Day 3: Do You Focus More on Tasks or People?

Neither approach is better – they’re just different ways of creating impact.

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TL;DR: Understanding whether you’re task-oriented or people-oriented as a leader helps you recognize your strengths and blind spots. Today’s post reveals where your energy flows so you can lead more intentionally.

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Hello and welcome back to Day 3 of our Leadership Styles Challenge.

Today, we’re diving into your leadership orientation – or more specifically, whether you’re more task-oriented or people-oriented in your leadership approach.

Want to just know what leadership orientation you fall under, instead of guessing? Take our Leadership Styles Test to find out. It takes about 20 minutes to complete and can be accessed as part of your Premium Personality Profile.

Some leaders turn toward processes, systems, and measurable outcomes. Others focus on relationships, morale, and individual team member needs.

Neither approach is better – they’re just different ways of creating impact. But knowing which one feels most natural to you helps you lead from your strengths while staying alert to your potential blind spots.

As a reminder, here’s where we are in this challenge:

• Day 1: Are You a Transformational or Transactional Leader?

• Day 2: How Adaptable Are You?

• Day 3: Do You Focus on Tasks or People? (You Are Here)

• Day 4: How Inclined Are You to Lead?

• Day 5: What’s Your Leadership Style?

Do You Focus on Tasks or People?

Think about your typical approach to leading projects. What do you tend to prioritize – getting the right systems in place, or making sure your people feel supported and aligned?

Your answer reveals something important about your leadership orientation. Let’s explore both approaches so you can recognize your natural patterns, shall we?

Task-Oriented Leader

Task-oriented leaders focus their energy on creating and maintaining processes that allow their team to achieve their goals. If you fall under this orientation, you probably believe that with the right system in place, every person can have a valuable impact. You like to set measurable objectives and evaluate performance based on how those objectives are met.

While you recognize that personal dynamics play a role in every organization, you probably try to keep yourself somewhat aloof from drama or gossip. You prefer to be seen as a neutral leader who sets clear expectations and applies the rules fairly to everyone.

Here are some signs you take a task-oriented approach:

• You believe the right processes create success for everyone

• You set clear, measurable objectives and track progress consistently

• You prefer to stay neutral and avoid getting caught up in interpersonal drama

• You apply rules and expectations fairly across your entire team

• You find satisfaction in systems that run smoothly and predictably

The benefits of this approach are clarity, consistency, and accountability. This works particularly well in large and complex organizations where many people’s goals and schedules need to align. Businesses with high employee turnover also benefit from task-oriented leadership because it allows new team members to be trained quickly.

However, if your tasks, goals, and schedules are miscalculated, unrealistic, or enforced too rigidly, this approach can hurt morale and lead to burnout. A total focus on measurable goals can also reduce opportunities for team members to contribute creative ideas and solutions.

Now, let’s look at the flip side.

People-Oriented Leader