In my first article this month I discussed the qualities of a good leader. In this article I plan on delving a little deeper and taking a different spin on the topic, to point out the five qualities you don’t want to posses as a leader, and why.

So here are the 5 Qualities of Bad Leaders:

1. You’re never right – You know this type of boss; the one who refuses to listen to another person’s ideas, and is always going to turn the conversation around to where they are the ones who have all the answers. This is ok as long as they actually do have better answers, and it’s not just their ego getting in the way. You can spot these people by their non-verbal signals that say: “I’m more important than you, and let me tell you why.” The mark of a good leader is one who is able to listen to their team for valuable insight and ideas, and realizes that it’s ok for others to come up with solutions from time-to-time as well.

2. Never a thank you – Positive reinforcement and pats on the back work not only for dogs but people too. And for good reason. It’s encouraging! No one wants to work their tail off day in and day out, never to get a single thank you. Why would someone stay at a company like that? And who wants to work for someone like that? Not many people can, or will. Even if you aren’t the type of person who thrives on that sort of thing, you still like to know you’re either A. On the right track or B. Appreciated in the company. You spend more time working at your company than with your family and friends. So why do it for a leader who doesn’t even notice your work? Don’t let this be you; thank your team.

3. Double standards and hypocrisy – Ouch. This one is really painful, for everyone involved. I’m sure you’ve worked for someone who lives by the ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ rule of thumb. And if you haven’t then count yourself lucky. The bottom line is that as a leader you are being watched. Constantly. Don’t let that worry you or make you anxious, but know that you have been given an opportunity to show, not tell, your team what a good leader looks like. So set a good example and practice what you preach. Above all, don’t talk about it- be about it!

4. Gossip and backstabbing – It’s sad this one even needs to be on this list. But it does happen, and needs to be addressed. You would think that someone who has reached management status knows better than to talk behind anyone’s back, especially about someone on a team to someone else on the team. You wouldn’t want people saying things about you without your knowledge, so we need to be careful and do the same for others. The example we should set as leaders has to be a higher standard than the world around us. If not, then why are we called leaders?

5. Not rewarding hard work – This may sound like a duplicate entry for the one about never thanking someone, but actually it’s more about rewards above and beyond verbal encouragement. A little fact leaders might not know is that the people under you have a mental timeline. For what you ask? They have in their minds a set amount of time to pass before they expect a reward of some kind for all of their hard work and efforts. Rewards run the gamut from raises, to bonuses, to time off, to free meals or letters of recognition. We need to remember that different people are motivated by different things, and we need to use all of the tools at our disposal to show people we recognize and appreciate their efforts.

I hope you’ve received some valuable reminders as a leader of what NOT to do as a leader. Before we start thinking of all the things we should start doing as a leader, let’s be sure and stop doing some things we may be doing now that are bad leader behaviors.

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In my previous article I discussed 5 qualities great leaders have. Well one quality that is an absolute necessity for any leader or person period, is listening. But I don’t mean just listening when someone else is talking (although that’s a good start). When I say listening I mean listening to the customer. And the customer doesn’t always mean only your billable clients; the customer can also mean your employees. Here are three ways working on your listening skills will help you grow your business, and ultimately improve customer and employee satisfaction.

1. You get what you put in, AKA: You reap what you sow - If you really take the time out to listen to what your employees are saying, and what they need to perform at the top of their game, then you are actually benefiting yourself. Many times they show you in a variety of ways – through behavior assessments, personality tests, performance reviews – but the best way to be a good listener is to actually practice it on your own employees. You should especially listen when someone who is usually rather quiet gets the nerve up to talk to you about an issue that is important to them (even if it’s not really important to you at that time). This will pay off in the long run because they will feel like they can come to you for advice or a listening ear, AND you’ll find out what’s going on behind the scenes in the company. This brings me to my next point.

2. You learn what to tweak - How else are you going to know where to improve if you aren’t listening to what your customers are saying? And please, please don’t think that using old antiquated ways of asking for their comments or suggestions are going to work. They simple won’t do anymore. These days people are busy, distracted and stressed out. Instead, try using a quick online or emailed survey (attached, not in the body), and limit it to under five questions. It should literally take a person two minutes to finish your survey, unless of course they’re filling out a long comment in the comment area. In which case, great! You need feedback, both good and bad, so give them a space to do so. And if you get an angry one, use this as an opportunity to turn your biggest complainer into your biggest fan.

3. You see where to keep investing - If you’ve noticed that you’re losing money in a certain area despite all of your best efforts, it’s time to sell. And I don’t mean your stocks. I’m talking about an area of your company or brand that maybe at one point was doing great, but now, not so much. The same technique works in reverse. Your company can speak to you in nonverbal ways as well. If you notice there is an area that is really taking off, and seems to strike a chord with your audience and customers – Keep it up! I know, it seems common sense, but you would be surprised how many CEO’s and business owners fail to let a sinking ship go. Just keep in mind one thing when listening in any of the ways I’ve mentioned:

You should always be growing, or progressively getting better; because if you’re not getting better, you are getting worse. Stagnation is just another form of getting worse. The same goes for breaking even, or barely scraping by. Branch out, try new things, and get with the new programs! And the best way to ensure you’re always growing and evolving with the changing times? LISTEN

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Or contact us for questions or comments. (We want to be good listeners too).

There are many qualities to being a great leader, but I’ve narrowed them down to five that if implemented, will pay off big time not only in dollars, but in sense.

1. Be a team player – sometimes you have to take one for the team. What I mean by this is that it’s not all about you; it’s about making the team look good. Know when to delegate which specific tasks to the individuals who already excel in those categories. How do you do this? See #2:
2. Perform behavior assessments to find strengths – how can you delegate if you don’t first find out their super powers? If you put someone on a project that loathes math and is terrible at it, then obviously they aren’t going to perform well. So instead of trial and error, why not figure this information out first, and assign or delegate later based on your findings.
3. Be teachable – just because you’re the boss, doesn’t mean you can’t learn a thing or two. You should always progressively be getting better, more well-rounded, and enculturate yourself in whatever environment you’re in. And keep learning and growing so you can pass that knowledge down to the team, or else you may get left behind. Similar to technologically-inclined individuals who have to frequently re-learn entire systems and processes every few years due to changing technology and software, you too should be improving each year to benefit your business and your team.
4. Know your stuff – you should stay informed on current events and trends that affect your industry, company and team. If nothing else you won’t be completely clueless when asked a question in an elevator by a potential client. If you sound like you know your stuff, especially the most current stuff, you’re much more desirable as a guru in your field.
5. Lead by example – you can’t force someone to trust you, or respect you. But if you lead by example, and set some good ones, the majority of your team will follow. Said another way – Don’t just talk about it, be about it. Don’t ask your team to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself, and don’t ever let them think you’re just managing by walking around. If anything, they should be glad you’re the boss, because they don’t want to have to do all the things you do. Otherwise, you may have someone who would LOVE to quickly take your place, and may try to undermine your efforts.

For more information on how to be a great leader, and more tips on improving business processes and procedures visit our website at: http://www.upperrightleadership.com