I’ve been writing a lot about the characteristics of effective leaders in my blog posts. If you’ve been reading, you know that self-awareness, emotional intelligence and a willingness to always improve are critical when it comes to operating effectively as a leader. But today I’d like to turn the tables a bit and examine leadership from a different perspective.

All of us have had the distinct displeasure of working under leaders who — let’s face it — were simply terrible at leading. These leaders failed to inspire us and our colleagues, and they made us less interested in

achieving, performing and delivering in order for the organization to succeed.

If you’re operating in a leadership role, it’s important to understand what defines bad leadership. When you’re aware of the characteristics of poor, uninspiring leadership, you can more actively avoid becoming one yourself.

Here are five tips to help you make sure you don’t become a bad leader.

Stop Interrupting!

One significant thing I’ve noticed while observing leaders inside and outside the corporate world is the tendency to interrupt others and dominate the conversation. Sometimes this happens because we care, but often it happens because people feel a need to control situations and outcomes. Perhaps it stems from an insecure need to have one’s voice heard above all others or perhaps that is a learned behavior from observing other leaders in action. Whatever an individual’s rational is for interrupting it is not acceptable behavior and more importantly, if you’re in a leadership role it can have a devastating impact on your people.

Every leader will tell you that they value communication, but many of them view it as a one-way street. Communicating effectively doesn’t just mean the ability to articulate a point of view, it also means that you attentively listen to others. Perhaps you’re feeling uncomfortable reading this, which means that I may have struck a nerve. But don’t worry — interrupting is natural for everyone at times. In fact, the average person listens for just seven seconds before interrupting while in a conversation!

If you want to be a better listener, a good place to begin is to notice your tendency to interrupt when someone is speaking to you. Avoid the urge to hijack the conversation with your point of view. Instead, keep listening until the individual you’re talking to has finished speaking. Bad leaders tend to be bad listeners — and big interrupters! If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a better listener, check out this blog post, where I highlighted some of the ways you can make sure you give your people the respect they deserve when they take the time to communicate with you.

Use Your Voice!

At the other end of the spectrum from the interrupting leader is the leader who refuses to contribute to the conversation. You know the type — they’re always around, observing and quietly making decisions that affect the organization, but they never seem to speak up to let you know what they really think.

Great leaders don’t let themselves dissolve into the background of the workplace; they share their opinions and views readily. If you want to avoid becoming a bad leader, you need to contribute to the conversation both in your one on one discussions and in meetings. Your people need to hear your voice and perspective to understand what they must do to succeed. I have observed leaders being displaced because of their inability to share openly and freely with others. It can create mistrust and foster weak relationships with their respective teams and senior leaders expect leaders to contribute and lead by example for others to follow.

Please Avoid Micromanaging!

One of the most significant complaints that team members have about their leaders, or in this case we will refer to them as managers, is the tendency to micromanage every detail. How can people be expected to be creative, innovative and excel when someone is constantly fussing over every single element of the process? Being led by a micromanager is exhausting, but often some leaders aren’t even aware that they’re doing it until you bring it to their attention.

Once again, self-awareness is crucial, so pay attention to how your people communicate with you for clues. Are they eager to get feedback from you, or do they recoil when you begin to offer suggestions? If your people are avoiding you, it may be because you’ve been identified as a micromanager.

Destroy the Silo Mentality

The so-called “silo mentality” — the tendency for leaders to operate independently without sharing information — is an organization killer.

Unfortunately, some leaders feel threatened by the prospect of operating with the “big picture” in mind, but leading in this way only puts you on the fast track to failure. A lack of openness and an inability to recognize the larger goals and needs of the organization only serves to alienate you and your people. But when you operate without such rigid barriers, the flow of information improves — and so does your entire organization.

Communication, Communication, Communication!

Have you noticed anything in common about these bits of advice? Yes, communication is key! Your team needs you to be able to communicate properly, and that means providing feedback, listening attentively and offering your insights regularly. Communicating with your team on a need-to-know basis might make you feel powerful in an information-based corporate world, but it does your organization no good. It is difficult to over communicate as I have observed myself first hand, and most employee surveys rate the lack of communication from leadership in their top five areas within the organization that need improvement. So, communicate as often as you can – your people will embrace your engagement with reciprocity in return.

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Be A Better Leader Starting Today

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can avoid becoming a bad leader, Leaders Edge has your back! Please share your insights and give us a call at 855-871-3374 for more information!

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