As long as they value substance over image, entertainers can be some of the hardest working, most inspiring, and energetic leaders. Repeated failures and competitiveness may push entertainers to start valuing image over substance, and that’s when derailment happens. Leadership coaching can help entertainers keep their acts together and avoid derailing behaviors.

From the perspective of leadership coaching, leaders possessing a predominant entertainer trait are easy to coach as they are keen to succeed. The problem with entertainers is that they sometimes value style over substance. When in charge of an organization, a leader with an entertainer streak may turn the company into one that values symbols and perceived status over reality.

Mature entertainers won’t let superficialities detract from their drives to succeed. Such leaders are hard workers, inspiring followers through their commitment and dedication to organizational purposes.

Entertainers are ambitious and hard workers. 

Entertainers Are the Rock Stars of the Business World

Entertainers exude energy and motivation. Through their efforts and energetic approaches to problem-solving, they inspire followers and peers and motivate them to emulate their ways. At their best, entertainers are good communicators. They’re confident and possess an innate desire to self-improve, so they can chase goals more effectively.

Mature entertainers focus their energies solely on accomplishing tasks and raising support for their ideas and efforts.

How Do You Know if You Are a Mature Entertainer? 

Leadership coaching can help you identify your leadership proclivities and traits. If you’re self-aware, you recognize entertainer traits and tendencies in yourself. You may be a mature entertainer if:

• You’re confident, believe in your abilities, and exude charm.
• You are enthusiastic about what you set out to accomplish. You don’t like to dither. You are direct and prefer a fast-paced approach to problem-solving.
• Your active listening skills are great, and you know how to get your points across.
• People like you. You feel your influence exceeds the limits of your authority.
• You understand your strengths and weaknesses and know how to turn them to your advantage.
• You give your opinions and actions dramatic twists to amplify their impacts.
• You desire self-improvement. You see executive coaching as a way of expanding your strengths and limiting your weaknesses.
• Your optimism is unshakeable. You adapt well to different situations.

How Do Entertainers Derail and Why? 

Derailing entertainers shift focus from accomplishments to image-building.  They do so for several reasons. Dealing with failure is the Achilles’ heel of those possessing this trait. Although optimistic and enthusiastic, entertainers may find themselves struggling to accept repeated failures.

Entertainers can be hypercompetitive. Some develop mentalities that value winning more than anything. To accomplish goals, some entertainers employ manipulation and other underhanded tactics.

Being hypercompetitive invites another problem: constantly comparing oneself to others. This tendency creates resentment, jealousy, and bitterness.

Leaders who see themselves as constant winners develop senses of entitlement and inflated self-worth. Such a state of mind leads to arrogance and heightened expectations that increase the possibility of failure.

When Entertainers Derail

As charming, persuasive, and inspiring as mature entertainers are, they can become immoral and devious if they value image over substance. You are a derailing entertainer if:

• You take advantage of others to build the image you desire.
• You have no qualms about stabbing someone in the back for personal gain.
• Seeing others win makes you sick and you feel you must undermine them.
• You manipulate others.
• Others view you as jealous and untrustworthy.

Competitiveness can lead to derailment. 

How Can Business Coaching Help?

A leadership coach can see through your web of proclivities, preferences, likes, and dislikes, identifying the problems that prevent you from being the best version of yourself. To keep you from derailing, a coach may help you:

• Keep your competitive tendencies under control. A coach can help you realize no one likes a person who always one-ups everyone else.
• Keep your sense of self-importance under control.
• Develop your strong inner-core identity.
• Develop collaborative relationships and learn to give others credit.

Entertainers appreciate attention. If you work with entertainers, give them a chance to voice their opinions and ideas. Identify the ones they hold dear and work out a plan to help turn them into successes.

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