Leadership failures have a negative impact on team members’ productivity, commitment, desire and other performance indicators. In my presentation, Performance Maximizing Leadership, I present on these failures and how to correct them. For this article, I’ll share a brief overview of all 13 failures and challenge you to assess your own skills and those of your subordinate leaders.
“Leadership is the art, the skill, the ability to get others to do those things that they do not naturally or normally want to do.” – General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
I believe that skills and abilities can be learned through formal training; but art and talent aren’t part of any leader’s inherent makeup. You either have them or you don’t. To know for sure, you must assess whether your current leadership tactics are effective.
Avoid these leadership failures
Meaningless conflict
Are your team members engaging in conflicts that don’t lead to productive outcomes? While some conflict is normal, frequent pointless disagreements can indicate a toxic work environment, possibly due to ineffective leadership.
Communication issues
If team communication seems ambiguous or dishonest, it may indicate they’re withholding information or avoiding transparency. This can lead to distrust and animosity among team members and stakeholders.
Lack of honesty and integrity
Are team members engaging in dishonest or fraudulent behavior – lying or cheating? Such actions indicate a lack of integrity and may reflect poor leadership.
A “good enough is good enough” attitude
Is your team settling for the status quo without striving for improvement? A complacent attitude suggests a need to reassess leadership, as teams should continually aim for better performance.
An “I’m just here to get paid” attitude
If team members prioritize personal interests over team goals, they’re not committed to the mission. When the going gets tough, mercenaries get going.
Resistance to change
If the team resists efforts to improve processes and adopt new approaches, it indicates a leadership challenge. Effective teams embrace continuous change, and resistance may reflect a lack of alignment with the leader’s vision.
Best performer turnover
High turnover among top performers is a significant issue. These individuals are motivated by mission and purpose, and if they feel stagnant or see that the team isn’t progressing, they may leave for better opportunities. It’s crucial for you to address this by ensuring continuous growth and improvement to retain top talent.
A “siloing” effect
Nobody wants to work with anybody! The whole team is divided into little cliques that are dug in and guarding their territory. And pity the fool that dares violate any of the boundaries. If your team is fragmented into isolated cliques, productivity suffers and blame shifts between groups. This “siloing” hinders collaboration and efficiency.
Failure to develop as a team
When a team struggles to progress through stages of development—forming, storming, norming, and performing—it often leads to stagnation and conflict. Effective leadership is needed to guide the team through these stages and improve overall productivity. The goal is to progress through the stages, which takes willful leadership to generate movement.
Low motivation, passion, and enthusiasm
High-performing teams are driven by strong motivation, passion, and enthusiasm. If these elements are lacking, it may indicate that leadership is failing to inspire and fire them up.
Risk aversion
Risk is scary to most people. But if the reward is great enough, most will take a chance. Excessive fear of failure can lead to risk aversion, where team members avoid decisions and actions due to uncertainty. This reluctance can prevent the team from reaching its full potential as some hold back and prevent the team from being great.
Mission and vision neglect
When the mission and vision are only occasionally referenced and not integrated into daily work, team members may lack the motivation to fully engage with them on their own. Most everyone knows what to do between 9:00 to 5:00 but when they look at the overall mission and vision, they don’t have enough buy-in for pushing any harder to make them happen. Effective leadership should keep these goals central to the team’s efforts.
Lack of trust
Trust between team members and leaders is crucial for high performance. If trust is absent, team members are less likely to commit fully and strive for success. Why would someone put their work on the line for someone they don’t trust.
This baker’s dozen of leadership failure indicators is a reference for you and your subordinate leaders. During any point of your leadership journey, it’s important to check whether what you’re doing is effective. When you notice any of these failures, you can address them head on to benefit yourself, your team and your mission.
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If you want to build a team of strong, visionary and effective leaders, click here to learn more about my Performance Maximizing Leadership presentation.
