It is usually challenging for leaders to acknowledge their wrongdoings or weaknesses. However, leaders who are more self-aware and are willing to reflect on their leadership qualities and behaviour with an open mind become better leaders.
There are several leadership qualities that leaders should avoid. These are the top five.
Leaders often feel confident in knowing and understanding their strengths. However, it can be harder for them to identify their weaknesses and shortcomings.
Our flaws are often apparent to others, but we do not acknowledge them because acknowledging them requires modesty and self-awareness, which may not come naturally to everyone. To help identify their weaknesses, leaders should encourage regular feedback from others. By getting regular feedback from their team, a leader can determine the behaviours hindering them from leading effectively.
We know that no one likes a bully! Leaders who act like bullies belittling, humiliating, and acting disrespectfully to others, whether members of their team or their colleagues, will establish a toxic workplace culture. As a result, their teams' morale, engagement, and productivity will decrease.
A good leader should motivate, encourage, support and influence their team to grow together, guiding everyone towards the end goal. Leaders who bully fail to gain the team's trust, often resulting in their teams not achieving success.
Anyone can hear someone out, but a good leader should actively listen. Teams who feel their leaders are not listening become demotivated and feel their ideas or opinions are not valued. As a result, the team withdraws and the members are not keen to engage in discussions in the future.
By not actively listening to their employees, leaders can miss out on many opportunities, such as opportunities to learn and improve, build stronger relationships, and establish an open and positive work environment.
Making decisions is one of the most critical responsibilities of a leader. Various factors can impact a decision, and a leader should carefully consider the repercussions of their choices. Unfortunately, when faced with multiple options with varying degrees of risk, some leaders can become indecisive, making them ineffective leaders. When a leader is indecisive, employees will be confused and start to believe there is no clear direction and expectation from the leader.
Leaders should understand that some decisions are not necessarily permanent. A leader may decide based on their knowledge on hand or the knowledge that they possess at a specific moment. A good leader should be agile in responding to the risks that come with their decisions.
As a leader, you should not prioritise your needs and desires above those of your employees. A good leader will go out of their way to first take care of their employees' needs. An empathetic leader who practices selfless leadership will be able to serve their teams better. The leaders will build trusting relationships essential to building a healthy culture that supports its employees' growth and well-being, helping them reach their full potential.
If you and your team want to become better leaders, reach out to learn more about our leadership development programmes.
"I believe that leadership Coaching is a process of self-understanding and can help every organisation achieve success. Reach out to me today to learn more about how to develop your leaders, Coach Sonja Shear".