5 Fails That Will Sabotage Your Leadership Role

The number of articles and blog posts that explore the strengths leaders must have are almost without number. Strengths are important and I applaud each and every effort to highlight them. However, I want to shift your attention to traits that are the polar opposite of strengths—yes, weaknesses will be our focus here. You see, I believe the ability to recognize one’s weakness is a valuable trait which every great leader should possess. In my view, introspection plays a crucial role in the leadership equation.

Recognizing weakness and taking corrective action is a hallmark of all great leaders. Leaders are, first and foremost, human beings and human beings are imperfect creatures. Unlike other creatures, humans are endowed with the capacity to alter objectionable behavior and that is good news for all of us. The five fails discussed here are, in my opinion, the most damaging to the aspiring leader’s ability to achieve effective leadership.

1. Failure of Humility

Those in a position of leadership are also, by definition, in a position of power. Power has the potential to corrupt. Power is the corridor that arrogance uses as a footpath to enter into the conscious or subconscious mind of leaders. If your humility is failing, your position of leadership will also fail. Arrogance comes in many guises and includes holding yourself above those you lead, distancing oneself from subordinates, and generally disengaging from those beneath you. This arrogance can result in a leader that over-promises and under-delivers. It can also result in the best and brightest of your team shutting down.

Great leaders remain somewhat humble, always candid, and above all true to themselves and their ideals.

2. Failure to Walk the Talk

There is no better role model than the leader who plays by the rules he/she establishes for subordinates. There is no substitute for leading by example. You want people to be at work on time? Try being on time yourself. You want people to show up at work every day? Be at work every day yourself. The list goes on, but you see my point. Respect is earned and it is never earned by setting a poor example or being hypocritical. This doesn’t mean that you lead to please others, to fit in, or to be liked.

I am talking about holding yourself accountable so you have the moral high ground when you must hold others accountable.

3. Failure to Let Go

Leadership is about inspiring, facilitating, and getting out of the way. Too many leaders fail to let go which has the effect of diluting the trust necessary between those who are leading and those being led. If you don’t have faith in your team to take your vision and run with it, you will find your company stagnating. You must instill confidence in your team and the best way to accomplish this is to demonstrate that you trust them to get the job done. This may also mean settling for something less than perfection. Be accepting of minor failures and open to a diversity of ideas. Good leaders accept the fact that they can’t do it all.

Good leaders understand that collaboration, tolerance, and mutual trust are the triad necessary to sustain the forward momentum of the enterprise.

4. Failure to Deliver

Good leaders deliver what is promised to customers, to subordinates, and to superiors. If you find that your objectives are not being met in a consistent manner, then you are failing to find the right people, employ the right processes, and provide the appropriate guidance to ensure the desired result.

Increased focus on accountability, yours and your team’s, is in order. Inspect what you expect.

5. Failure to Mentor

Leaders understand the dangers of complacency, the pitfalls of being too optimistic, and the slippery slope of pessimism. Balance is an essential aspect of leadership and there is no better way to achieve that balance than through mentoring. Mentoring forces you to focus on what is right about your leadership skills, your vision, and your organization as a whole.

Mentoring ensures that your team understands your vision. It guarantees continuity and provides a foundation of talent upon which your enterprise can build. No team ever lost a contest because its bench was too deep.

In short, being a good leader is requires humility, the willingness and strength of character to lead by example, the ability to trust others to help you achieve your vision, the means to deliver on your promises, and, lastly, the capacity to teach these skills to others.

There are many other fails that I have not touched upon. However, these five are the linchpins and just as all roads lead to Rome, all failures of leadership can be traced to one of these five fails or a combination thereof.