Incompetent & Ineffective Leaders (Part 2)

Few things can be more maddening to a good leader in the middle of an organization than working for an ineffective leader. We started our list of incompetent and ineffective leaders last week in part 1. Here are a few more examples. 4. The Selfish Leader: A selfish leader advances at the expense of everyone around him or her. It is the businesswoman who cheats suppliers in order to make her department look good so she can get a raise and/or promotion. It is the leader who selfishly hoards all the perks that come with his leadership position rather than sharing them with his staff. 5. The Chameleon Leader: The chameleon leader cannot be pinned down. People who have a chameleon leader never know how he will react. They wonder who’s turn it is each week to get unjustifiably ripped apart in the staff meeting. In the mornings, they wonder whether Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde came to work today. As a result, valuable time and energy that could be used getting work done is often wasted in trying to predict and anticipate the leader’s next move. 6. The Political Leader: Similar to the chameleon leader are political leaders. They can be just as difficult to pin down, but where emotional issues often fuel the chameleon leader’s problems, political leaders are motivated by the desire to get ahead. He or she sits the fence, or shifts their position with the popular opinion of his/her leadership. It’s hard to follow people whose decisions are based on political ambitions rather than the mission or the good of the organization. 7. The Controlling Leader: Have you ever worked for someone who wants to be in the middle of everything you do? Few things are more frustrating for a competent person. It’s difficult to generate momentum when the person you work for is continually interrupting your progress by micromanaging you. People who micromanage others are often driven by one of three things: the desire for perfection, which is unattainable, or the belief that no one else can do a job as well as they can, which really boils down to their thinking others’ contributions aren’t as valuable as their own, or professional insecurity. None of these makes for positive working conditions for the people answering to them. Are you struggling under an ineffective or incompetent leader? Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/