dysfunctional leadership
Are you working in an organization where the leaders at the top are dysfunctional? Do the leaders in your organization exhibit characteristics that can lead to derailment?
One of the most powerful questions one can ask is, Am I working in a company where the leaders exhibit the characteristics of good leadership? Inspirational leaders are aware of any personality traits that can lead to derailment.
Are you a leader who regularly exercises excellent judgment? Are you able to create a high-performance workplace by creating a work environment where people are fully engaged and key leaders have high integrity?
Identifying 7 Bad Leadership Styles
In a study of executive failure, author Barbara Kellerman identifies seven types of dysfunctional leadership characteristics. In her book Bad Leadership (2004), she says that identifying and studying the seven types teaches us what not to do or reinforce in leaders. Bad leadership is inefficient or unethical. The seven types of bad leadership are:
1. Incompetent: The leader and some of his followers lack the will or ability to sustain effective action.
2. Rigid: The leader and his followers are rigid, inflexible, and unwilling to adapt to new ideas, new information, or changing times.
3. Intemperate: The leader lacks self-control and is aided and abetted by uninvolved followers.
4. Insensitive: The leader is indifferent or unkind; he/she ignores or dismisses the needs of the rest of the organization, or of the interested parties.
5. Corrupt: These leaders lie, cheat or steal to get to the highest position putting self-interest above all else.
6. Insular: They ignore or minimize the health and well-being of those outside the core group.
7. Evil: Some leaders and their followers commit atrocities and/or tragedies.
While these seven types of bad leadership may seem obviously wrong, in most cases there are dysfunctional characteristics in combination with strengths. Reality often masks a personality in shades of gray. There is a fine line where leaders cross from good to evil, and like all humans, they are capable of switching from one side to the other at any time. That’s why it’s hard to recognize when the line has been crossed, when unethical behaviors turn serious, when poor decisions turn into incompetence, and when a leader begins the slippery slope toward bad leadership.
Working with an experienced executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments like the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become an inspiring leader who displays the characteristics of good leadership. He can become a leader who models emotional intelligence and inspires people to happily commit to the company’s strategy and vision.
