Your Sunlight is in the Mentor Pattern. Mentors like to come alongside you and develop you to be your best. They hone who you are, fanning the flame of your ability. Mentors build into you and help you realize your potential. They coach and guide you to help you discover your whole self. As trusted allies, they are friendly faces who encourage you to grow, develop and change.

As a Mentor, you do the above with relative ease, like using your dominant hand to sign a check. You won't have to give these things much thought as they flow naturally from your giftedness. President Dwight Eisenhower and Indira Gandhi were Mentor leaders. Eisenhower said: “I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him, he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone. Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”

Leaders with the Mentor Pattern not only select excellent subordinates but they provide an environment where subordinates can flourish in their giftedness—allowing them to perform at their highest capacity.

Eisenhower said, “The best morale exists when you never hear the word mentioned. When you hear a lot of talk about it, it’s usually lousy. The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” He was not a ‘hands on’ president, but delegated authority and insisted that his staff should bring only matters of the highest political importance to his personal attention. Eisenhower used his Mentor Pattern whether as a General or a President—building into people and empowering them to act. Gandhi said, “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” Mentors show others how to live.

Jesus said, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

You will want to read about the Mentor leadership of Eisenhower, Gandhi and Jesus, as many can miss the unique interactive style of the Mentor. Yet, remember to use your middle areas and Shadows! As the German philosopher Goethe said, “Where there is much light, the shadow is deep.”

Your Sunlight is in the Administrator Pattern. Administrators help establish the plan and then follow it as it is laid out. They like policy and structure, and are good with details and budgets. Administrators focus on management and tend to be averse to taking risks. They are good with procedures and like to follow the rules.

As an Administrator, you do these things with relative ease, like using your dominant hand to sign a check. You won't have to give these things much thought as they flow naturally from your giftedness.

President Lyndon Johnson and Nehemiah were Administrator leaders. Consider reading the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament. Nehemiah was risk averse. He was not just cautious about approaching the king, but exceedingly cautious. Further, he had a tactical plan about what to do about rebuilding the city when the king asked him. Nehemiah was a genius with details and tactics. He had an amazing grasp on how to assess needs and use the right tactics to implement his plan. He handled money, volunteer workers, and enemies well.

Robert A. Caro said about President Johnson, “How he manipulated the Senate's hallowed rules and customs and the weaknesses and strengths of his colleagues to change the ‘unchangeable’ Senate from a loose confederation of sovereign senators to a whirring legislative machine under his own iron-fisted control.” Lyndon Johnson was most effective when he was pushing legislation through Congress. His ability to grasp details and tactics was superb. This is typical of people with the Administrator Pattern. They know how to master the rules of an organization and follow the established plan.

Jesus knew the Administrator gift. He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Administrators are good with detail and following the rules. In this passage, Jesus affirms that he knows the law. The law must be fulfilled, all of it, down to the smallest letter. This is the joy of the Administrator Pattern, to follow and fulfill a good rule, a good policy, a good procedure. Why change something that is good, unless there is even something better to replace it? What could be better than fulfilling the law of Moses and giving in its place the law of love?

Carefully read about Johnson, Barton, and Jesus, as many people can miss the unique leadership style of the Administrators. Remember to use your middle areas and Shadows! As the German philosopher Goethe said, “Where there is much light, the shadow is deep.”

Your Sunlight is in the Catalyst Pattern. Catalysts are people who will challenge you, and so take you to new ground. They innovate and experiment in life, motivating you to change. Catalysts seem to light fires under people, spurring them on to unconventional or entirely new methods. They can be revolutionary, stirring up people. As trusted critics, we know their words are speaking truth as they speed up change in our lives.

As a Catalyst, you do these things with relative ease, like using your dominant hand to sign a check. You won't have to give these things much thought as they flow naturally from your giftedness.

President John F. Kennedy and Clara Barton were Catalyst leaders. In his acceptance speech, Kennedy showed the Catalyst Pattern. He said “We stand on the edge of a New Frontier.” This is the phrase of a Catalyst! For the rest of his presidency, the phrase "New Frontier" was a Kennedy moniker. His Catalyst Pattern is seen again in his inaugural address. Kennedy delivered his famous line, “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” This is another Catalyst phrase! He is calling his listeners to a new paradigm, a new way of thinking about their country. What Kennedy did do was light fires under others. His call in 1961 to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade was a prime example of this. He ignited popular support for the space program. He promised new technology to achieve his desire of sending a man to the Moon—and Catalysts love using technology to achieve their goals.

Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross and said: “I have an almost complete disregard of precedent, and a faith in the possibility of something better. It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I go for anything new that might improve the past.” Catalysts are risk takers and unorthodox, experimenting with new methods for existing problems. The Catalysts love to light fires and motivate others. Unorthodox to the max, the Catalyst Pattern people find that “nobody's business is my business.”

Perhaps the most Catalytic statement of all history is when Jesus said, “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you … Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Catalysts love to shift paradigms in people’s thinking. Jesus in this passage spurs his listeners on to new heights never considered in human history. Catalysts are bold and aggressive, calling people to new paradigms in thinking. They light fires under others and are trusted critics. Catalysts prize launching people’s potential! They spur others on for great change.

Carefully read that section about President Kennedy, Clara Barton, and Jesus, as Catalyst leaders can be exciting, daring and challenging. Yet, they also need to remember the details! They need to remember to use their middle areas and Shadows. As the German philosopher Goethe said, “Where there is much light, the shadow is deep.”

Your Sunlight is in the Relational Pattern. Relationals are people who are motivated by harmony and see the team as crucial. They want people to be whole and healthy, and so are good team builders. Relationals highly value grace and mercy, and can be quite loving and warm. People deeply matter to them. Decisions are guided by deep-seated values and personal connections to others.

As a Relational, you do these things with relative ease, like using your dominant hand to sign a check. You won't have to give these things much thought as they flow naturally from your giftedness.

President Jimmy Carter, Princess Diana, and Gandhi were Relational leaders. President Carter called for “a government that is as honest and decent and fair and competent and truthful and idealistic as are the American people.” In helping the nation be whole and healthy, Carter modeled emotional and spiritual health. He portrayed himself as an openly religious man, even calling himself “born again,” a new term for an American President. Relationals are motivated by harmony and see the team as crucial, and so it is fitting that in his inaugural parade, Carter walked down Pennsylvania Avenue. His fireside chats were an authentic part of his persona, as were the radio call-in shows. As one person said, “Carter tried to set a high moral tone. He stressed human rights in international affairs and opposed ‘pork barrel’ legislation at home.” Relationals know the rightness of their crusade and the moral imperative in their agenda.

Princess Di said, “I wear my heart on my sleeve. I don't go by the rule book … I lead from the heart, not the head. I am not a political figure, nor do I want to be one; but I come with my heart.” The decisions of the Relational Pattern are guided by deep-seated values and personal connections to others. This is often called “heart.” Relationals want to help others be whole and healthy. Diana said, “Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back … I’d like people to think of me as someone who cares about them.” Decisions for Relational people are guided by deep-seated values and personal connections to others. Diana put her care into action. She was not content to merely speak about love, care and concern. She was impelled by an inner force to put her words into actions.

Jesus said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

The Relational Pattern has a component of teambuilding and harmony among people. You will want to read that section about Carter, Diana and Jesus, as many people can miss the unique leadership style of the Relational. And, consider how to use your middle areas and Shadows! As the German philosopher Goethe said, “Where there is much light, the shadow is deep.”

Your Sunlight is in the Overseer Pattern. Overseers like to see the big picture. They work best with principles and concepts as their guiding force. Overseers prefer to work on strategy, aligning people with their right places to work. They think in terms of the vision and direction of things, tending to look at the horizon rather than at what is immediately in front of them.

As an Overseer, you do these things with relative ease, like using your dominant hand to sign a check. You won't have to give these things much thought as they flow naturally from your giftedness. President Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were Overseer leaders.

President Reagan said, “We’ve gone astray from first principles. We’ve lost sight of the rule that individual freedom and ingenuity are at the very core of everything that we've accomplished. Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” Overseers think in terms of vision. Reagan had a folksy charm and ability to weave in everyday elements that reinforced his principles. Reagan said, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table … If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under … Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” Overseers concentrate on vision, purpose and steering whatever organization they happen to be in. One person said of Thatcher, “Her strong points were her iron will … anything that required guts and will she could do for you. Anything that required sensitivity, she couldn't, – she had none.

Margaret Thatcher was a tough woman, called the “Iron Lady.” Thatcher served longest as Prime Minister of Britain since 1827 and changed the course of that nation with her politics. She said, “Why do you climb philosophical hills? Because they are worth climbing. There are no hills to go down unless you start from the top … Economics are the method; the object is to change the soul.” Thatcher used whatever tools she had at hand to bring her ideas and plans into reality. Overseers like to focus on the big picture.

Jesus said, The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Here Jesus presents the big picture of his life—from good news to proclaiming God’s favor. Overseers marshal their resources, keeping people focused on their tasks.

Carefully read that section on Reagan, Thatcher and Jesus, as Overseer leaders can be prototypical leaders. And, they need to remember to use their middle areas and Shadows. As the German philosopher Goethe said, “Where there is much light, the shadow is deep.”