Are you working in an organization where leaders at the top are dysfunctional? Do the leaders in your organization display characteristics that can lead to derailment?
One of the most powerful questions one can ask oneself is “Am I working in a company where leaders display the characteristics of good leadership?” Inspiring leaders are aware of any personality characteristics 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 workplace climate 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 either inefficient or unethical. The seven types of bad leadership are:
1. Incompetent: The leader and some of his/her followers lack the will or skill to sustain effective action.
2. Rigid: The leader and his/her followers are stiff, unyielding, 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 followers who do not intervene.
4. Callous: The leader is uncaring or unkind; he/she ignores or discounts the needs of the rest of the organization, or of stakeholders.
5. Corrupt: These leaders lie, cheat, or steal their way to the top position putting self interest above all else.
6. Insular: They disregard or minimize the health and welfare 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, dysfunctional characteristics exist in combination with strengths. Reality often masks a personality in shades of grey. There is a fine line at which leaders cross over from right to wrong, and like all humans, they are capable of switching back and forth at any given time. That is why it is difficult to recognize when the line has been crossed, when unethical behaviors become serious, when bad decisions become incompetence, and when a leader begins the slippery slope into bad leadership.
Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become an inspiring leader who displays the characteristics of good leadership. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.
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