As we close in on the end of a business cycle, it is natural to look back on what was accomplished and forward to what might get done. When we do this, we often measure success against others.
Anyone on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook can only go minutes before they see an aspirational and inspirational quote from Gandhi, Churchill, Helen Keller or someone another person who triggered the end of the British Empire, won WWII or got cats to sleep with dogs.
Don’t get me wrong these people are amazing. But, if you measure your successes against their accomplishments, you will likely be disappointed.
The fact is that none of these people were perfect, they all had their flaws and foibles: smoking, drinking, philandering, poor parenting or whatever. If you measure your success against their historical contributions to humanity without considering that they were human beings leading very human lives.
Instead of measuring up, consider measuring yourself against poor leadership traits while aspiring to be a Keller, Churchill, Gandhi, Parks or King.
Ineffective Leadership Traits
1) Avoiding Conflict
When you avoid conflict, you give away power. Don’t be afraid to bring up the hard topics. Own them, face them and expect others to do the same.
When you don’t hold others accountable, you allow the unacceptable behaviour to continue. People need leaders. And one of your primary functions is to facilitate the natural and inevitable conflict that will arise.
On a 1 to 5 scale where are you?
2) Fostering Unhealthy Competition
When managed well, conflict can encourage previously unheard voices, new ideas, and sustainable solutions. However, using hidden agendas and subterfuge to create interpersonal conflict will hurt you and your team.
When you promote unhealthy conflict, you abuse power. Effective leaders foster trust, respect, and openness.
On a 1 to 5 scale where are you?
3) Seeing Only What’s Wrong
When your quest for excellence and continuous improvement is uppermost, it’s easy to focus exclusively on what isn’t working.
What you look for is what you get. Focus on what’s working, and you’ll get more of it.
On a 1 to 5 scale where are you?
4) Taking All the Credit
The more credit, praise, and acknowledgment you give, the more you get.
Offer praise wherever possible.
Encourage new ideas by acknowledging them.
In team meetings, listen actively and validate what people are saying.
Continually seek to give credit to others.
On a 1 to 5 scale where are you?
5) Controlling Everything
Your job is not to control. Your job is to lead and inspire. Use your power to delegate responsibility and foster team problem-solving.
On a 1 to 5 scale where are you?
Don’t Get Stuck Measuring Up
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to fix everything all at once. Pick one area at a time and work on moving your ranking up one point.
- What ineffective traits are you particularly practiced?
- Are there other ineffective leadership traits that have gotten you into hot water?
- What are they?