How Can You Recognize Bad Leadership Instantly? Watch for These 6 Red Flags
Over the years, I've seen many bad leadership habits in middle and upper management. Here are six of them.
This post is part of my Thought Leadership series: long-form articles aimed at teaching you how to build great work cultures where people and businesses flourish. If you’re joining me for the first time - welcome to your leadership development journey! Get started by clicking on that red button below. From there, I promise to do everything possible to provide the pathways to make you that much better and more effective as a leader.
Many years ago, I interviewed a candidate for a senior management position. He seemed competent, engaging, and displayed many leadership traits that I thought would make him a great fit for the job. So, we hired him.
During his first week, I dropped by his office to say hello. He was on the phone with a vendor, and in the few minutes I listened, I saw a totally different person from the one we had hired.
He was crass, aggressive, short-tempered, and unprofessional. It was a Jekyll-and-Hyde experience. I was embarrassed by his behavior and even more embarrassed that I had recommended hiring him.
He managed to survive in his role, but it was at the expense of his subordinates. Over time, his department became a revolving door. Employee opinion surveys and exit interviews with his direct reports painted the true picture.
The Red Flags
Over the years, I've seen many bad habits in middle and upper management. It hasn't gotten better--if anything, it's worse now with remote work. Here are six red flags that really stand out.
1. Managers who can't give clear directions
You know the saying about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing? This manager says one thing on Monday and changes their mind by Wednesday, often without telling anyone. Team members are left guessing because communication is a mess.
2. Managers who need to control everything
This person micromanages down to the last detail. The work environment is suffocating because they need to control every decision. They don't trust the team and refuse to delegate. There's no room for discussion or input because their management style is all about control. Creativity and learning new things? Forget about it. Loyal employees just end up following orders without finding any real meaning in their jobs.
3. Managers who triangulate
Picture a sensitive situation in which a manager does not communicate directly with a subordinate or peer but gladly reaches out to communicate with a third person, which can lead to that person (who may not even be involved in the situation) becoming part of the problem. Sometimes, this manager will even play the two people against each other. Welcome to triangulating. This is a dysfunctional pattern by managers who don't have the courage to deal directly with an issue and communicate effectively to diffuse the situation.
4. Managers who have no self-awareness
Ever worked for a manager who doesn't see the elephant in the room? What seems so obvious to others about their behavior and how it affects team members, they miss. Even if it's pointed out to them by their superiors, they won't fix the damage by apologizing or trying to make things right. Hubris does not have 20/20 vision.
5. Managers who are never wrong
Ever work with a manager who's always right and you're always wrong? They have a hard time taking blame or ownership for things and will never admit to having made a mistake. They're more concerned with preserving their reputation and saving face.
6. Managers who play the blame game
The first thing you'll notice is the blame game. But you know the saying, "For every finger you point, there's three pointing back at you." Their behavior is directly related to a lack of personal accountability, which is often a character issue. In which case, one must ask and confront the powers that be: How did this person get promoted to management in the first place?
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