What makes a bad leader?
If a good leader is key to producing great results for your organization, ensure you are aware of these potentially negative qualities:
Respect
"Respect, respect, respect man"
As the saying goes: you earn respect, you can’t command it. A good leader knows that his team’s success relies on his behaviour and ethics. If he demands respect, he’ll very rarely get it. Or get it for the wrong reasons, good leaders aren’t feared. They have respect because they listen to their colleagues because they know they have more to learn. They understand that people will offer criticism and questioning can help build upon mistakes and help them improve.
Failure to accept this can be put into the realm of a communication breakdown: being unable to demonstrate passion, motivation and compassion across a working landscape is vital to achievement.
“There is a blame game going on here and the players do not look like they want to play for him,” – Chris Sutton
Holding yourself accountable for failings, when you’re in charge will not only gain respect but shows you’re a real leader who will take responsibility. On the flip side, they also don’t solely claim credit for the success of their teams.
If a leader is engaging in behaviour which doesn’t inspire their team it won't be long before their team begins to lose interest.
Arrogance
‘Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.’ William Pollard
It’s important for leaders to know that their success and skills aren’t determined by what they have done but what they are currently doing.
"I won more Premierships alone than the other 19 managers together," Mourinho said. "Three for me and two for them.
To assume you’re better than someone else is a hubris which will eventually catch up with you, most people will lose admiration for you. If you believe that your abilities and accomplishments are better than other peoples you’ll find it impossible to develop and improve. How can you lead a team that can’t stimulate the trust, confidence and loyalty? Ego, pride and egotism are traits which don’t feature in the top qualities of a successful leader.
Performance
The crux of good leadership eventually comes down to one factor: performance. Leaders produce results and are consistent. A history of accomplishments will facilitate your chances of success but whilst potential and reputation will get you so far, it’s your results that will be noticed. If you’re a good leader you’ll build upon their strengths and understand that each team member is an asset to success.
A team is a product of their leader and their capabilities are a reflection of your own. If you don’t listen how can you expect them to listen to you? If you won’t take the blame then they’ll find a way to divert responsibility away from them too. If you sit on an ego-burnished thrown your team will be more likely to search and find faults.
