Being a leader is more than just giving instructions. It involves influencing other people positively to achieve results. Whether you are an entrepreneur, manager, team leader, etc., your leadership skills will contribute to your success or failure. In this article, you will learn some of the habits that make you a lousy leader.
A lousy leader is every employee’s nightmare. They intimidate and accuse everybody working with them. Unfortunately, this kind of leader lacks vision, doesn’t build relationships, and never listens to people.
Lousy leaders believe they know it all. They never take responsibility for their actions. Instead, they blame other people for their failure and take credit for the team’s success.
The worst part of working with a lousy leader is that they frequently take credit for other people’s work and never think before talking.
Oh! Don’t expect motivation and inspiration from such a leader. They can’t motivate themselves, let alone the people they are working with.
And if you want to be successful in your leadership role, it’s important to watch out for some of the habits that could make you a lousy leader. These habits can affect your performance and disconnect you from your subordinates.
Read Also: 5 Unique Ways to Build Employee Loyalty
So, here are some of the habits that make you a lousy leader;
#1. You love Secluding Yourself
One of the habits that make you a lousy leader is when you always seclude yourself. Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying you should socialize with your employees every now and then.
But it’s essential to create a workplace bond with them. It will bring about better communication, cooperation, and collaboration.
Many a time, leaders make the mistake of withdrawing from their subordinates unconsciously. They can do this by choosing a separate office, working on different projects, and being unapproachable.
I know you are trying to create boundaries, but secluding yourself from your employees is a very wrong way to do it.
Here’s what happens when you isolate yourself from your team – it creates resentment. Your employees will no longer see you as part of the team. And this could generate an “us versus them” attitude.
Again, isolating yourself could also distance you from the work your team is doing. So, you may not be able to supervise them close, thus limiting your ability to lead.
#2. You are Too Rigid
Excessive rigidity is one of the habits that make you a lousy leader. Of course, it’s great to have a plan of action. But don’t be too rigid about it.
You should be able to adjust your plan based on the prevailing situation on ground. When you are too rigid, it tends to undermine your credibility and leadership ability.
You are only the team leader, but the job is the collective responsibility of the entire team. So, don’t try to monopolize any project you are working on.
Be flexible, listen to other people’s opinions, and try other people’s strategies if your strategies aren’t working. If you don’t give people the opportunity to contribute their input, it may affect the overall performance.
Most times, lousy managers implement strategies and plans without consulting their team members. Unfortunately, this may cause them to lose creative ideas that could help them achieve better results.
Implementing plans and strategies alone could also lead to resentment and demotivation in your employees. And this could affect their productivity.
In a nutshell, every great leader must be flexible. You must know when to adapt your plans or strategies to fit into the prevailing situation.
#3. Not Planning for the Future
Not planning for the future is one of the habits that make you a lousy leader. Every great leader must be futuristic. You must predict future trends in your industry and come up with excellent strategies to adapt to them.
Try not to become a leader who focuses too much on the daily routine and forgets about the future. If you do, it will prevent you from tackling greater challenges facing your business.
But being futuristic gives you enough time to reflect and come up with new initiatives. If you feel overwhelmed by your daily routine, you can delegate some of the tasks to someone you trust.
Micromanaging your employee’s activities could irritate them and affect their productivity. Hire reliable people on your team and focus more on planning the future of your company.
#4. Not Accepting Responsibility
Not accepting responsibility is one of the habits that make you a lousy leader. This kind of leader blames everybody when things go wrong. But when they succeed, they take the credit alone.
You must learn to accept responsibility as a leader. It’s important to remind yourself that things may not always go your way.
When the business tides are in your favor, celebrate with your team, and accept responsibility when the tides are against you.
Don’t make excuses whenever things go wrong. Instead, investigate the source of the problem and fix it.
#5. Working Too Hard
Most leaders believe that they will achieve more when they work too hard. They end up subjecting their team members to long hours of work without a break.
Of course, working long hours can help you meet deadlines. But it’s one of the habits that make you a lousy leader. And it could eventually destroy your leadership style and ruin your reputation before your employees.
When you work too hard, it affects your health and makes you lose focus. It also increases stress and makes you less productive.
These are some of the habits that make you a lousy leader. Do you know of any other habit? Kindly share in the comment below.
