At its essence, leadership is simply the practice of discovering and meeting the needs of a group of people and helping those people optimize their potential. In an environment where leadership is not effective, morale, productivity, and quality all decline rapidly. Fixing this environment, of course, involves recognizing signs of bad leadership skills so that you can take steps to correct them. Here are five telltale signs of bad leadership:
1. Lack of recognition for employee work or achievements
Gallup data extracted from millions of employee surveys shows that employees who are recognized for their hard work and accomplishments are more productive, more engaged, and more loyal to their employers. These employees also typically receive higher customer satisfaction scores, achieve better safety scores, and are less likely to suffer from an accident on the job.
2. Disrespectful behavior
Seventy-two percent of those participating in a 2020 ResumeLab survey named “rude or disrespectful behavior” one of the worst traits of a bad boss. More than two-thirds had been criticized by a boss in front of other team members, and 42% have witnessed a bad boss blaming failures on others. Disrespectful behavior demoralizes employees and weakens team synergy. Instead, leaders must empower employees with clear but respectful feedback to create a truly positive team environment.
3. Ineffective or non-existent communication
in leadership, communication problems come in many forms – some leaders don’t communicate at all, while others make it difficult for employees to get work done. Still, others communicate ineffectively because they don’t understand their words’ “tone” or perceived message. Poor communication can decrease morale, increase mistakes and accidents, and leave employees feeling unengaged.
4. Actions without integrity
Employees are not blind to decisions that are financially or ethically questionable. When they find out, all respect is gone. By showing integrity in your actions, though, you can cultivate an environment where employees value you as a trusted leader.
5. Lack of ongoing feedback
Employees usually don’t look forward to yearly performance reviews because they often focus on negative feedback instead of positive. In many cases, this is the only feedback they receive all year, and it can be both disheartening and overwhelming. Employees grow and succeed when feedback is frequent and manageable. Providing frequent, objective feedback helps employees become a more valuable part of shared goals, creating a sense of ownership that drives people to do their best. If you notice any of these signs in your workplace, it could indicate a profound need to improve leadership in your organization. If you’d like to know more about how to lead effectively in today’s challenging work world, contact us today.