The way a leader project themselves and their leadership styles determines what kind of leaders they are. Here are some of the characteristics of good and bad leaders.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A POOR LEADER?
Avoids Conflicts
Conflict is inevitable when it comes to every aspect of one’s lives as human beings. May it be in the workplace, colleagues, family, friends, or even oneself. Everyone encounters conflicts at least at some point of their lives, the government and its ruling body is definitely not an exception.
When a leader is dealing with service to people, they hugely contribute to the management of conflicts especially on problems that involve those that they are serving for. Some enjoy the feeling of solving conflicts, some want involvement in none of it (Brearly, 2016).
A poor leader tends to be in the middle to avoid conflicts. They do not engage even when their stand is needed. They prefer to sit and stay in the middle instead of finding ways to address the issue because they are afraid of what is going to happen next. They do not offer effective solutions which can often lead to misunderstandings and the rise of bigger problems.
Lack of Accountability
Bad leaders do not hold themselves accountable for their actions and often blame others for the failure caused by their poor leadership. Blaming others is a poor leadership trait that displays a lack of capacity to lead a team.
When accountability is not present in a work environment, it inhibits the employees from executing their work effectively (Lacey, 2018). Real leaders understand the concept of being responsible not only for the success of the body but also its shortcomings.
These types of leaders often play the victim and try to find reasons to push the blame to others and make it seem like they have no control over it. In the end, this trait of a leader puts the risk of an organization's downfall. The lack of accountability is considered to be one of the Seven Biggest Problems with Leadership Today.
Poor communication skills
Mastering effective communication is one of the most powerful traits a leader can possess (Flavin, 2015). Without communication, an organization will fail to attend the requisites of whom they are serving.
A sign of poor leadership is the lack of attentiveness from the needs of the citizens of the nation. Some can speak effectively, some don’t, some have improper manners and some do not communicate at all.
When a leader does not know how to articulate their thoughts, it will be difficult for them to construct concrete plans and communicate well among their citizens, which is essential to the prosperity of a state.
Poor communication skills
Mastering effective communication is one of the most powerful traits a leader can possess (Flavin, 2015). Without communication, an organization will fail to attend the requisites of whom they are serving.
A sign of poor leadership is the lack of attentiveness from the needs of the citizens of the nation. Some can speak effectively, some don’t, some have improper manners and some do not communicate at all.
When a leader does not know how to articulate their thoughts, it will be difficult for them to construct concrete plans and communicate well among their citizens, which is essential to the prosperity of a state.
Self-Serving Nature
An ineffective leader is self-centric. They only care about what they want and put themselves first and use power to tend to their selfish needs. Characteristics such as being selfish and egoistic are signs that the country is under a regime of poor governance.
If a leader does not grasp the concept of "service beyond self," they would possibly fail to gain the trust, confidence, and loyalty of people under their leadership.
Lack of Vision
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality - Warren G. Bennis
Stoner (2015) shared the analogy between a river and a leader, wherein she stated that a leader who lacks clear vision is like a river without banks; it becomes stagnant and has no direction. Bad leaders fail to visualize what is needed for the betterment of the nation. Hence, it leads them to lack concrete plans and long-lasting solutions for the faced problems.
Vision is the most important weapon a leader can have to lead the state to its fullest growth (Zmorenski, n.d.). Concrete and attainable goals are essential for the government to strive for the betterment of the nation. As stated by Myatt (2012), when a leader lacks vision they fail to develop a long-term strategy that allows everyone to improve, work, and prosper.
A leader without a vision to serve is in danger of becoming self-serving (Stone, 2015).
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD LEADER?
Leading by example
A good leader does not just provide orders but guides others through their behavior and becomes an inspiration for them to do the same. As per Powell (2018), an effective government is not simply a government that is a referee; but it is also an architect.
Everyone needs a leader who encourages them to do things they don’t typically do. Leaders that are saying “do as I say” don’t give them a good impression to their team.
According to Martinnuzzi (n.d.), a good leader should know how to ‘walk the talk”. In order to push others to do the right thing; one should first do it themselves.
Goal-oriented
An effective leader is guided by their clear vision of what they want to achieve (Heathfield, 2020). They are very concrete with their goals. A good leader knows what to do and how to do it.
A goal oriented leader knows how to set specific and attainable goals. Their goals are grounded with knowledge, skills, and a realistic view of their plans. Furthermore, they are well armed with the knowledge of how the organization operates, the traditions, and its possible risks.
A good leader sets priorities and focuses on performing actions that contribute to the completion of the most important tasks.
Knows how to take responsibility
When you become a leader, you are given the biggest responsibility of all.
The government system became static because it is filled with resentment and non-stop pointing of fingers (Gerlach, 2014). They resort to pushing the blame to others instead of manning up the responsibility and addressing the situation.
An effective leader knows how to hold themselves accountable for their actions and never backs down in representing what is right through the good and the bad. According to Gerlach (2014), “good leaders are smart enough to be contemplative not resolute”. They would rather take the responsibility instead of insisting that at least what they did was right when the outcome was a total failure.
When things go wrong, a competent leader takes responsibility for the team’s actions and their effects rather than placing blame on them. They exhibit their worth of trust and respect by being willing to take an obligation (Golhar, 2018).
Master of communication
Quoting the words of James Humes, “the art of communication is the language of leadership”.
A good leader should know how to effectively communicate with others and know how to construct their words correctly to avoid misunderstandings. One of the most important skills a good leader must acquire is the ability to listen (Schwartz, 2017).
Communication does not only revolve around expressing what you have in store, it is also about being able to truly listen and understand what others have to say. A leader not only conveys their views, plans, and vision but also openly listens to their residents as well as the other people in the court.
Authentic
Good leaders are not afraid of showing their backgrounds. They are transparent and open to criticisms. Good leaders are consistent with their thoughts, words, and deeds. Authentic leaders can prove their sincerity and nurture relationships with their subordinates by establishing good connections and giving importance to their work.
In a research conducted by Jensen, S. and Luthans, F., it is revealed that authentic leadership serves as the strongest way to tell one’s job satisfaction, commitment, and happiness in their workplace. An authentic leader establishes trust and connection with the people around them by showing them who they really are and providing them with genuine service (Forsey, 2019).
These types of leaders bring encouragement to the people that they are working with to be more open and work harmoniously with each other for the prosperity of the nation.
REFERENCES:
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