6 Red Flags To Warn You Against Bad Leadership
Marcel Schwantes
My keynotes, coaching, and courses solve challenging people and leadership problems.
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Many years ago, I interviewed a candidate for a senior management position. He seemed competent and engaging and displayed many?leadership traits?that I thought would make him a great fit for the job. So, we hired him.
During his first week, I dropped by his office to say hello. He was on the phone with a vendor, and in the few minutes I listened, I saw a totally different person from the one we had hired.
He was crass, aggressive, short-tempered, and unprofessional. It was a Jekyll-and-Hyde experience. I was embarrassed by his behavior and even more embarrassed that I had recommended hiring him.
He managed to survive in his role, but it was at the expense of his subordinates. Over time, his department became a revolving door. Employee opinion surveys and exit interviews with his direct reports painted the true picture.
6 Red Flags
Over years of coaching hundreds of leaders, I've seen many bad habits in middle and upper management. It hasn't gotten better--if anything, it's worse now with remote work. Here are six red flags?that really stand out.
1.?No clear direction
You know the saying about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing? This manager says one thing on Monday and changes their mind by Wednesday, often without telling anyone. Team members are left guessing because communication is a hot mess.
2. Too much control
This person micromanages down to the last detail. The work environment is suffocating because they need to control every decision. They don't trust the team and refuse to delegate. There's no room for discussion or input because their management style is all about control. Creativity and learning new things? Forget about it. Loyal employees just end up following orders without finding any real meaning in their jobs.
3. Triangulating
Picture a sensitive situation in which?a manager does not communicate directly with a subordinate or peer but gladly reaches out to communicate with a third person, which can lead to that person (who may not even be involved in the situation) becoming part of the problem. Sometimes, this manager will even play the two people against each other. Welcome to triangulating. This is a dysfunctional pattern?by managers who don't have the courage to deal directly with an issue and communicate effectively to diffuse the situation.
4. No self-awareness
Ever worked for a manager who doesn't see the elephant in the room? What seems so obvious to others about their behavior and how it affects team members, they miss. Even if it's pointed out to them by their superiors, they won't fix the damage by apologizing or trying to make things right. Hubris does not have 20/20 vision.
5. Never wrong
Ever work with a manager who's always right?and you're always wrong? They have a hard time taking blame or ownership for things and will never admit to having made a mistake. They're more concerned with preserving their reputation and saving face.?
6. Playing the blame game
The first thing you'll notice?is the blame game. But you know the saying, "For every finger you point, there's three pointing back at you."?Their behavior is directly related to a lack of personal accountability, which is often a character issue. In which case, one must ask and confront the powers that be: How did this person get promoted to management in the first place??
Note: I wrote today's article hoping to elevate awareness about the types of toxic behaviors I have seen, which have held many leaders back from performing at their best. With coaching and a desire to grow, many have overcome their blind spots and transformed themselves into good leaders. You can, too.
Your turn: What would you add here? Leave a comment and let's hopefully educate others to elevate their leadership game.
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About Marcel Schwantes
Marcel Schwantes is a speaker, executive leadership coach, author, and podcast host with a worldwide following. Join here for updates, exclusive coaching videos, leadership strategies, and more.
Customer Care Manager
13 小时前I have experienced the difficult situation of having a manager who exhibited all six of these red flags to the letter. At first, it only negatively impacted the time it took to execute my decisions, because she would question everything without having any real knowledge, forcing me to spend a lot of time justifying the reasoning behind my decisions before he would finally allow me to move forward. The problem escalated to the point where I could no longer lead my team with agility and efficiency, as she wanted to supervise and control things without having the knowledge or capability to do so. After some time enduring this situation, I decided to leave the company. Many other colleagues also found new paths, either within the company or outside of it, to avoid having to deal with this person any longer. In the end, I believe the ultimate responsibility lies with the leadership team, who should establish control mechanisms to detect these situations. Moreover, once such situations come to their attention, they must investigate them thoroughly and make decisions that are often not easy. However, in no case should they ignore the warning signs, as unfortunately happened in my case. Thank you very much for the article, Marcel!
System Engineer at Northrop Grumman
5 天前Why do we fundamentally misunderstand leadership and people in leadership positions? Bad people in leadership positions, positions with authority to direct others do not demonstrate leadership, as such they are not seen as leaders and cannot demonstrate bad leadership only bad judgment.
Chief Executive Officer
1 周Good Read! I find this article's insights timely and critical. While the six red flags outlined are prevalent, I think they just scratch the surface of leadership challenges in today's business. In our experience, these issues often stem from deeper organizational dysfunctions. For instance, the lack of clear direction may indicate misalignment between corporate strategy and day-to-day operations. Micromanagement frequently masks a lack of robust systems and processes. We've observed that these behaviors tend to cascade, creating toxic cultures that stifle innovation and erode competitive advantage. The rise of remote and hybrid work models has only amplified these challenges, demanding a new set of leadership competencies. To address these issues, organizations must invest in comprehensive leadership development programs, implement robust feedback mechanisms, and foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Only by tackling these challenges head-on can businesses hope to thrive in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
Senior Structures & Bridge Inspector at BGE, Inc.
1 周people usually don't quit a 'company' but they do leave a 'bad leader' - make sure you don't turn a blind eye to a bad actor
Senior Geologist │ Exploration manager │ NJEMA RESOURCES TRANSACT│ Executive coach
1 周totally agreed. now remain the question of how to self improve and deal with these challenges when in a leadership position!