Here Are 4 Common Behaviours Of Ineffective Leaders

In a 28-year career in education as a teacher and assistant principal, I've consistently observed 4 common behaviours among ineffective leaders.

Egocentric - Narcissistic

These leaders often show a predominant self-admiration, driven either by ego and anxiety, constantly preoccupied with how they are perceived by their superiors and team members, always trying to appear strong and invincible, having a strong desire for attention and an underlying imposter syndrome, often leads them to prioritize their own image over collaborative problem-solving, undermining their effectiveness as leaders.

Process-Oriented - Micro-Managing

Poor leaders exhibit unequal attention on controlling and monitoring staff punctuality, restroom breaks, and classroom and office activity, driven by an obsession with appearance rather than prioritizing the crucial output results of the team, neglecting the more significant aspects of achieving student successes, student, parent and staff satisfaction, and overall school success.

Apprehensive About Failure

Driven by a deep-seated fear of failure and to uphold their image, these inadequate leaders avoid any acknowledgement of missteps, blaming others instead of embracing failures as opportunities for learning, fostering a culture of concealment within the team, where results are manipulated, and members become risk-averse.

Monopolist - Knowledge Guarder

A dysfunctional dynamic leader, driven by a fear of losing control and maintaining an image, information becomes a closely guarded asset, exercising strict control over communication both within and outside the team, manipulating data to shield the team from unfavourable news, leading to a culture of deception where the leader and team resort to dishonesty, creating an isolated and concealed environment, hindering organizational performance.

Conclusion

Despite their infamous reputation within the organization, marked by disdain and cautionary tales from competent and emphatic staff, inadequate leaders, surprisingly resilient and enduring, continue their detrimental practices, prompting like-minded individuals to be on their team to seek specific agendas, as the organization often fails to hold them accountable, allowing these resilient leaders to persist and perpetuate the negative behaviours.