If only people became leaders because they were good at leading people.
Instead, people usually move up the ranks because they are good at their job. Or, they have a good idea that they can make money out of. They are not necessarily skilled at leading people or organisations.
If you have escaped working for someone who was a bad or ineffective leader, then you are one of the lucky ones.
I’ve worked for too many bad bosses. One of them regularly shouted at people in front of the rest of the team. The whole company walked on eggshells around them. The company culture was one of fear and intimidation. They were highly critical, never happy with the work produced and nothing was ever enough. Team members were regularly off sick with burnout and people left the organisation in their droves.
This boss lacked emotional intelligence. They didn’t realise the effect their behaviour had on individuals, the team, and the organisation. They came across as untrusting and they lacked empathy.
A company’s working culture comes from the top down. Leaders need to understand that their actions, words, and decisions create the company’s values and culture.
The curse of the outdated leader
The leader who is stuck in the past will negatively impact the company and its team. The pandemic and events of the last couple of years have further highlighted the outdated leadership approaches that no longer work. Here are a few behaviours that leaders should ditch now to be able to lead into the future:
1. A ‘me’ instead of ‘we’ mindset
I once had a boss who made out they had single-handedly saved the company from folding. They didn’t realise that their remark had just dismissed the entire rest of the company’s work. Everyone had worked hard to prevent that company from sinking. This kind of mindset is hierarchical and egotistical. It is a fast-track way to ostracise your team.
2. Bad decision making
If your decisions are being questioned then it’s time to take a hard look at what you are out of touch with. Are you out of touch with your values or your emotions? Have you lost touch with what is going on in the outside world or your industry? Are you misaligned with your company values?
When leaders lack the focus of the broader picture they start making ineffective decisions for their company. They lack strategic oversight and can’t make the best of their talent and workforce. They eventually lose confidence, become consumed by self-doubt, and begin to feel threatened by their team and colleagues.
3. Lack of emotional intelligence
Too often leaders make decisions based on just their rational thinking. They ignore what their body and emotions are telling them. They don’t question why they are feeling what they are. They lack empathy and the ability to put themselves in their employees’ shoes.
Having good emotional intelligence means you can try to understand what your emotions are telling you, rather than reacting impulsively. Questioning emotions before reacting, enables behaviour based on trust and abundance, as opposed to scarcity and fear.
4. Poor collaboration
A company culture of collaboration is up to leaders to cultivate.
Successful collaborative work improves the performance of a company. Teams accomplish better products and services and create more impact than they could by working alone.
Collaborative working increases creative brainstorming, innovation, problem-solving, learning, and communication across teams. It lays the foundation for a more open, connected, and engaged workplace.
With the increase in remote and flexible working as well as technological advancements, a leader must encourage collaboration across teams and platforms.
5. Fails to be inclusive
All employees should be treated fairly and have equal access to opportunities and support. As well as diversity in personal characteristics, differing perspectives, biases, and preferences should be valued equally.
A non-inclusive leader will favour some people over others for whatever reason. Meetings or projects will lack some key team players because only some people have been included. Work will be created without input from team members whose jobs will be impacted by it.
Picking and choosing who to include or involve will create a scenario like being in the school playground. If you’re left out of playing a game with the others, then a divide has been created. The person who has been left out will question their role and become angry and disillusioned.
A lack of inclusivity from the boss will filter down the organisation causing a lack of communication and collaboration, and an ‘us v’s them’ culture.
6. Not investing in their staff
Effective leaders prioritise their employees’ well-being and professional growth. This goes for the leader too. When they have behaviours in place to manage their wellbeing they can react better to stress.
Employees are the bedrock of the business, it’s important they feel emotionally supported and empowered to do their best work. When businesses encourage the well-being of their staff, the health of their business follows.
The increased stress caused by the pandemic has highlighted this issue. Leaders who fail to invest in their talent’s personal and professional development will not retain their staff.
7. Stuck in their ways
One previous leader of mine used to be fearful of change and react to change with panic. They would put unnecessary stress on those around them. Rather than taking a strategic approach, employee workload was increased. They’d consider changes to plans as a failure and would look for people to blame. The unexpected change was reacted to erratically and poor decisions were made based on fear and anger.
Leaders who are not adaptable avoid looking at themselves and changing their leadership style to meet market demands. An unwillingness to recognise and adapt to change negatively impacts the company’s sustainability.
8. Lacks integrity
Saying one thing and doing another is a sure-fire way to eliminate trust. People want to work for someone they know will treat them right whilst doing their best for the company.
Like all other behaviours, a leader being unethical will filter down the organisation, encouraging others in the company to act this way too. Creating a culture lacking in integrity promotes mistrust throughout the organisation.
If a team doesn’t trust their leader they will avoid approaching them in times of crisis. Eventually, the leader will lose their team’s respect and a grip on what is going on in the company.
As Dwight D. Eisenhower puts it “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”
In Conclusion
The future of work is changing rapidly. In just the last couple of years, we have seen huge changes. Increased flexibility, remote working, and advancements in communication technology have dominated our workplaces. More rapid change is guaranteed in the future.
With continued advancements in technology, changes to lifestyle, and standards of living, expectations of what a job should provide have changed. With that comes a change in how businesses need to be led.
If a leader is to lead companies and teams into the future, they need to start with leading themselves first. Developing their self-awareness and getting clear on their core values is key.
Self-development will lead to a change in leadership style. Only then can they begin to lead others, lead change and lead the future.