Walk the talk

Whether you ever saw yourself as a role model or not, the moment you are in a leadership position, you have instantly become one. Employees and colleagues will be watching you closely and whether you like it or not, you do it right or not, as a leader you have the biggest impact on the culture of the organisation.

WATCH: How to be a positive role-model?

Being a leader is not a natural role for all and we see all too often poor leaders and their impact on not only the organisation, but also society.

In my profession as a psychiatrist and business leader, I have seen first-hand the impact that positive and negative leadership can have on individuals and organisations.

Positive leadership can inspire, motivate, and lead to high levels of engagement and productivity among employees. They are widely respected and admired and built alliances across the organisation due to their reputation.

Negative leadership, on the other hand, can lead to distrust, disengagement, burnout, and even toxic work environments.

In a 2021 study of 110,000 leaders, those deemed poor role models were rated at the 9th?percentile on overall leadership effectiveness and at the 12th?percentile on trust. Positive role models, in comparison, were rated at the 90th?percentile on overall leadership effectiveness and at the 86th?percentile on trust. ?

Poor leaders create damaged organisations

If leaders encourage others to follow, poor leaders in effect give others permission to act in the same risky, unethical, and improper way.

READ: The art of subtle bullying

Poor leaders are:

• Untrustworthy
• Not inspirational
• Poor communicators with either confusing messages or withholding information
• Do not appreciate feedback
• Do not live the organisations values
• Inefficient
• Micromanagers and fail to delegate efficiently
• Inflexible and fail to adapt their management style to different teams, projects, and contexts
• Unable to find the balance between discipline and support

Ultimately poor leaders do not bring out the best in people and may leave employees, even the star performers, feeling disgruntled, unsupported, and unvalued.

Negative role models are brilliant teachers!

We mimic each other’s behaviour by taking cues from leaders and copying their ways of doing. But instead of becoming like the poor leader, we can observe their behaviour and learn how to become a more effective leader.

Bad leaders can be good for you. These negative role models can provide valuable lessons on what NOT to do. They can teach you how to avoid the pitfalls of micromanagement, poor communication, and other common mistakes that can undermine your effectiveness as a leader.

When you are learning from positive role models, pay attention to what they do well. Observe how they communicate, how they build relationships, and how they inspire and motivate their teams. Take note of their values and principles and try to incorporate them into your own leadership style.

Learning from a negative role model is applying the same observation but the opposite: paying close attention to their poor actions. ?Take note of the behaviours that lead to disengagement and low productivity and avoid these in your own leadership style.

Observe how both the positive and the negative role model:

• Makes decisions
• Communicates
• Handles conflict
• Navigates difficult or sensitive conversations
• Listens
• Networks
• Adapts to various situations
• Shows appreciation and recognises performance
• Demonstrates resilience

The key to becoming a successful leader is to learn from both positive and negative role models. Leading is not a “copy-and-paste” exercise. Be authentic and find your own leadership style that reflects your values, vision, and personality. By doing so, you can inspire and motivate your team, create a positive work environment, and achieve your goals as a leader.