7 WAYS TO RECOGNISE BAD LEADERS!

1. When leaders disenchant to lead themselves: A leader who lacks character or integrity will not endure the test of time. It doesn’t matter how intelligent, genial, persuasive, or savvy a person is, if they are prone to rationalising unethical behaviour based upon current or future needs, they will eventually fall prey to their own undoing. Optics over integrity is not a formula for success.

2. Beware the know-it-all: The best leaders are acutely aware of how much they don't know. They have no need to be the smartest person in the room but have the unyielding desire to learn from others. It is often said that, leaders who are not growing cannot lead a growing enterprise. One of the trademarks of great leaders is their voracious inquisitiveness. If a leader isn't extremely inquisitive about every aspect of their organisation, trust me when it is said there are huge problems on the prospect.

3. It's all about them: If a leader doesn’t understand the concept of “service above self” they will not engender the trust, confidence, and loyalty of those they lead. Any leader is only as good as his or her team’s desire to be led by them. A surplus of ego, pride, and arrogance are not positive leadership traits. Real leaders take the blame and give the credit - not the other way around. Long story short; if a leader receives a vote of non-confidence from their subordinate, it is deemed as game over.

4. One size fits all leadership style: The best leaders are liquefied and flexible in their approach. They understand the power of, and necessity for contextual leadership. “My way or the highway” leadership styles don’t play well in today’s world, will result in a fractured culture, and ultimately a non-productive organisation. Only those leaders who can quickly recognise and adapt their methods to the situation at hand will be successful over the long haul. Think open-source not proprietary, surrender not control, and collaborate not dictate.

5. Show some self-confidence: Leadership absent courage is a travesty. I'm not referring to arrogance or bravado, but real courage. It takes courage to break from the norm, challenge the status quo, seek new opportunities, cut your losses, make the tough decision, listen rather than speak, admit your faults, forgive the faults of others, not allow failure to diminish your spirit, stand for those not capable of standing for themselves, and to remain true to your core values. You can do none of these things without courage. Courage is having the strength of principle to do the right thing when it would just be easier to do things right.

6. Lack of concentration: Leadership is less about balance and more about priority. The best leaders are callous in their pursuit of emphasis. Those leaders who lack the concentration and attention to detail needed to apply leverage and resources in an aggressive and dedicated fashion will succumb. Leaders who are not intentional and are not absorbed, will fail themselves and their team. Leaders who lack discipline will prototypical the wrong behaviours and will unavoidably spread themselves too thin. Organisations are at the greatest risk when leaders lose their concentration. Intentions must be associated with results for leaders to be active.

7. It is the culture stupid: The lesson here is that culture matters; forget this and all other hard work about talent inventiveness will be dysfunctional, if not altogether misplaced. Do not allow your culture to change by avoidance, create it by design. The first step in cultural design is to be very wary who you let through the front door. People, their personalities, insolence, and work ethic are contamination. This can be positive or negative; the choice is yours. The old saying, “talent begets talent” is true, but talent that aligns with culture will produce better results than talent that does not.