Let’s take a moment and think about some of our best and worst bosses over the years. Think about the difference in how you feel about one versus the other. Now that you’re the leader, what sort of feelings are you giving off to your team? It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but top-tier companies have outstanding leadership…not bad leadership. That being said, it takes confident leadership to attract and inspire top-notch talent, manage teams, and execute…all in the face of the difficulties of running a business. All in all, your success is based on your ability to lead effectively.
Thankfully, leadership skills can be developed over time. One of the quickest ways to do so is to identify and avoid bad leadership traits at all costs. The following is a list of bad leadership traits that you should avoid at all costs.
Bad leaders think they’re the best at everything
Bad leaders tend to exhibit an inflated sense of their abilities. This often makes them think they’re right or the best at everything. Naturally, they aren’t in most cases.
They shun the idea of self-growth
Good leaders know that life is a continual stretch of self-growth and development. Bad leaders, on the other hand, think that they’re already perfect. Furthermore, bad leaders also rest on their accolades and turn up their noses at opportunities for learning and self-growth.
Their actions rarely match their words
Good bosses practice what they preach. On the contrary, bad bosses say one thing and then do another thing altogether. This makes it very difficult for their team members to trust and follow them.
They surround themselves with “yes” people
Rather than surrounding themselves with colleagues who positively challenge their ideas, bad leaders do the total opposite. They seek “yes” peers who enable them to do as they please.
Bad leaders can’t deal with conflict
All leaders come face-to-face with the need to have a difficult conversation. Poor leaders typically shirk their responsibility to address the issue at hand. In these cases, poor leaders are unclear in their message, which leads to further miscommunication. They also often avoid the conflict altogether and hope the issue will resolve itself.
They disregard your input
Seeing how bad leaders think they’re always right, it shouldn’t be surprising that they rarely consider your thoughts or value your contributions.
Bad leaders are control freaks
Poor leadership utterly fails when it comes to delegating responsibilities. This is true even when they have talented employees and partners. In most cases, they cannot trust someone else to do as good of a job as they can. This ultimately suffocates growth and utterly destroys morale.
They focus on features, not performance
Less than stellar leaders tend to focus on delivering new features instead of ensuring that the core elements of a product or service are next to bulletproof.
They don’t create a company culture
Bad leaders don’t bother to go through the process of developing and fostering a culture that empowers their teams. They ultimately fail to grasp the value of the ROI associated with company culture or its value on a human level.
Bad leaders fail to filter what they say
Bosses who speak through hyperbolic phrases – or fail to think before speaking – typically have a harder time finding top talent or raising money from investors than leaders who are more deliberate in expressing their ideas. In short, poor leaders lack the verbal skills of likable people.
They value money over customers
While profit is important, people are essential. Bad leaders focus on raking in the dough more than providing value or support to their customers.
Their ego fuels them
Leaders who lack positive self-esteem are often ruled by their egos. This can lead to decisions that place their needs ahead of the company’s.
Poor leaders are overly optimistic
Poor leaders believe everything will turn out fine, even when the opposite reality stares them in the face. They often get so caught up in their dreams that they typically fail to notice the risks that threaten said dreams.
They never ask for help
Bad bosses feel as if asking for help is a sign of weakness and thus fail to ask for it, even when they need it most.
Bad leaders fail to learn from their mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes. However, when bad leaders err, they fail to take the opportunity to alter their mindset and learn from said mistakes.
Closing Thoughts
By observing bad leaders in their element and identifying the traits indicative of poor leadership, you can avoid making said mistakes yourself. This pattern recognition technique will pay dividends and help you stay focused on the positive habits that great leaders exhibit.
