You know a toxic boss the moment you see them. But what makes a leader toxic? Well, there are a number of factors at work here. Although it can be a bit difficult to point out what exactly makes a leader bad, there are certain common characteristics that all lousy leaders share.
โMost leaders donโt need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.โ โ Peter Drucker
Here Are The Top 10 Toxic Behaviors Of Lousy Leaders
1. Neglecting relationships.
A short conversation about someoneโs family while getting coffee isnโt a waste of time. If you want great results, build strong relationships.
2. Tolerating bad apples.
Time makes bad apples rot. They donโt ripen with time. Your team is waiting for you to reassign, retrain, or remove people who donโt fit or donโt contribute.
3. Avoiding tough conversations.
Bad gets worse when you avoid it. Try saying, โI noticedโฆ,โ when the topic is uncomfortable. Describe it. Donโt judge it.
Related: Top 10 Bad Leadership Behaviors That Destroy Organisations
4. Making feedback conversations personal.
Donโt criticize someoneโs character. Describe behavior and impact. โWhen you (behavior) the team (impact).โ
5. Spending too much time focused on problems.
Fixing is a backward-facing activity. Itโs necessary to fix problems, but the future is built by seizing opportunities.
6. Never apologizing.
โI was wrong,โ builds more trust than self-justification or excuses.
7. Failing to see the good side of bad qualities.
The things that irritate you about others may reveal strengths. A slow decision-maker may be great with details.
8. Hiding behind weaknesses and faults.
โThatโs just the way I am,โ is a leaderโs way of saying get used to me interrupting you, for example. The other sentence to listen for is, โIโm just not good at that.โ
9. Listening too little and talking too much.
Listening saves time. Stop answering questions that arenโt being asked. Bloviating leaders suck the life out of teams. Jumping to conclusions diminishes others.
Related: 9 Types of Toxic People That Will Rob You Of Your Happiness
10. Listening with a critical fault-finding attitude.
Explore other peopleโs imperfect ideas. Most people donโt need to get their way. They just need to be heard.
Bonus:
1. Hoarding good jobs and delegating crap assignments.
2. Defining yourself by your successes and others by their failures.
3. Believing success is transferable.
4. Neglecting culture.
Whatโs on your top ten toxic behavior list?
This post wasย previously publishedย on Leadership Freak and is republished here with aย Creative Commons license.
Written By Dan Rockwell
Originally Appeared On Leadership Freak
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