A Fatal Leadership Flaw

The best safeguard if you’re a leader is self-awareness

Leadership and organisation culture remain two of my favorite research topics as they significantly impact organisational success (and project success), and even more so, in an era where constant change is the norm.

Great leaders constantly see self-improvement. It’s only when you quit doing so that you fail as a leader.

I am using as reference the various works of Ryaan Hussey, Daniel Truex and Michael Hyatt.

Daniel Truex compares strong leaders versus weak leaders

• Strong leaders have difficult conversations when calm; weak leaders hide behind anger
• Strong leaders give bad news in person; weak leaders send an email
• Strong leaders are present; weak leaders are absent
• Strong leaders develop every member; weak leaders use members against each other
• Strong leaders directly confront problem members; weak leaders confront everyone.
• Strong leaders seek out the best candidate; weak leaders try to be the best candidate
• Strong leaders deflect credit; weak leaders deflect blame.

Great leaders may make it look easy, but they are putting the work in behind the scenes to develop the skillset that is leadership.

Michael Hyatt describes the character flaws of weak leadership.

He described these flaws by referring to the military career of General George McClellan, a well know US general.

• Hesitating to Take Definitive Action – Constantly preparing and getting nowhere!
• Complaining About Insufficient Resources
•  Refusing to Take Responsibility – Blaming everyone else for your own mistakes and refusing to act!
• Abusing the Privileges of Leadership – Don’t go and live in royal splendor when your troops are struggling in unbearable conditions!
• Engaging in Acts of Insubordination

General George McClellan's Fatal Flaw: Cowardice

Look up or down the line of command in organizations, and it’s easy to see these five character flaws afflict many leaders today.

 Ryaan Hussye focuses on the qualities of weak leaders

Is it better to be feared or to be liked?

A true leader knows that being respected is better than being feared and/ or liked. If a leader fails to recognize this, then he/ she suffers from narrow-mindedness and may not be leader material. This quality is one of the many characteristics of weak leaders. Other qualities are:

• Lack of Control Over Emotions
• Poor Communication
• Hesitation and Second-guessing
• Not Learning from Mistakes

Like anything, putting the effort in is required if you want to be successful. Successful leadership doesn’t happen without the work.