7 warning signs of poor leadership skills — how to spot a bad leader
Whether you’re an employer concerned about low morale and decreased productivity, or an employee struggling with burnout, one of the most common causes for all three is poor leadership. This article will help you spot the signs of a bad leader — before things get too bad. New to leadership? Read on to learn what NOT to do!
Every organization, whether a government agency, a school, or a business, needs strong leadership to drive its growth and success. Good leaders have the power to inspire, motivate, and provide direction to other employees to achieve company success.
On the other hand, bad leadership can be detrimental to the company’s growth.
The actions or inactions of bad leaders can kill employee engagement, morale, and a business’s bottom line. Poor leadership can also cause the best employees to take off!
Most organizations have a combination of good and bad leaders pulling in opposing directions, which is unsuitable for business. As a business owner, it’s essential to know the signs that your company is being led by poor leadership so you can devise ways to curb the menace before you’re completely ruined.
7 ways to spot a bad leader
Here are some of the habits that show that someone is a bad leader.
Doesn’t consider the input of others
Coming to employees for input on what is working — and what is not — creates feelings of trust. Workers feel safe to share their ideas and concerns to create a conducive environment for individual and company growth. After all, employees interact more with the business in their daily routine and, therefore, have more input than most leaders.
Bad leaders are selfish, and their leadership is often centered around them rather than the team. All their ideas, efforts, and decisions are meant to better themselves. In short, the team’s opinion does not matter. Such leaders make all the decisions themselves; they never take responsibility for any failures but take credit for all successes. For them, the boss is always right.
This leadership style builds a toxic work environment that suppresses innovation and creativity.
Slow to change
Change is inevitable in today’s busy business world. The economy is changing, customer trends are changing, the population is changing, and technology is changing. A business that fails to embrace change will quickly be overtaken by its competitors.
A good leader can adjust and adapt to the change around them. A bad leader, on the other hand, will always resist change and growth. They shut down all ideas and suggestions for change and always fall back into their comfort zone.
Poor leaders are close-minded and see growth as something out of their league. They fail to see growth opportunities around them and therefore fail to take the necessary risks for success. As a result, the company remains stagnant and cannot adapt and compete in the ever-changing market.
Lacks accountability
Good leaders own up to their mistakes and are always willing to work on their weaknesses. A bad leader, on the other hand, lacks accountability and is constantly blaming others for their mistakes. They are more concerned about saving face and preserving their reputation than doing the right thing.
Leaders who play blame games are bound to lose respect and credibility, especially from their juniors.
Poor communication
According to a survey, having a clear vision, communicating well, and supporting career growth are the top three areas employees would love for their managers to improve.
Communication is paramount whether things are going well or not. It is one of the most significant ways to remove uncertainty and promote trust.
A poor leader lacks excellent communication skills. Trouble receiving and giving feedback, poor listening skills, and using unprofessional language are some communication-related habits that point to bad leadership.
Micromanagement
Micromanaging is one of the top traits that spell poor leadership in a person. Great leaders allow employees to excel at their work by not meddling in every little thing.
Micromanagement is a good way to stir up negative emotions in the workplace. It also tells your employees that you don’t trust them and their skills, which might make them uncertain about their roles.
Unable to take positive criticism
One easy way to spot a poor leader is to offer honest feedback. A poor leader will always shun any form of criticism and term it as questioning the authority or a personal attack.
They believe that criticism makes them look incompetent and weak.
As a result, these kinds of leaders are usually surrounded by people who agree with everything they say. They continuously reinforce their ideas and decisions without considering valuable feedback that could help reveal and solve actual problems.
Ignores the consumer
Your customers are the best people to listen to if you want to improve your product or service and achieve tremendous growth. Consumers are the end users of your product or service; they will tell you if your product is worth buying and if any improvement is needed to make it better.
Knowledgeable leaders focus on customer experience, which translates to satisfaction and loyalty. They find ways to persistently engage the customer and make them part of their planning and innovation initiatives.
Bad leaders will always ignore or mistreat the consumer, and this ends up hurting the company’s bottom line.
Don’t be stuck in the past
Gone are the days when salaries and perks alone were enough to motivate and keep employees. Today’s employee wants to feel valued, respected, and appreciated. They want to see themselves grow and work in an ethical environment where their voice is heard.
As a business owner, it’s good to give your employees a reason to want to come to work every morning by ensuring that your top leaders have the skills to be true leaders.
As Gary Mottershead said, “A bad system can destroy good people.” So, check out the above habits of poor leaders to help you spot and correct these behaviors before it’s too late.
