[November 27, 2020] Have you ever seen a leader or boss misbehave? If yes, then you are not alone. Most of us have been in such a situation, which makes you wonder do these people justify the position they are in. When you are in a leadership role, your followers look up to you and if you behave unprofessionally not only will it leave a bad taste in their mouths but will also encourage them to do the same.
In this article, you will learn about bad leadership habits that make you look unethical and unprofessional.
- Considering Yourself an Expert on Everything
When you are at the top of the food chain, you tend to believe you know everything. Sometimes, the subject matter knows that you don’t know what you are talking about, but they don’t open their mouths due to fear. Instead of imposing your opinion over others, you are better off listening to what others have to say. Do not shy away from acknowledging when you did not know something that the other person taught you.
- Looking Down at Others
Good leaders always show empathy with their followers. They care for their followers. On the contrary, bad leaders have a superiority complex. They consider everyone else inferior. Even worse, they tend to look down upon them with despair. You can tell this even when they are talking because their tone is arrogant. This creates a huge divide between leaders and their followers and hampers their relationship. Try to be polite and respectful especially when you are explaining a new concept to someone because being rude will only make things worse.
- Bad Mouthing
Here is where things get ugly. Your boss takes things a step further and start using obscene language. What is even worse is the fact that some leaders do not even consider this a crime in a professional setting. Whether you are in your personal or professional lives, using inappropriate language is never a good option. It can take away from the essence of the message you want to convey. Instead, you should speak with conviction and clarity to ensure that your message gets heard.
- Not Making Eye Contact
Numerous studies have proven that most of our communication (70%-90%) is non-verbal communication. Everything from your facial expression, eye movements, gestures, tone and pitch of the voice can convey a message. How would you feel when you are talking to your boss and he is looking at his watch, checking notifications on his phone or looking at the new vps server in the server room? Not only do you feel betrayed, but it sends a clear message that your boss is not paying attention to or value what you have to say. This leads to a lack of trust and will negatively impact your relationship.
- Being Late
Just because you are a leader does not mean that you can afford to come late every day. There is nothing wrong in being late occasionally but if this becomes a habit, it can cast a negative shadow on other employees and followers. Sooner or later, they will start to copy you and you can not stop them because you are doing the same thing.
Which bad leadership habit do you have? Let us know in the comments section below.
Here is a very appropriate passage in the Bible that speaks to No.2 Looking down on others.
James 4:11-12 ESV
“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?”
The Bible is one of the best – no THE BEST – source of human psychology ever written.
Mr. Imran Thayani, well written and thank you for your insights. Do you have a webpage or links to other articles. I’d like to read them. 😊
Very good guest writer article. Thank you for taking the time to write on the subject of what makes you look sloppy as a leader. Too many IMO will ignore what you’ve written because we are encouraged to be sloppy in both personal behavior and in our thinking, as well.
Yes, Audrey, great comment.
Hi guys, I think that this is an important point and Mr. Thayani could add to a future article or even write about it. Maybe he would comment here in Gen. Satterfield’s leadership forum on the fact that we are indeed encouraged (this is a sad commentary) to be sloppy in every aspect of our lives. Why? I’m not able to explain but it is obvious from everything I’ve seen.
Imran, I will tell you the one that absolutely drives me nuts and that is your #5 Being Late. I can understand leaders are busy people. But, and this is a big but, if you make a commitment, then there is the expectation you will uphold your word and be there on time. Timeliness is one of the traits of a great leader. One’s schedule should not drive them but being consistently late is bad for business.
Hey, Mr. Thayani, well done. Thanks for writing an article on leadership when so many folks ignore the topic and think nothing of it.
Yes, he did well. The article is pretty basic but sometimes the basics must be repeatedly, else we forget.