When a Leader...Really Isn't a Leader

"I can't believe he said that?"  "That is inappropriate."  

"Why does she treat people that way...it's mean."

"No way! How did that person get the job? He is awful, and not as qualified as I am. Besides, nobody will follow him."

Our political arena and business environment is rife with those who have authority but really aren't leaders. They belligerently criticize people. They are devious in their dealings with others. They only care about themselves. Many are incompetent in dealing with others. One manager I had consistently asked us, "How much money did you make me today?"

These people have the title or power but the word leader doesn't apply to them. Here are a few terms used to describe them. Probably even more descriptive ones are used by people they work with.

• Bigots
• Liars
• Sleazeballs
• Bullies
• Dictators

We could go on and on but why get depressed or enraged? Unfortunately, the best don't always become the leaders. Many people rise to the top because they are ruthless, knew somebody, were born into it, dishonest, or took advantage of other's mistakes. One thing is true: the job title doesn't make a manager a leader.

Recently, I worked with over 600 leaders through my Superstar Leadership training. We discussed the behaviors of the worst and best leaders. Here's what we discovered. There are more qualities on either side of the list but these were the common ones that were shared.

Leaders who aren't leaders have these traits:

1. Lie
2. Steal
3. Criticize
4. Complain
5. Cheat
6. Create disharmony
7. Poorly communicate
8. Accomplish little
9. Rant and rave
10. Take all of the credit for anything good

Leaders who really are leaders have these traits:

1. Integrity
2. High standards
3. Praise
4. Encourage
5. Care
6. Coach
7. Listen
8. Help out
9. Communicate
10. Give the credit to the team

So, other managers know what a poor and good leader looks like, who else does? Employees! Why then don't more managers change for the better? This is curious to me since the evidence is so prevalent. Consider the stats on the image below. They are all interrelated. Too many managers masquerade as leaders but fall terribly short in their efforts.

As a result, poor leadership causes lower performance and engagement in so many employees. This is happening at a time when great performance is badly needed. I believe a people revolution is brewing. Companies and leader-managers who leap to the front of it, will bask in superb results from their teams. The rest be swept up in a whirlwind of trouble. Author Amit Kalantri said, “If you fulfill the wishes of your employees, the employees will fulfill your visions.”

Want to accelerate your career?  Enroll in this one of a kind complimentary Excellence in Management training for managers.

Rick and his business partner Doug published these approaches in their book, Superstar Leadership. They created the Superstar Leadership Model as a way to remember and apply the principles.

Rick Conlow International is an eBusiness consulting and training company that coaches leaders to achieve record-breaking performances in sales growth, customer experience improvement, employee engagement and leadership effectiveness. In this business, Rick serves managers worldwide online through training and coaching services designed to accelerate their careers and teams' success.

 If you liked this post, please share it and also hit the "follow" button at the top of the page. Here are a few other posts you may find helpful. The best of success to you!  THANK YOU!

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