In 1987, I was asked by Success Magazine to interview several of the top CEOs in America about their corporate leadership, along with their corporate philanthropic programs for their employees and local communities. Most CEOs were: too busy, wanted the questions ahead of time, wanted editorial approval, or wanted to submit their own PR piece. After speaking with many of their staff and employees, I knew why most leaders don't truly lead well. In fact, after further research, I found out that there were so few good leaders in fields from politics, religion, business, academics, sports, etc., that I finally decided to follow myself.
I recently had the opportunity to participate in a leadership conference and found from the pr
esenters, who were well known, that those same challenges continue to exist into the 21st century. It is therefore eminent, in my humble opinion, that we all learn the basics of healthy leadership and lead ourselves accordingly. With that in mind, I believe you can identify poor leaders by these ten deadly sins:
THEY HAVE TO BE RIGHT. Most leaders will use their position and power to support this character defect. They have a need to win arguments, force agreements and make others give in. Their egos will not allow them to admit to being wrong or making a mistake. They will tend to surround themselves with "yes" people who are expected to see it their way and aggressively support them. This "sin" creates corporate "Low Self-Esteem" and very little autonomy, creativity or innovation within the organization.
THEY HAVE A LOW ANGER THRESHOLD. Most leaders will use their anger to control or intimidate others. They seem to almost enjoy arguing with or berating their staff or colleagues, and they'll usually say, "I'm Italian, Irish, German, etc. It's in my blood!" Most of their anger comes from frustration and weakness originating in the past and usually unresolved presently. Most leaders may apologize but then accuse the attacked party for provoking them. This sin leads to corporate "Placation!"
THEY EXTERNALIZE THEIR PROBLEMS BY BLAMING OTHERS. Most leaders would rather blame others and hold them responsible and accountable for their own bad judgment and mistakes rather than to acknowledge their own "humanness!" By shifting the focus, they move the attention to resentment rather than solutions. This corporate "Resentment" causes a moral hypocrisy and eventually even deceit and sabotage.
THEY HAVE LOW TOLERANCE AND LITTLE PATIENCE. While giving lip service to tolerance and patient understanding, most leaders really are diehards when it comes to people, places, projects and ideas that don't fit into their picture of how their company, their people and the world in general is supposed to be. While putting on a facade, these people will tend to disrespect and belittle their people, taking the "fun" and passion out of the work environment. This sin leads to corporate "Apathy!"
THEY HAVE A SERIOUS CONTROL PROBLEM. Most leaders have to be in control. They feel inadequate without that power to ride herd over others. They believe that they have all the answers, and that's what they're paid the "big bucks" for. They need to be the role model in their own minds. Without control, chaos and confusion would permeate the organization - while in reality, the opposite is true. This sin leads to corporate "Paralysis," especially when it comes to making decisions and taking actions without them.
FEAR OF DELEGATING. Many leaders surround themselves with people who have MBAs, fancy titles and expensive offices and then treat them as mindless soldiers to take orders and follow their directions. They tend to hire people they feel are like themselves in their thinking, beliefs, behavior and even dress code style. This sin kills "Creativity, freedom of expression, diversity and change."
THEY LACK A SENSE OF HIGHER PURPOSE. Most leaders while espousing the current philosophy of a happy, healthy workplace where the "customer is king" really believe that their purpose is to get the most money, market share, etc.; in the fastest and shortest way possible, with the least amount of people doing the most amount of work possible. While probably satisfying their shareholders or partners with this ulterior motive, this sin leads to corporate "Burnout!"
THEY LACK THE ABILITY TO SINCERELY RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE PEOPLE. Since most leaders are too busy focusing on the bottom line or pushing their people to "up their productivity," they tend to forget to "stroke and nurture" their employees on a consistent and regular basis. When presented with the value and benefits of this "cost effective" means of "rewarding" their people for who they are, not just the job they've done, most leaders become uncomfortable having to praise others sincerely. This sin leads to "Low Corporate Morale."
LOW EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. While most leaders may have high intelligence, come from well known schools and be technically savvy, they lack the people, personality and character skills necessary to lead, inspire, coach and grow their people and organizations successfully to the next level. This sin leads to corporate "Defections!"
THEY LACK AUTHENTICITY AND TRUE HONESTY. Most leaders think they can fool people with "white lies" and half truths, forgetting that lying to others can get them into trouble sooner or later. What's worse is lying to themselves gets them sick and faster. People know quickly, when one is not fully present, engaged in the moment with one's heart, mind and soul, making an ethical difference with their product, service or project as well as helping others reach their full potential. This sin ultimately leads to corporate "Depression!"
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