Mike Myatt just posted an article titled 8 traits of Ineffective Leaders that caught my eye. I am sure everyone can identify a lousy leader in their life be it their boss, their politician, or a well-intended volunteer on a committee. Mike details the 8 signs which are:
1. Poor character
2. Little or no track record
3. Poor communication skills
4. Self-serving in nature
5. One-size fits all leadership
6. Lack of focus and follow-up
7. Not looking forward … and my personal favorite
8. Not being customer focused!
If you are in an environment where the leadership is lacking, or perceived to be lacking think about which of these elements you could have a positive impact on and try to influence change. Certainly some are not really possible such as #1 and #2 for these poor leaders probably like who they are and don’t see /or choose to ignore their leadership flaws. If you are a good communicator however, you can try to ‘demonstrate’ good conversational skills and methods in meetings; you could bring forward examples of how responsive flexible leadership is a sign of strength, not weakness, and you can lead by example with your area of responsibility in being forward thinking, customer focused and lead by example yourself. Complaining has little effect and in fact can damage your credibility, working to invoke positive change management and staying true to your values is the way to go. Thanks Mike for you blogpost – a great reminder of things to think about.
