Disclaimer: What qualifies me to write about this topic? Am I an esteemed CEO, Professor or Entrepreneur? No, no, and no. I am a human being, who has worked in workplaces. A human being who has conversed with other human beings on the topic of leadership, and these are just a few shared thoughts from our own experiences over the years. The irony is that I am currently unemployed and travelling, as I write this…
I’ve worked for many different leaders over the years, in a range of industries, all with varying styles and approaches. Some were wonderful. Some were average. Some were the worst! There are a heap of books out there on the topic of Good and Great Leadership. Some that spring to mind are Simon Sinek’s ‘Start with Why’, the Dale Carnegie classic ‘How to win friends and influence people’, and more recently, Brene Brown’s ‘Dare to Lead’, to name a few. You will find hundreds of titles on the subject if you wish to dive deeper. But what about the makings of poor leadership? We’ve all worked for those ‘leaders’ who have landed in positions of power leaving all of those around them baffled at how on earth they were hired in the first place.
Here are a few musings on some of the worst leadership qualities.
Incoherent Blindness
This sounds like something you’d find wandering outside of a pub at 3 AM, not running an organisation. But it’s amazing the amount of times I’ve worked under the leadership of someone who has zero clarity of vision. The Oxford Dictionary’s definition of clarity is ‘the quality of being coherent and intelligible’ and we know that vision means the ability to see. To be clear, I’m not talking about medical blindness here, I’m talking about blindness as in a ‘lack of perception, awareness or judgement’. It doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence when the person in charge – the leader – is fumbling around with no idea what they are doing or where they are going. Some leaders can fumble along like this for a long time to disastrous results in a workplace.
Shortsighted Box-ticking
Another terrible leadership quality is what I would describe as short sighted box-ticking. You know the type. They are very often found in government agencies. They operate best where there are very rigid and regulated rules and procedures of how things are done. They will put you in a box. They will tell you what you need to do, which is great, because there is clarity. But, your job is to sit down, shut up and tick the boxes that make up your job. You will NOT be encouraged to speak up about any issues you see or any ideas or suggestions for improvement. In fact, you will be belittled, discouraged or demeaned for doing or suggesting anything that sits outside of your box. At absolutely no point are you to step outside of your box. Ever. They are a box ticker. You are expected to be a box ticker too.
Serial Micro-Management
How will you know when your leader doesn’t trust you? They will watch you constantly! They will check up on you. They will comment on your work in a way that invades your space physically, virtually and verbally. They will be IN your psyche. They will say things like “Are you doing things the way I’ve asked you to do them?” They will pull your work to pieces to make sure it measures up to their high standards. It will NEVER measure up. You will always be a disappointment to them. They believe that they could do a better job themselves. This is one of the most toxic leadership traits. Even if you are very confident in your own knowledge and abilities, they have a pervasive way of making you feel like shit. Some do this overtly, by yelling at you and telling you that “you are shit”. Most workplaces don’t allow this kind of treatment of people, if there is a Human Resources Department. But for those who own their own business, or are small enough to only have a handful of employees, they can ‘get away with it’, so to speak. In larger organisations, you’re more likely to encounter the passive-aggressive approach, “Oh, yes, I see you’ve done the presentation. I would not have done it that way”
Time Wasting
One of the most frustrating poor leadership qualities I’ve recently encountered is the ‘time waster’. Remember earlier how I talked about incoherent blindness? Often how this looks in the day to day, is a constant barrage of nonsensical ramblings with no point at all. Often fancy words are used to create the illusion of intelligence, but at the end of the 45 minute, completely one-sided monologue by said leader, you’ll realise that you have gained absolutely nothing of value at the end of the conversation. It’s at this point you daren’t ask “what was the point you were trying to make?” as it could spark another painfully long soliloquy about regulatory compliance. I have been in situations where I have left the room, mid-conversation, slowly standing and backing away toward the door, “Oh yes, I see. I’ll look into that”, before making a break for it. Sometimes, unfortunately, my leader came into my office and as I was unable to escape their rambling, my go to move was, “I best get started on those next tasks straight away”, I’d say while ever so slowly turning my back on them and turning towards my computer screen. Surely they’ll get the hint…
Unrelenting Superiority
I also like to call this ‘power-dicking’. This trait is all about leaders walking around waggling their unrelenting superiority (metaphorical power dicks) all over the place. Imagine that they have a dick strapped to their chests (I want to ensure I’m being inclusive of female leaders here, because they can also display this quality). They will walk in such a way that their power dick is on full display, shoulders back, chest forward, dick waggling. They want you to know that they are superior to you in every way. Intelligence, experience, financially, professionally and personally. They will demand respect, purely because of their power-dick (superiority). They have a commanding way about them that expects that everyone who is ‘less than’ their rank needs to stay out of their way unless they have something very important to say. They want you to feel intimidated by them and their power-dick. Only other power-dickers are permitted within their radius. Just remember that a dick, is a dick, is a dick. There is no need to be intimidated.
Good leadership is most excellent!
In stark contrast to the above, it’s such a blessing to work under great leadership.
- Good leaders have clarity of vision. They know what they’re doing, where they are going, and have the ability to take the whole team there too.
- Good leaders push you, by seeing your potential and encouraging you to work just outside of your comfort zone and being flexible enough to let your own strengths to shine through.
- Good leaders equip you with the knowledge and resources needed for you to excel in your job.
- Good leaders work at your level, respect you and treat you as a peer, earning respect by working with you (not ABOVE).
- Good leaders listen and are true to their word, delivering on what they say they will do. They have professional integrity, meaning that if they cannot deliver on their promise, they openly acknowledge why this is the case and provide solutions to getting back on track or pivoting directions.
- Good leaders say what they mean. They are straight to the point, giving you timely, direct and constructive feedback that will make you better at your job. Good leaders value your time.
- Good leaders trust you. They are confident to give direction and then step back and let you do your thing.
Thanks to the human beings out there who I have personally discussed this topic with. I appreciate your insights and wisdom, and you have helped to contribute to this writing. Much love to you all and I love our chats.Wishing you a great week at work.
P.S. I have attached a printable poster that you can place at your desk if you like, for those of you unfortunate enough to have a not great leader. Hopefully they can absorb some of this insight and get better soon.
Get Better Soon – Leadership Poster
I’ll be enjoying my unemployment.
Much love,
MumOf3WRs