5 Signals that Demonstrate a Lack of Leadership at Work

These five signals are meant for leaders to reflect on their leadership abilities as well as the leadership of the people to whom they report within the organization.

Sometimes we make excuses for our own lack of leadership. Other times we make excuses for the people to whom we report. Both are a mistake.

The first mistake is that we overlook our shortcomings by excusing them versus working to get better by deepening our capacity to lead. Leadership is not intuitive, and doing what we think is right in the moment can backfire if we're not careful.

The second mistake is to continue to work for someone who has extreme deficits in leadership; this mistake usually ends up leading to real problems at work that can be avoided by recognizing them early and making a decision to update your resume.

Signal #1: Saying One Thing and Doing Another

This is self-explanatory, but it happens all the time. Weak leaders say things that they might actually believe but that they have no intentions of following through on. They communicate strength but they demonstrate cowardice. If you're worried about this for yourself or your boss, look for signs that certain things are said behind closed doors that don't become a reality when we're in front of others. It's easy to talk-the-talk, but great leaders walk-the-walk.

Signal #2: Taking Credit that Isn't Yours

One of the biggest problems with taking credit that isn't yours is that you think that you're getting away with something that everyone else sees from a mile away. Great leaders are always looking to give credit away; as soon as you see a leader accept credit for something, you can be skeptical. It's a true sign of insecurity, and it's also theft. Think about that from a biblical standpoint. When someone steals credit, it might not feel the same as stealing a car, but it's the worst kind of thievery in the workplace. "Thou shalt not steal," including someone else's accomplishments at work.

Signal #3: Having High Standards and Unclear Expectations

Some leaders pretend to have high standards; they say that they only accept excellence. By the way, these are folks who also always feel the need to "win," even at the expense of others. But, they also don't define the rules. You can be sure that they'll cheat to win, and if you're looking for clear directions on how you can participate in the game, forget it. One of the reasons that they don't provide clear expectations is because they don't really want you to develop anything of value for yourself. The other reason is typically because they're actually an imposter--they don't know what they should do or what you should do.

Signal #4: Making Promises that You Don't Intend to Keep

Unfortunately, bad leaders don't see anything wrong with lying. They think that lying is part of the system in which they work. Lying has worked for them in the past and may even be the reason that they're in the position they have. They'll tell anyone anything to make themselves look good, and they're known for not following through with what they promised. There are no excuses for not telling the truth, and if you're ever intentionally unclear with direct reports, you need to rethink what you're trying to accomplish.

Signal #5: Failing to Provide Professional Feedback

When we wrote Candid and Compassionate Feedback, we wanted leaders to learn about and practice the skill of using candor. We also found that some leaders don't want to provide feedback at all, even if they have the skills. These leaders want people to work in the dark, wondering if their value is enough. That gives them an out whenever they promote or fire people; it's never based on merit but rather your favor with the leader and the system in which you work. If you're not getting regular feedback, you're suspect to totally random employment opportunities or lack thereof.

The Truth about Weak Leaders

The brutal truth about weak bosses is that they don't know that they're weak. Everyone else is abundantly clear, though. If any of these signals describes your thinking when you react at work, get a coach. You need to strengthen your skills so that you don't use intuitive, yet ineffective, measures to lead. If any of these describe your boss, or your boss' boss, get the heck out of there. It will only end in a disaster.