The 8 Signs of a Bad Leader

How do you know who can become a great leader in a given circumstance? Any one or more of the following traits would be a red flag that a person might not be ready for a leadership position:

1. Lack of empathy.

Lack of empathy is a key indicator of a poor leader. If the person cannot seem to put him or herself in another person’s shoes and see things from a different perspective, they will never be a truly great leader.

2. Fear of change.

Hey, change is scary for everyone, especially when it involves loads of money and or people’s jobs. But leaders who cannot embrace change are destined to be left behind.

3. Too willing to compromise.

The ability to find a win/win situation is a gift for a leader, but anyone who is too quick to compromise his or her ideas or ideals is not going to be a benefit to the team. It’s a fine balance between understanding when to give in and when to stand your ground.

4. Too bossy.

It’s a common misconception that bossy people make good bosses. Actually, the opposite is true. Someone who simply orders others around is unlikely to engender any loyalty or make subordinates feel empowered. True leaders have followers who want to be led by them.

5. Not Deciding

Leaders must make decisions, and so if a person always seems to vacillate on choices big and small from who should handle a certain client to where to go for lunch and so on. They will probably have difficulty in a leadership position. It indicates a lack of self-confidence.

6. Bad Character.

A person who has a blind spot when it comes to friends and coworkers, making excuses, not fulfilling the promises frequently and do not have a principle or basic values. For example: not respecting other people time, make them wait, not respecting team members and humiliating others or ill treating.

7. Out of balance.

Someone who is the first into the office every day and the last to leave might seem like a great candidate for promotion, but ask yourself if they have any balance in their lives. A lack of balance can be a precursor to burnout, and can also signal that they may have unreasonable expectations of the rest of the team.

8. Lack of humility.

The person who acts as though they can do it all and are the only one who can do it right is unlikely to rise to be a great leader, because they’ll be too busy doing everyone else’s job. Micro-managers need not apply.

This is not to say that having one of these characteristics automatically bars anyone from assuming a leadership position. One can learn to overcome any of these bad habits and become a better leader.

However, if someone exhibits more than one trait on the above list, it’s a good bet that they’re not ready yet to become a successful leader. If you are in a position to help them grow, take the time to constructively point this out to them, and give them the opportunity to improve. You’ll be modeling how a great leader really works.