Leadership - Part 3

What happens when a leader isn’t successful? The simple answer is that no one follows them, but this is sadly not always true. A person may be already in a position of leadership due to prior successes but then begins to get it wrong. Or, a person may have been placed in a position of leadership in error, a surprisingly common situation. Even worse, people may follow false leaders, acting the part but having little substance.

So, what are the warning signs of failure as a leader? Here are some things to watch out for. The first list requires some explanation, I’ve kept it short.


Traits of a Leader Associated With Failure

Shifting Focus - Losing sight of the big picture.
Poor Communication - Great leadership is about communicating ideas.
Averting Risks - Avoid fear of failure.
Declining Ethics - What a leader does shows what a leader is.
Negative Self-Management - Fulfil your physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs.
Lost Love - Stay on track; don’t lose sight of the ‘vision’.


Enemies of Leadership

Selfishness
Power Struggles
Behaviour (lose of control)
Jealousy
Greed
Incompetence
Rigid
Callous
Corrupt
Intemperate
Insular
Evil

Summary

As a leader, be aware of the role you play. Develop the right traits while watching for and avoiding the wrong ones. Model your behaviours on the leaders you admire and wish to be like, select the very best examples.

If I were asked what was the one key trait to becoming a successful leader, I would say the skill you need to acquire is to learn to serve and not demand.