In this column, Darryn Le Grange discusses the worst behaviour traits of leaders
Being a leader is not always easy. Leaders face many challenges on an ongoing basis, but have to be the guiding light for the organisation. You often hear the cliché “Our people are our biggest assets”. We prefer to say “The right people are your biggest assets” – and these people deserve a great leader who can lead, motivate and inspire them to great heights.
Many leaders are self-taught and learn how to lead by trial and error. While learning by trial and error can be effective, you need to make sure you acknowledge your mistakes and stay open to constructive criticism. Here are some of the worst behaviours of leaders:
- Micromanaging
No one likes to be micromanaged. Give your people clear expectations in the form of a job description and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and manage them on the delivery of this. Micromanagement stifles the creativity of your employees and disempowers them, and as a result they will stop thinking for themselves.
- Losing Their Temper When Things Don’t Go Their Way
These leaders have low emotional intelligence and scream and shout when things don’t go their way. They insult their employees and speak to them in a disrespectful tone. These leaders manage employees via fear and intimidation rather than holding their team accountable in a professional, respectful manner.
- Making False Promises
There is nothing worse than a boss who makes promises and never follows through on these. In doing this, you keep moving the goal posts which causes distrust and will result in you losing the respect of your team. How would you feel if your employees broke their promises to your customers?
- Not Dealing With Conflict
These leaders avoid conflict at all costs and opt for corridor discussions, which can often result in an environment of gossiping and backbiting. While no one enjoys the tough conversations, leaders must be able to have these and address any issues head on.
- Overworking Employees
These leaders don’t really care about the well-being of their employees. They have unrealistic expectations of what is possible from employees, and keep loading their team members with work. They have very little to no empathy, and rarely compliment their team.
- They Think They Know It All
These leaders always have the need to be the smartest person in the room and think they know it all. Team members will stop sharing good ideas because the leader knows it all and doesn’t consider other people’s ideas.
If you are guilty of any of these behaviour traits, try hard to make the necessary changes which will no doubt have a very positive impact on your team, their performance and the business results.
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*To book a complimentary coaching session to assess your business and discuss your leadership strengths and weaknesses, please email darrynlegrange@actioncoach.com