Anti-Leadership 101: Spot the signs.
Keep on the lookout for the signs of an anti-leader.

Anti-Leadership 101: Spot the signs.

I was fortunate to see excellent leadership in action when I was a young pup still finding my way in the corporate world in my early twenties. Watching and studying these behaviors helped me form my leadership style as I progressed in my career. People wanted to work for these leaders not because of their title but because of who they were as a person.

In the past, I've listed signs of leadership in some of my published articles. Vision. Managerial courage. Transparency. Humble confidence. Nurturing. Diplomatic assertiveness. And a host of other traits and characteristics. But what about signs of poor leadership? Not so easy to spot.

Many people get blinded by the title a person has and just accept that they must have true leadership skills...but that's not always the case. I've seen folks ascend to leadership roles who are clearly not leaders. "Anti-leaders" I call them. They became "leaders" often due to tenure or personnel attrition...not because they are true leaders.

What makes a poor leader? From my perspective and experience, here are some signs to look for that can help you identify an anti-leader:

  • Instead of empowering, they minimize contributions of others.
  • Instead of distributing information to help others, they horde info in order to protect their power.
  • Instead of shifting praise unto others, they make sure the sun shines on them.
  • Instead of enabling discussion on perspectives other than their own, they act quickly to stifle conversation.
  • Instead of embracing new ideas, they actively dismiss them.
  • Instead of engaging and inspiring others to grow, they instill fear based on their title.
  • Instead of welcoming opportunities to learn, they retreat to what they know.
  • Instead of listening to understand, they listen to reload and reply.
  • Instead of objectively promoting based on performance, they reward loyalists who won't challenge them.



Lola Osawe, DHA, FACMPE, FACHE, IHC

Healthcare Industry Executive | Board leadership | Military Medicine | Resource Management (Personal Account)

5 个月

This is so spot on, ??

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Diane Kirkwood

UGA HR Deputy Director

1 年

Good article Ron! I’m in a leadership masters program and currently doing a coaching certification as well. I just read and article called - Teaching Smart People to Learn. So many are promoted for their ability to control.. control is driven by fear.. if we all were just a tad more vulnerable.. I’ve been in meetings where everyone agreed with the leader and didn’t even consider other’s opinions.. just because it was the leader and they were afraid to question them. So sad!

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Tina DePrisco

COO & EOS Integrator | Operational Excellence Leader | Connecting People & Processes for Growth

1 年

Great list Ron!

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Richard DiLauro

Managing Director at Newmark

1 年

Your list of "poor leader" traits is ??. I think many of those traits stem from insecurities in their own abilities, thinking that shining the spotlight on someone else makes them less valuable. As a manager, I want people around me who think outside the box, challenge the status quo, and can make processes more efficient. I also give them the credit for their contribution. If anything, this makes my management skills (and me) look better to my managers. I had a manager whose reply to every suggestion was "no, this is the way we've always done it." To this day it's like fingernails on a chalkboard if I hear anyone say that. She wasn't the type who was open to any discussion, so I would just "yes" her to death because it was too mentally exhausting to deal with her. My only comfort was knowing executive managers were aware of her attitude and style and her days were numbered.

Dan Goodman

Product and Corporate Leader

1 年

Well said, and something that I have encountered many, many times in my career. These people tend to look good to shallow leaders, but smart leaders who talk to everyone in their organization can usually sniff them out.

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