What is poor leadership?

Originally answered Aug 16, 2017

Poor leaders:

1. Fail to think for themselves
2. Don’t follow a clear set of moral and ethical principles
3. Look out for themselves first, not their employees
4. Emulate the traits of other poor leaders
5. Hire mediocre people who don’t pose a threat to them
6. Wait for annual performance reviews to provide feedback to their employees
7. Communicate negatively and harshly, not praising or thanking their employees
8. Don’t learn how to become a better leader by reading, attending training, and seeking mentors
9. Worry only about the people above them in the organization, not their employees
10. Say one thing while doing another

Bad leaders:

• Criticize, Blame, Ridicule
• Demean, Embarrass, Undermine
• Intimidate, Threaten, Bully
• Lie, Cheat, Exploit
• Badmouth, Belittle, Backstab

Inauthentic leaders:

1. Are timid and reluctant
2. Point out what’s wrong
3. Are ignorant
4. Recite dry facts
5. Wait instead of act
6. Go it alone
7. Know it all
8. Stick to the tried and true
9. Blow up
10. React instead of plan
11. Spin, make excuses, and pass blame
12. Repeat the usual message
13. Use clichés
14. Withhold information
15. Hide behind closed doors
16. Are afraid to fail
17. Obscure, obstruct, and obfuscate
18. Play it safe and delay
19. Always go by the book
20. Exploit others

See also:

• How do you tell good managers from bad managers?
• What are the most lacking traits among the leaders today?
• Why are there so many bad leaders?
• Detrimental attributes of organizational culture
• Articles, Presentation, and Books about Leadership
• Articles by Others