The 3 Types of Leaders I’ve Met (and the One I Aspire to Be)

After more than a decade working in marketing, and spending over half of that time leading teams, I’ve come to realize something uncomfortable: Not all leaders are built the same. And more importantly, not all leadership works the same way.

Early in my career, I thought leadership was simple. If you’re good, you get promoted. If you’re promoted, you lead. And if you lead, people will follow. Reality is… not that clean.

Over the years, I’ve worked with different types of leaders. Some impressed me, some frustrated me, and a few completely changed how I think about leadership. And if I simplify everything I’ve observed, I think leaders generally fall into three types:

Those who are great at managing up
Those who are great at managing down
Those rare ones who can do both

Let me break this down, not in theory, but in real situations most of us have experienced.

1. The Leader Who Is Great at Managing Up

You’ve probably met this person.

They present beautifully.
They know exactly what to say in front of directors or stakeholders.
Their slides are clean, their storytelling is sharp, and somehow, their projects always get visibility.

From the outside, they look like a “high performer.” But if you look closer, especially from inside the team, things can feel… different.

The Situation We All Know

You’re working on a campaign.
The timeline is tight, the direction is still unclear, and the team is struggling to prioritize. You raise concerns. The response?

“Let’s just push through first, we’ll figure it out.”

Then comes the big meeting. Suddenly, everything sounds polished.
The narrative is clean. The risks? Minimally mentioned.
And leadership above seems impressed.

But the team?
Still confused. Still stretched. Still unclear what actually matters.

These leaders are excellent at managing perception upward, but often miss what’s happening on the ground.

To be fair, this is a skill. In fact, in many organizations, this skill alone can take you far. But here’s the problem: If you only manage up, you risk building a gap between what leadership thinks is happening and what is actually happening.

And that gap? It always shows up later, in missed targets, burned-out teams, or silent disengagement.

2. The Leader Who Is Great at Managing Down

This one is more interesting, because it’s the type I personally relate to the most. These leaders are close to their teams. They listen. They support. They guide. If you’ve ever had one, you probably felt safe to speak up, to ask questions, even to make mistakes.

And honestly, this is the kind of leader I naturally became.

The Situation I Know Too Well

Your team is already stretched. Deadlines are tight, priorities keep shifting, but you’re still pushing to deliver strong results. From the outside, things look good. Campaigns are running, numbers are showing, and you can confidently present performance to upper management.

But behind the scenes? You’re absorbing a lot more than people realize.

What I noticed about myself is this. I focus heavily on building my team and making sure we deliver results. I make sure they’re not overwhelmed, I protect their workload, and I step in when things get too messy.

But when it comes to managing upward? I tend to focus only on business needs; the numbers, the strategy, the output.
I didn’t spend enough time managing expectations, understanding leadership preferences, or even navigating their ego.

How It Shows Up in Reality

There are moments when directions suddenly change. Requests become more demanding. Or expectations feel… unrealistic. Not because leadership is wrong, but because alignment was never fully built in the first place. And instead of addressing it early, I tend to think:

“It’s fine, I’ll handle it.”

So I absorb it. I rework things. I think through the strategy again. Sometimes I even carry the mental load alone, because I know my team is already at capacity.

From the team’s perspective, I’m being supportive.
From leadership’s perspective, things are still moving.

But internally? It’s exhausting. And more importantly, it’s not scalable.

3. The Leader Who Can Do Both (The Rare One)

Now this is the type that changed me. I’ve only worked with a few leaders like this, but they left a lasting impact. And if I’m being honest, this is the kind of leader I aspire to become.

These leaders don’t just manage up or down. They connect both worlds. They understand the pressure from top management. They understand the reality within the team. And more importantly, they know how to translate between the two.

What Made Him Different

One leader I worked with stood out in a very subtle way.

He wasn’t overly charismatic.
He wasn’t the loudest in the room.
He wasn’t the smartest person.
He wasn’t even what people would call “super social.”

But he was incredibly intentional.

He built personal connection in small moments, short conversations, light jokes during meetings, just enough to make people feel seen.
He used meetings not just to align on work, but to build trust.
He was transparent with the team, sharing context, not just instructions.
And when dealing with upper management, he was calm, structured, and solution-oriented.

He never made things feel personal. Everything was about finding the best outcome.

The Situation That Changed My Perspective

There was a moment when I was under pressure. Targets were not being met. I was worried to let him down and put him at risk in front of the upper management. What I expected was either:

trust I earned was lost, or
demanded for more things to cover the missing target

But he did neither.

Instead:

He acknowledged the issue clearly to leadership, without over-defending the team
He protected the team from unnecessary noise
And internally, he worked with us to break down the problem and find solutions

No drama. No blame. No ego. Just clarity.

That’s when it clicked for me:

Great leadership is not about choosing sides.
It’s about connecting them.

What Makes a Leader Effective in Both Directions?

If I reflect on what made that leader different, it comes down to a few things:

1. Trust as a Foundation

He understood that without trust, nothing works.

And trust doesn’t come from big gestures.
It comes from consistency, how you show up in meetings, how you respond under pressure, how you treat people when things go wrong.

This reminds me of a concept from “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. He talks about building trust as a core foundation for effectiveness. Without trust, everything becomes hardee, communication, alignment, execution.

2. Emotional Stability Over Ego

This one is underrated. In many workplaces, decisions become personal.
People defend ideas not because they’re right, but because they proposed them. But strong leaders separate ideas from identity.

They don’t need to “win.” They need the best outcome to win. That requires emotional control, and honestly, maturity.

3. The Ability to Translate Between Worlds

This might be the hardest skill. Upper management speaks in strategy, numbers, outcomes. Teams speak in execution, challenges, realities. A great leader translates both ways:

Turning strategy into clear direction for the team
Turning team challenges into structured insights for leadership

Without this translation, misalignment is inevitable.

Where I Am Now (And What I’m Still Learning)

If I’m being honest with myself, I’m still stronger in managing down.

I care deeply about my team. I want them to grow. I want them to succeed. But I’ve also realized that’s not enough. Because leadership is not just about taking care of your team. It’s about making sure your team is aligned with the bigger picture, and that requires managing up just as well. So I’m learning to:

communicate more strategically upward
hold higher standards without overcompensating
step back instead of always stepping in
and most importantly, build trust in both directions

If you’re early in your leadership journey, you might naturally lean toward one side. Maybe you’re great with stakeholders. Maybe you’re great with your team. And that’s okay. But don’t stop there.

Because the leaders who truly make an impact, the ones people remember, respect, and want to work with, are those who can navigate both worlds with clarity, trust, and balance.

And if there’s one thing I’ve learned:

That kind of leader is not born. They are built, through awareness, reflection, and a lot of uncomfortable growth.

-Cinthya.