or no.

Mature, assertive leaders have no problems standing up for themselves and their reports. They take a chance and follow their intuition. These qualities earn the respect of employees who tend to see mature Drivers as heroic and inspirational.

If your leadership style fits this description, you are not just a Driver but a successful Driver.

The Driver Leadership Style

A driver’s top priority is getting things done. Drivers like to finish what they start, and they are strong finishers. Focusing on the outcome doesn’t prevent drivers from juggling several tasks while retaining efficiency. Effective problem-solving is second nature for Drivers.

Drivers expect similar abilities and commitment from their team members. Those who fail to live up to their expectations inevitably draw their ire.

One weakness of Driver leaders is their dedication to accumulating work-related accomplishments. When they sense that others aren’t as committed to a cause as they are, conflicts spring up, and toxicity ensues.

Derailing Drivers are often unwilling to delegate work to employees they perceive as less committed than they are. However, delegation is a critical skill for Drivers to master. By sharing responsibilities, they empower their teams, reduce their workload, and improve focus on strategic objectives. At JMG, we emphasize that effective delegation builds trust and strengthens team alignment—key outer-core competencies of intelligent leadership.

Leadership coaching can help Drivers optimize their goal-setting by strengthening their maturity and practicality-facing leadership skills.

How a Mission Statement Drives Leadership Purpose and Impact Employee Engagement: Insights from Harvard Business Review

As noted in Harvard Business Review, aligning leadership with a strong sense of organizational purpose has a powerful impact on employee engagement and long-term success. For Driver leaders, connecting their intense focus and leadership to a mission statement as their guiding north star can transform ambition into a driving force that energizes the entire team.

Many leaders find that prioritizing a clear mission helps them to:

• Identify ways to practice purpose-driven leadership that resonates with their followers.
• Inspire both expressive people and more reserved personality types to contribute their best.

For Driver leaders, understanding how to direct their ambitions toward organizational goals supports a balanced approach to leadership. This is especially valuable when leading college students or those new to leadership positions.

Their success in a leadership role also depends on their ability to connect with diverse personality types within their team. Driver leaders create a more inclusive environment by fostering a sense of purpose that aligns expressive individuals with the amiable person.

This alignment helps every team member see their contributions as essential to the organization’s big-picture vision, boosting morale and overall engagement.

Tips for Strengthening the Driver Trait

Drivers must recognize the necessity and value of cooperation.

Being a dominant leader is not about dominating and suppressing others. Here’s how executive coaching can help Drivers strengthen their positive traits and overcome derailing tendencies.

• Sharing the load of goal setting and problem-solving. Mature Drivers make a priority of involving others in problem-solving and goal-setting. This way, they get more realistic goals and more optimal solutions.
• Exercising self-restraint. Successful Drivers often have little sympathy for others. They crush those standing in their way. Exercising self-restraint and toning down aggression makes them more leaderlike and conducive to desirable long-term outcomes.
• Regarding others as equals. Drivers who recognize that others have the same needs and rights as they do can avoid sowing fear and hatred in others.
• Recognizing the necessity of cooperation. No one is self-sufficient in the business world. Mature Drivers understand that they must collaborate with others to prevail.

Drivers want to control their environments. They want to be self-reliant and have other people do their bidding.

They hate to submit to others and can start to derail if they sense that others don’t perceive them as self-sufficient.

Aligning Personal Purpose with Action

For Drivers, clarifying their own values and purpose builds credibility and consistency in their leadership. By leading authentically, Driver leaders inspire confidence and loyalty among their team members, creating a balanced approach that strengthens trust and collaboration.

Grounded in their inner core – character, values, and beliefs – driver leaders can channel their ambition into actions that resonate with their teams and advance shared goals. This intentionality ensures that their drive supports both immediate objectives and long-term success.

Driver leaders foster a supportive team culture by combining purpose with action while achieving meaningful results.

Leadership coaching can further enhance their ability to care for others, encourage collaboration, and involve their teams in goal-setting and decision-making.

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