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#Leadership : 20 Habits of Unsuccessful and Ineffective Leaders (Infographic)…What Not to Do If you Want to Succeed in Leadership

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A few weeks ago I wrote an article which focused on the bad habits of leaders which should be avoided, as I thought this was just as important as modeling ourselves on the best. Due to the popularity of this article I produced an Infographic, using Visme, that you can download and share.

Free- Stones stacked on each other

The article was based on my 25 years of experience in leaderships, highlighting some of the habits of unsuccessful and ineffectual leaders that I have seen, and in some cases, their justification for having them.

These are habits best avoided, if possible!

1. Believe They have All The Answers

They know that the reason that they have been put in charge is that they are smarter and better than everyone else. So when it comes to deciding strategy, solving problems, or resolving issues, there is no need, or point in involving anyone else.

2. React, Don’t Respond

Driven by their emotions, they react quickly to situations without worrying about factsor the repercussions of their actions.

They can always show good emotional intelligence by apologizing later.

3. Take Big Risks, The Bigger The Better

They like to gamble and take big risks. Believing in the adage “Nothing Ventured Nothing Gained” and that Smart Risk taking is for wimps.

When I questioned a decision that one boss was taking his response was, “that’s not your concern I get paid big bucks to take the big risks and make the tough calls.”

Personally, I though he got paid the big bucks to take the right risks and to be successful, but what did I know.

 

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4. Believe That Talking About It and Doing It Are The Same Thing

I always remember the first boss I worked for, when the CEO asked him how it was going, he said: “It’s going great, we have been discussing the problem for two days now.” The only problem was that was two days that the business couldn’t operate, and we were no closer to finding a solution.

5. Focus On Blame Not Solutions

It’s better to know who’s fault it is so that we can fire them and make sure this doesn’t happen again.

6. Believe Their Own PR

There is a big difference between confidence and arrogance; the former helps build trust in the leader, the latter destroys it. As soon as you start to believe your own PR, then you are leaning more towards arrogance and starting down a path that is going to end in tears.

7. Don’t Waste Valuable Time on Planning And Preparation

Sometimes you just have to dive and get it done. Don’t worry about what’s involved, or whether you’re focused on the symptom or root cause, just do it. My favorite comment was “we can’t  afford to spend time and money on planning; we just need to get started”.

Which was interesting because we found the time and money to do it again correctly, after that first attempt failed badly.

8. Hire People Beneath Them

As a leader, it is critical that you are the most skillful and knowledgeable member of the team, that way everyone can focus on their job rather than working out how they could replace you.

I worked at one company where the boss told me that he liked to recruit from the bottom quartile because it kept the costs down. He then added, “the only problem with that was the results sucked.”

9. Focus Instant success

It’s all about results, and if we find that they are not coming, then we need to move quickly on to another topic.

They believe that a lot of short-term success will lead to long-terms success.

10. Focus On The Big Picture, Not The Details

Don’t worry about the details, focus on the big picture, as that will keep you motivated. We all know the devil is in the details, but that could lead to concerns, a lack of belief and even worse de-motivation.

11. Focus on Weaknesses Not Strengths

As leaders we cannot have or show any weaknesses, so we need to work on eliminating them, or failing that, hiding them.

12. Confuse Stubbornness With Determination

“Winners never quit, and quitters never win” is a great approach to achieving results.

However you’re bordering on stubbornness if your approach is failing but you refuse to change it.

13. Don’t Play Well With Others

It’s hard to play well with others when you adapt a command and control approach to leadership. People like to be led not managed.

14. Think Praise is For Wimps

It’s ok to praise people once we have achieved success, but praising people just to keep them happy is not a good approach to building a strong, resilient team. We’ve got to be mean to keep them keen, and praising people too often makes a team soft.

15. Take Don’t Give

The more we take, the more we have, that’s how winners are made.

It’s a dog eat dog world, and we have to fight for our share.

16. Quick to Criticize

If you want people to improve, you need to point out their mistakes quickly and clearly. It’s also best to do this publicly so that others can learn too.

17. Easily Distracted

Never content with their current goals they are constantly looking for the next big thing that the get involved in. I think the reason for this is it’s much easier to start something new than to finish something important.

18. Make Excuses

There are a million and one reasons why things don’t work out as planned, so it’s not always our fault, and we need to remember that so as we don’t become too de-motivated. One boss told me never ever accept responsibility it could be career limiting, always have someone ready to blame or a good excuse handy.

19. Love To Micro Manage

It’s hard to trust everyone, so by micro-managing your staff, you can keep a close eye on things, and look to offer advice or step in if things start to go wrong.

20. Practice Inconsistently

It’s great to be inconsistent because it keeps your team guessing, which in turn keeps them on their toes. Predictability, on the other hand, can lead to complacency.

 

 

Inc.com  | October 5, 2016 |

BY GORDON TREDGOLD

Founder and CEO, Leadership Principles

 

#Leadership : Why Bullies Make Bad Leaders…So Why Do we Think that #Bullies Make for Good #Leaders ? Bullies Might be Good at Gaining Power, But they Make for Terrible Leaders.

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There is a dangerous and destructive idea fomenting in American society today, and it permeates almost every aspect of modern life. From politics to business, our society is increasingly mistaking aggression for strength, and bullying for leadership. One need only look at the nature of Donald Trump’s bombastic, aggressive, and wildly popular Presidential campaign for proof of this disturbing trend. In times of difficulty, the allure of bully is seductive yet ultimately disappointing. Bullies might be good at gaining power, but they make for terrible leaders.

ToughInterviewer

My experience in leadership is limited to the world of business. I’ve never led men into battle or won an election. However, I believe that the core principles of good leadership transcend boundaries and definition. It’s up to leaders and followers alike to recognize bullies when they rear their ugly heads and instead put their faith in those who lead by strength, sincerity, and example.

Never mistake aggression for strength

So why do we think that bullies make for good leaders? The blame lies in our evolutionary history. Throughout our time on this earth, the most aggressive, loudest member of the group became leader. As a result, our brains have evolved to associate aggression with high status. That’s why even normally rational people often sympathize with Trump, despite the fact that his proclamations are frequently nonsensical.

I think that the real problem here is that people mistake aggression for strength. In reality, strength of character has virtually nothing to do with aggression. We as a species simply fall victim to our evolutionary biases. Real strength comes from a quiet determination to do what is right, make the difficult decisions, and serve the interests of the team. In my personal experience, the individuals who make the best leaders aren’t aggressive. Instead, their quiet confidence speaks louder than any blustering.

 

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Recognize the strength in humility

If you think about the demagogues and bullies we see throughout society, you’ll quickly realize that they have one thing in common: Pride. Arrogance and pride are the hallmark of the bully, and they fundamentally undermine their ability to lead. Instead, I believe that effective leaders are humble in thought, word, and deeds.

I’ve found that it is really difficult to take a back seat, especially for young founders. Throughout my career and early on at BodeTree, I had an underlying fear that my position and authority was tenuous because of my age and relative lack of experience. This previously caused me to jockey for attention and praise in an attempt to find validation. However the more I did this, the less confident I felt.

I’ve since realized two things are necessary in order to have the confidence to always put others before yourself: trust and humility. The inescapable fact is that you are never as smart, talented or lucky as you think you are. Trying to prove otherwise is a recipe for disaster.  Having the humility to recognize your own shortcomings is the path to success. This sense of humility, coupled with a team that you trust, respect and admire can make it possible to easily put others before yourself.

Servant leaders succeed where bullies fail

Our society needs more servant leaders, both in business, politics, and personal life. Servant leadership inverts the typical evolutionary concepts of power, where one individual at the top of the heap exerts control over those below them. In contrast, the servant leader shares power and focuses their attention on making those around them successful and happy. In doing so, servant leaders develop true loyalty and support from those they lead and find long-term success.

This is not a new concept, yet it is put into practice far less frequently than it deserves. It was Lao-Tzu who wrote, “The highest type of ruler is one of whose existence the people are barely aware. Next comes one whom they love and praise.Next comes one whom they fear. Next comes one whom they despise and defy.”

It’s time that we as a people fought back against our primal urges and learned to better reject bullies. Instead, we must look to servant leaders who can be successful in the long-term. Whether it’s in business or politics, servant leaders succeed where bullies fail.

 

Forbes.com | April 1, 2016 | Chris Myers

 

 

Chris Myers is the Cofounder and CEO of BodeTree, a web application designed to help small businesses manage their finances.