Are your Leaders letting your people down?

What to look out for...

Leadership isn’t always easy! It can be hard to balance your own needs with what’s best for the people in your team…but what happens when you clash with someone who works for you?

We hear all kinds of complaints about bad Leaders – and here are five of the worst behaviours in leadership.

1: Helicopter Leaders

A helicopter leader is always hovering over your shoulder, micro-managing their team. They nit-pick every tiny detail, interfering in everyone’s work, not letting anybody take the initiative or make suggestions regarding how things are done. No task is completed without their…oversight…?

Micromanaging speaks volumes about a leader’s capabilities – and the confidence they have in their team, but more worryingly, in themselves.

A strong leader doesn’t need to hover, and someone who trusts their employees doesn’t need to keep such a close eye on every aspect of their work.

Confident, capable leaders know that they’ve recruited and trained a team who can fulfil any task asked of them, without pressure. They can delegate tasks, safe in the knowledge that they will be completed successfully.

When we meet helicopter leaders we recommend a development programme that helps them to understand their own strengths, how they can build a team who fill the gaps in their experience, and build a cohesive, supportive network of knowledge and skills. This means that your leaders can bring the best from everyone, allowing them to focus – and thrive – in their own role.

2: “But this is the way it’s always been done…”

Change can be frightening – and one of the worries some leaders might have is that change in their organisation might highlight the areas they have less knowledge.

Great leaders aren’t afraid of change – they embrace it, grow with it, and understand the importance of trying new ideas and techniques to see their organisation expand.

The only reason to stick rigidly to the way things have always been done is fear. Fear is contagious – spreading through your teams until everyone becomes nervy and stagnant . No business can stay in one place – the only way to maintain long term success is to recognise that, and move with those changes.

How do you cope when your organisation is led by a bully?

3: “I’m right, you’re wrong.”

Any leader who refuses to take advice, or forces their opinions on their employees is – to put it bluntly – a bully!

A culture of control and unhappiness means high staff turnover – people don’t want to stay in a stressful or psychologically unsafe environment.

If you dominate your employees they can’t perform well; they’ll question every move they make, doubting their abilities and decisions, and they’ll hold back in fear of rocking the boat and getting another public dressing down.

Even bad news and difficult conversations can be handled gently; Coaching can give your more…tightly wound Leaders space to consider their approach, creating a culture that is more supportive, inclusive and encouraging – nurturing your talent to enable individual growth within the organisation. This in turn means your people want to stick around, and actively enjoy their work.

4: “Do it or else!”

What do you think people respond better to – the threat of punishment, or the promise of reward?

It’s important to set targets and goals for your workers – the right way! Setting achievable targets and rewarding success is far more effective than having the threat of failure hanging over people’s heads, if you want to get the best from your people.

If your approach to leadership is “reach your targets or you’re out of a job” many people get afraid. Anxiety like that gets in the way of creativity, performance and success.

Instead, consider rewards for reaching a target (and we don’t even necessarily mean a bonus or financial reward, it could be as simple as ringing the office bell or one-on-one praise from the boss). Praise and admiration go a long way – considerably further than fear can take you!

It’s worth remembering that competition isn’t always healthy either; if everyone is competing the same reward, it can create tension and bad feeling. If, however, your team are all working towards their own individual goals, with your encouragement and support, you’ll see far more success.

Our experience in coaching – working alongside leaders and managers to develop their own skills, and how to develop the best in their team, could benefit your entire organisation.

5: “I can’t hear you…”

We’ve all experienced situations where a great idea, one we really think will help our project, or organisation, but we don’t even get a chance to voice that idea to our boss, let alone try it out and see whether it works!

Leaders who won’t listen to their people are probably missing out on some fantastic new ideas and fresh approaches, which could revolutionise how you do business, bring huge successes to your targets, or just simplify a process that bogs you down.

Not every suggestion you’re given has to be implemented (some of them might be dreadful!)– but if you refuse to listen, how will you ever know?

Give your people chances to be heard, from the uppermost tier of senior managers right down to the part time staff and interns. This kind of open communication helps everyone to feel like they are important and integral to the success of the day-to-day running of your organisation. The more connected and involved your team feel, the more committed they will be to your success.

If you want to know more about how to build the kind of working environment that supports happy, thriving workers, and how to be the kind of leader who heads up this kind of culture, download our guide or get in touch to arrange a meeting: let’s work together to help you to be your very best.